The Philadelphia Eagles, hoping to make big strides with quarterback Carson Wentz and several new wide receivers, will play five prime-time games this season.
The Birds schedule was announced Thursday night.
The Eagles travel to Carolina Thursday, Oct. 12 and are home against Washington, Monday, Oct. 23.
Their next two night games are on the road – at Dallas Sunday, Nov. 19, and at Seattle, Sunday, Dec. 3.
Their final prime-time game is Christmas, a Monday night game at home against Oakland.
The Eagles play their first two games on the road – at Washington, Sunday, Sept. 10, and at Kansas City, Sunday, Sept. 17. Both games are 1 p.m. starts.
The New England Patriots will kick off the NFL season Thursday, Sept. 7 by hosting the Kansas City Chiefs.
New England earned that honor with its record comeback to beat Atlanta in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs won the AFC West last season.
The Falcons visit Chicago in their first game.
The rest of the opening weekend will feature what seems like a yearly occurrence, with Dallas hosting the New York Giants Sunday night.
They finished 1-2 in the NFC East in 2016.
Monday night, New Orleans is at Minnesota, followed by the Chargers, in their first game representing Los Angeles since 1960, at Denver.
Five games will be held abroad, beginning with Baltimore vs. Jacksonville in London Sept. 24.
The next week, Miami hosts New Orleans. In Week 7, the Rams host the Cardinals, followed the next week by Minnesota vs. Cleveland.
New England is the visitor against Oakland at Mexico City Nov. 19.
Thanksgiving’s traditional games will have Minnesota at Detroit and the Chargers at Dallas.
In prime time, the Redskins will be home for the Giants.
Christmas weekend will be busy.
Two Saturday matchups have Indianapolis at Baltimore in late afternoon and Minnesota at Green Bay at night Dec. 23.
Most of the rest of the schedule will be played Dec. 24, with no night game.
On Christmas Day, in addition to the Raiders-Eagles game, Pittsburgh will go to Houston in a late-afternoon game.
The season ends when 2017 does, Dec. 31.
The Falcons are scheduled to open their new stadium in an NFC championship rematch with Green Bay Sunday night in Week 2.
Atlanta has five prime-time games, the same number as New England.
The Super Bowl rematch comes Sunday night, Oct. 22.
StubHub Center, the new and temporary home of the Chargers, will have its first regular season contest in Week 2 when Miami visits.
Every team except Cleveland and Jacksonville will get prime-time exposure.
Neither of those clubs has a Thursday game, either.
It’s the first time since the league went to a full season of Thursday night football that any clubs have been omitted.
Once again, Sunday nights will have flexible scheduling, from Weeks 10 through 15 and for the final weekend.
Also, two of the five Sunday night matchups in Weeks 5 through 9 can be flexed.
Byes will occur Weeks 5 through 11.
While three-game road or home strings once were taboo in the league, they are common now.
Half of the teams have one or the other, with five clubs having both: Atlanta, Philadelphia, Oakland, San Francisco and Cincinnati.
The Bengals play at Jacksonville, Tennessee and Denver, then immediately are home to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Chicago.
Houston has three straight home games, then a bye in October.
The Eagles’ three straight home games are Washington, San Francisco and Denver. Their road games are Seattle, Los Angeles and the Giants.
Denver has one road game in the first six weeks.
