NFL leaks show Seahawks opener, Rams-Packers

The NFL has confirmed only part of the picture that circulated online ahead of its 2026 schedule release. The league said the full regular-season schedule will be released on Thursday, May 14, at 8 p.m. ET, after broadcast partners and league channels disclosed a handful of games in the days leading up to the announcement. Among the items now listed on the league’s own schedule page is a new Thanksgiving Eve game: the Los Angeles Rams will host the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET. Other social-media posts have gone further, listing additional Week 1 matchups, but those entries were not all visible on official NFL pages reviewed Thursday. ### Which leaked details are now confirmed by the league? The NFL’s football-operations schedule page lists the Rams-Packers game for Week 12 on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at SoFi Stadium, calling it the league’s “newest holiday offering.” The same page also confirms Cowboys at Giants on Sunday Night Football on Sept. 13 and Chiefs-Broncos on Monday Night Football on Sept. 14, though it says the location of Chiefs-Broncos has not been announced there. (media.nfl.com) The league had already said on May 8 that selected games would be announced by broadcast partners before the full release. That process is standard for the NFL’s schedule week, when television partners and streaming distributors roll out pieces of the calendar before the complete 272-game slate appears. (operations.nfl.com) ### What is the deal with Seahawks-Patriots? Sports Illustrated’s running list of leaks and confirmed games reported Patriots at Seahawks on Sept. 9 as the NFL kickoff game. Fox Sports separately reported that Seattle would open the season on Wednesday, Sept. 9, but said as of Tuesday morning there were still four possible opponents for the Seahawks, including New England. (media.nfl.com) The NFL’s official schedule-release materials reviewed Thursday did not list Patriots-Seahawks on the league’s football-operations page. That leaves the reported matchup in a different category from Rams-Packers, Cowboys-Giants and Chiefs-Broncos, which appeared on NFL-controlled pages before the full release. (si.com) ### Has Browns at Jaguars for Sept. 13 been verified? Sept. 13 is already an official Week 1 date on the NFL calendar because the league lists Cowboys at Giants in the Sunday night window that day. But Browns at Jaguars on Sept. 13 did not appear on the official NFL pages reviewed Thursday, even though social-media posts and secondary reports cited that pairing as part of the leak cycle. (operations.nfl.com) The distinction matters because the NFL has been releasing games in stages. Some matchups are being confirmed through league announcements and partner reveals, while others remain in the category of unverified leaks until they appear on NFL.com or in the full Thursday-night drop. (operations.nfl.com) ### Why is Rams-Packers tied to Netflix? Nov. 25 is the first Thanksgiving Eve game on the 2026 NFL schedule, and the league’s football-operations page says Rams-Packers will be played in that standalone Wednesday slot. The preliminary reports about the game described it as a Netflix-exclusive matchup, and the league’s own release cycle has emphasized that broadcast partners would unveil select games before the full schedule release. (media.nfl.com) The NFL press portal also shows multiple schedule-related announcements this week, including international games and the broader May 14 release, underscoring how the league has parceled out marquee inventory across partners before the main reveal. ### What has the NFL officially said about the release itself? (operations.nfl.com) May 14 at 8 p.m. ET is the league’s stated release time for the full 2026 schedule. The NFL said live coverage and analysis would air on NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App and NFL+, with additional coverage on the NFL Channel’s streaming distribution. (media.nfl.com) The NFL’s schedule page also says updates would be listed there as broadcast partners announced games during the week. That means more leaked entries could still be confirmed, changed or omitted before the complete schedule goes live Thursday night. ### What should readers watch for next? (media.nfl.com) Thursday, May 14, at 8 p.m. ET is the next hard deadline in this story because that is when the NFL says it will publish the full 2026 regular-season schedule. NFL.com and the NFL app will carry the complete team-by-team and weekly listings, including opponents, sites and kickoff times, once the league makes the release official. (operations.nfl.com) (media.nfl.com)