For most of the past two decades, the NFL has opened its season on a Thursday night, typically with the defending Super Bowl champion playing at home.
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Not this year.
The season instead begins at 8:20 p.m. Wednesday when the Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl. It is only the second Wednesday season opener in NFL history and the first since 2012.
The unusual timing reflects a convergence of calendar and travel considerations. Labor Day fell on Sept. 7, the latest possible date, and the NFL wanted to stage its first regular-season game in Australia during opening week. The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will play Thursday night in the United States — Friday morning in Melbourne — allowing them to return home Friday and have additional recovery time before Week 2.
A separate Friday night window, which the NFL used for international games the past two seasons, was unavailable because federal law restricts NFL broadcasts on Friday nights beginning with the second Friday in September. That pushed the traditional Thursday opener up one night.
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The remainder of the league begins play with a full slate Sunday, and Week 1 concludes Monday night with the Denver Broncos visiting the Kansas City Chiefs.
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