Packers face Bears, Rams draw Raiders in Week 1 matchups
Super Bowl champion Philadelphia will host Atlanta to kick off the 2018 NFL season on Thursday night, Sept. 6. Green Bay hosts Chicago in the first Sunday night matchup Sept. 9, while the Monday nighters on opening weekend feature the New York Jets at Detroit, followed by the Los Angeles Rams at Oakland.
The Eagles also will play at England’s home of soccer when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8 at Wembley Stadium. That’s one of four international games. The other match at Wembley will be the previous week with the Los Angeles Chargers hosting the Tennessee Titans. Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, also in London, will be the site for a Raiders home game on Oct. 14 against Seattle.
For the third straight year, the NFL will stage a game in Mexico City: the Rams will host Kansas City in a Week 11 Monday night game.
Thanksgiving will provide a feast of divisional games. The traditional doubleheader in Detroit and Dallas has the Lions playing the Bears, followed by the Redskins at the Cowboys. At night, Atlanta visits New Orleans.
Other intriguing matchups include Cleveland, which lost all 16 games last season, hosting archrival Pittsburgh on opening day; New England at Jacksonville in a rematch of the AFC title game in Week 2; the Eagles and Vikings in an NFC championship game redux in Philly on Oct. 7; and the Steelers vs. Patriots in Pittsburgh in Week 15.
“We like to open at home in front of our great fans and this will be the second season in a row we do it against the Steelers,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “We start with the best in our division.”
Fox, which will do 11 Thursday night games, begins its package in Week 4 with the Vikings at the Rams. Those contests also will be televised by NFL Network and in Spanish on Fox Deportes. NFL Network has seven exclusive broadcasts.
Colts: Defensive end Dwight Freeney will retire as a member of the Colts on Monday, team officials announced. Freeney was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a three-time first-team AllPro selection and played in three Super Bowls. He won his only title with the Colts following the 2006 season.
The speed rusher was best known for his trademark spin, a move defensive coaches chided and offensive linemen feared. Freeney was Indy’s first-round draft pick in 2002 and stayed through 2012. He is second in Colts’ history with 107½ sacks, trailing only Robert Mathis. He also played with San Diego, Arizona, Atlanta, Seattle and Detroit and is tied for No. 17 in league history with 125½ sacks.
Giants: Released veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall. General manager Dave Gettleman said the 34-yearold failed his physical. Marshall played in five games last season but was hurt against the Los Angeles Chargers in October and had season-ending surgery to stabilize his ankle. Marshall finished the season with a career-low 18 catches for 154 yards and no touchdowns.
Cardinals: Signed cornerback Marcus Williams to a one-year contract.