Chiefs vs. Texans to kick off 2020
The Kansas City Chiefs will open defense of their Super Bowl championship by hosting Houston on Sept. 10 in the NFL’s annual kickoff game — pending developments in the coronavirus pandemic, of course.
The Texans won a regularseason game at Arrowhead Stadium in 2019, then blew a 24-0 lead in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Another highlight of the opening weekend will have Tom Brady’s regular-season debut with Tampa Bay against Drew Brees at New Orleans on Sept. 13 — the first matchup of 40-plus quarterbacks in NFL history.
The opening of SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles area that Sunday night has the Rams hosting the Dallas Cowboys.
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will debut on Monday night, Sept. 21, with the Raiders facing Brees and the Saints.
All of the 32 teams released their schedules early Thursday evening, with the full 2020 list scheduled to be revealed by the league a bit later.
The Chiefs, who won their first Super Bowl in a half-century last February, needed baseball’s Royals to move their game for Sept. 10, which now is part of a doubleheader two days earlier. The teams’ stadiums share parking lots.
The NFL schedule, not to mention offseason activities and the preseason, has to be considered tentative given the current prohibition on large gatherings.
But Commissioner Roger
Goodell has said the league is planning for a normal season, albeit while making contingency plans.
“The league and the clubs have been in contact with the relevant local, state and federal government authorities and will continue to do so,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
The traditional Monday night