Tom Coughlin’s new team fared a lot better than his old one in 2017 and they’ll get a chance to start plotting their course for 2018 against one another.
The NFL announced the complete regular season schedule on Thursday and it includes a matchup between the Jaguars and Giants at MetLife Stadium on the first Sunday of the year. Coughlin is in his second year as the executive vice president of football operations for the Jaguars and was let go by the Giants in January 2016 after 12 years as head coach.
That game will be one of the 1 p.m. ET kickoffs on September 9. The season will start September 6 when the Falcons visit the Eagles on Thursday night on NBC. The rest of the Week One schedule includes:
Texans at Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) - The hope is that DeShaun Watson will be making the start for Houston while Tom Brady is leading the Patriots. Anything other than that will make for one of the biggest storylines of Week One.
Buccaneers at Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) - An NFC South matchup that will provide our first look at whether the Buccaneers have rebounded from last season. On the other side, the Saints will be happy with the same standings as last year.
Titans at Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m, ET) - Mike Vrabel’s first game as the Titans head coach and Ryan Tannehill’s expected return as Dolphins quarterback. New Titans Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis will also get a chance to renew acquaintances with former Patriot teammate and current Dolphins wideout Danny Amendola.
49ers at Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m., ET) - Given how things played out contractually this offseason, Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins makes for a marquee matchup right out of the gate. It’s also a chance to see how the 49ers have grown as they meet one of 2017’s best teams.
Bills at Ravens (Sunday 1 p.m. ET) - Will this be AJ McCarron’s coming out party or will a draft pick spoil that plan? Will the Ravens’ new look receiving corps add Dez Bryant before this game?
Steelers at Browns (Sunday 1 p.m. ET) - The quest for the second win of Hue Jackson’s tenure as Browns coach begins against Pittsburgh. Will Le’Veon Bell be celebrating a new contract?
Bengals at Colts (Sunday 1 p.m. ET) - Frank Reich is the new Colts head coach while Marvin Lewis remains the Bengals coach. All eyes will be on Andrew Luck unless the Colts quarterback isn’t back in action.
Chiefs at Chargers (Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET) - The Patrick Mahomes era begins in Los Angeles. Memories of last year’s playoff miss and 0-4 start should have the Chargers doing all they can to break out of the gate quickly.
Redskins at Cardinals (Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET) - Alex Smith and Sam Bradford start the next chapters of their careers in a late afternoon kickoff. The game should also feature Cardinals running back David Johnson’s first action since Week One of last season.
Cowboys at Panthers (Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET) - Cam Newton’s first game with Norv Turner calling the offensive plays comes against one of Turner’s former employers. The Panthers won’t have linebacker Thomas Davis for this one as he’ll be serving a four-game suspension to start the year.
Seahawks at Broncos (Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET) - Case Keenum will get first crack at the overhauled Seahawks defense in his first game as the Broncos quarterback. We’ll find out next Thursday if a rookie is looking over his shoulder.
Bears at Packers (Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET) - Bears coach Matt Nagy starts his head coaching career at Lambeau Field in Mike Pettine’s first game running the Green Bay defense. The game should also feature the first look at the Aaron Rodgers-Jimmy Graham partnership.
Jets at Lions (Monday 7:10 p.m. ET) - Matt Patricia faced the Jets many times as the defensive coordinator in New England. He’ll get another shot at them in his first game as Detroit’s head coach.
Rams at Raiders (Monday 10:20 p.m. ET) - Instead of calling a Monday night game, Jon Gruden will be coaching the Raiders in one. Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Ndamukong Suh will debut for the Rams.