It's never too early to start talking about the 2020 season and just hours before the NFL releases the official schedule that's exactly what we're going to do here. Thanks to the NFL scheduling formula, we can take a sneak peek at the home-and-away opponents that all 32 teams will be facing in 2020.
The NFL landscape is going to have a slightly different look next season with the most notable change happening in Las Vegas. After playing the past 25 seasons in Bay Area, the Raiders will be ditching Oakland in 2020 for a new stadium just off the strip in Vegas. The Raiders initial home schedule in Sin City will include games against the Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Bills, Dolphins, Saints, Buccaneers, and Colts.
Of course, the Raiders aren't the only team that will be playing in a new venue next season. The Rams $5 billion stadium in Los Angeles is also scheduled to open and it will be hosting 16 regular season games per year with the Rams and Chargers both set to play there in 2020. Due to the way that the schedule is set up, the Patriots are one of two visiting teams that will be playing two games at L.A.'s new SoFi Stadium in 2020 (The Patriots and Jets both play away games against the Rams and Chargers).
One thing to keep in mind about the NFL schedule is that the formula keeps things as even as possible. Each team will play four games against a first-place team from 2019, four games against a second-place team from 2019, four games against a third-place team and four games against a fourth-place team for a total of 16 games.
With that in mind, let's check out the 2020 opponents for all 32 teams.
How it works
Here's a brief explanation of the NFL scheduling formula, which was implemented in 2002. Each team will play:
- Home and away against its three division opponents (six games).
- The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (four games).
- The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (four games).
- Two intraconference games based on the prior year's standings (two games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions that the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place, and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.
- Beginning in 2010, a change was made to how teams are paired in the schedule rotation to ensure that teams playing the AFC and NFC West divisions would not be required to make two West Coast trips (e.g., at Los Angeles and at Raiders), while other teams in their division had none (e.g., at Denver and at Kansas City).
Mark your calendars
The 2020 regular season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 10, and end after Week 17 is played on Jan. 3, 2021.
The 2020 NFL season will conclude on Feb. 7, 2021, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, where the NFC champion and AFC champion will meet in Super Bowl LV.
2020 opponents
Here's the complete home and away opponent list for each NFL team. The dates and times of each game will released at some point during the spring.
| | | |
|---|---|---|
| AFC East | ||
| Patriots | Home: Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Broncos, Raiders, Cardinals, 49ers, Ravens Away: Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, Seahawks, Texans | |
| Dolphins | Home: Bills, Jets, Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, Seahawks, Bengals Away: Bills, Jets, Patriots, Broncos, Raiders, Cardinals, 49ers, Jaguars | |
| Jets | Home: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Broncos, Raiders, Cardinals, 49ers, Browns Away: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, Seahawks, Colts | |
| Bills | Home: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, Seahawks, Steelers Away: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Cardinals, 49ers, Titans | |
| AFC North | ||
| Ravens | Home: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys, Giants, Chiefs Away: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Colts, Texans, Redskins, Eagles, Patriots | |
| Bengals | Home: Ravens, Browns, Steelers, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys, Giants, Chargers Away: Ravens, Browns, Steelers, Colts, Texans, Redskins, Eagles, Dolphins | |
| Steelers | Home: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Colts, Texans, Redskins, Eagles, Broncos Away: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys, Giants, Bills | |
| Browns | Home: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Colts, Texans, Redskins, Eagles, Raiders Away: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys, Giants, Jets | |
| AFC South | ||
| Texans | Home: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Vikings, Packers, Patriots Away: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Steelers, Browns, Bears, Lions, Chiefs | |
| Colts | Home: Jaguars, Titans, Texans, Ravens, Bengals, Vikings, Packers, Jets Away: Jaguars, Titans, Texans, Steelers, Browns, Bears, Lions, Raiders | |
| Titans | Home: Jaguars, Colts, Texans, Steelers, Browns, Bears, Lions, Bills Away: Jaguars, Colts, Texans, Ravens, Bengals, Vikings, Packers, Broncos | |
| Jaguars | Home: Colts, Texans, Titans, Steelers, Browns, Bears, Lions, Dolphins Away: Colts, Texans, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Vikings, Packers, Chargers | |
| AFC West | ||
| Broncos | Home: Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers, Bills, Dolphins, Saints, Buccaneers, Titans Away: Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers, Patriots, Jets, Falcons, Panthers, Steelers | |
| Chargers | Home: Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos, Patriots, Jets, Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars Away: Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos, Bills, Dolphins, Saints, Buccaneers, Bengals | |
| Raiders | Home: Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Bills, Dolphins, Saints, Buccaneers, Colts Away: Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Patriots, Jets, Falcons, Panthers, Browns | |
| Chiefs | Home: Broncos, Raiders, Chargers, Patriots, Jets, Falcons, Panthers, Texans Away: Broncos, Raiders, Chargers, Bills, Dolphins, Saints, Buccaneers, Ravens | |
| NFC East | ||
| Redskins | Home: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Seahawks, Rams, Ravens, Bengals, Panthers Away: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, 49ers, Cardinals, Steelers, Browns, Lions | |
| Giants | Home: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles, 49ers, Cardinals, Steelers, Browns, Buccaneers Away: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles, Seahawks, Rams, Ravens, Bengals, Bears | |
| Cowboys | Home: Redskins, Giants, Eagles, 49ers, Cardinals, Steelers, Browns, Falcons Away: Redskins, Giants, Eagles, Seahawks, Rams, Ravens, Bengals, Vikings | |
| Eagles | Home: Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, Seahawks, Rams, Ravens, Bengals, Saints Away: Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, 49ers, Cardinals, Steelers, Browns, Packers | |
| NFC North | ||
| Packers | Home: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles Away: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Texans, Colts, 49ers | |
| Vikings | Home: Bears, Lions, Packers, Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys Away: Bears, Lions, Packers, Saints, Buccaneers, Texans, Colts, Seahawks | |
| Bears | Home: Packers, Lions, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Texans, Colts, Giants Away: Packers, Lions, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars, Titans, Rams | |
| Lions | Home: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Texans, Colts, Redskins Away: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars, Titans, Cardinals | |
| NFC South | ||
| Falcons | Home: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, Broncos, Raiders, Seahawks Away: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Vikings, Packers, Chiefs, Chargers, Cowboys | |
| Panthers | Home: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, Broncos, Raiders, Cardinals Away: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers, Vikings, Packers, Chiefs, Chargers, Redskins | |
| Saints | Home: Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers, Packers, Vikings, Chiefs, Chargers, 49ers Away: Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers, Lions, Bears, Broncos, Raiders, Eagles | |
| Buccaneers | Home: Panthers, Saints, Falcons, Packers, Vikings, Chiefs, Chargers, Rams Away: Panthers, Saints, Falcons, Lions, Bears, Broncos, Raiders, Giants | |
| NFC West | ||
| 49ers | Home: Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, Redskins, Eagles, Bills, Dolphins, Packers Away: Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, Cowboys, Giants, Jets, Patriots, Saints | |
| Seahawks | Home: 49ers, Rams, Cardinals, Cowboys, Giants, Jets, Patriots, Vikings Away: 49ers, Rams, Cardinals, Redskins, Eagles, Bills, Dolphins, Falcons | |
| Rams | Home: Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Giants, Cowboys, Patriots, Jets, Bears Away: Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Redskins, Eagles, Bills, Dolphins, Buccaneers | |
| Cardinals | Home: Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Redskins, Eagles, Bills, Dolphins, Lions Away: Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Cowboys, Giants, Jets, Patriots, Panthers | |
