NFL 2017 Schedule Released

Moving teams, new stadiums, rematches and rivalries highlight the 2017 NFL regular season schedule.

FOX’s Chris Hoenig reports:

The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 NFL season kick-off on Thursday, Sept. 7. Commissioner Roger Goodell will be there for his first visit to Gillette Stadium since the whole Deflategate debacle.

Week 1 primetime games also feature the Giants taking on the Cowboys on Sunday night, the fifth time in six years they play each other in their season openers. The first Monday Night Football of the season is a doubleheader with the Vikings hosting the Saints, followed by the first game for the Los Angeles Chargers, on the road at the Denver Broncos.

The Chargers make their home debut at the 30,000 seat StubHub center in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.

We have a Super Bowl rematch in Week 7: Sunday night, Oct. 22, the Atlanta Falcons visit the Patriots in primetime.

Atlanta’s brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium debuts in a Week 2 NFC Championship game rematch with the Green Bay Packers.

Every team will get to play under the primetime lights except the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars. In fact, they are the first teams to avoid the spotlight since Thursday Night Football became an every-week thing.

As always, there is a triple-header on Thanksgiving Day. The Vikings visit Detroit, followed by the Cowboys home against the Chargers. Tony Romo will be calling that game for CBS, in primetime it’s the Giants at the Redskins.

And with Christmas Day falling on a Monday, we’ll have a very busy holiday weekend, including a pair of games on Saturday the 23, a full slate of daytime games on Christmas Eve, though no Sunday night primetime action and two games on Christmas Day: Pittsburgh at Houston in the late afternoon, with the Oakland Raiders at the Philadelphia Eagles in the nightcap.

The regular season ends with every team playing on New Year’s Eve.

Chris Hoenig, FOX News.

Follow Chris Hoenig on Twitter: @Chris_Hoenig