How to watch NFL opening night

The most popular show on TV is finally coming back, and not a moment too soon.

It doesn’t involve real housewives, flying dragons or engineered romance, but there is often a lot of drama. And it offers an excellent chance to yell at your TV screen, which is either cathartic or pathetic, depending on your point of view.

I am talking, of course, about the return of the NFL. To call it the most popular thing on TV is not an exaggeration. If anything, it’s an understatement. In 2023, 93 of the most-watched 100 shows that aired on broadcast television were NFL games.

This would be staggering if it weren’t so consistent; in 2022, 82 of the 100 most-watched shows were NFL games. Lots of people love to watch football, and I am one of them.

When does the NFL come back?

The NFL season kicks off — get it, heh-heh — Thursday, Sept. 5 at 5:20 pm Arizona time on NBC with a game between the Baltimore Ravens and the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. You may recall the dating life of Chiefs’ star tight end Travis Kelce was also a subject of interest last season.

There is a special edition game on Friday, Sept. 6, pitting the Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Sorry, you’ll need the streaming service Peacock to watch this one, though that’s not an insurmountable obstacle (and once you’re there it offers some reasons to stick around).

The season starts for real on Sunday, Sept. 8 with a full slate of games, including the Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills, at 10 am Arizona time on CBS.

Plenty of talent on and off the field this season

There is some new big-name talent this season, and I am not talking about on the field. (There is always some new big-name talent in the NFL; it’s one of the things that keeps it interesting. This year the Arizona Cardinals have one of the biggest new names, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who will keep me tuned in .)

I’m talking about the broadcast booth, where Tom Brady, the greatest player in NFL history (take your arguments elsewhere) makes his debut as an NFL analyst on Fox. He’s being paid an absurd amount of money — a reported $375 million over 10 years — and the network kicked one of its best analysts, Greg Olsen, to the curb to make room for Brady.

Well, not to the curb, exactly. But to the No. 2 broadcast team, a demotion that came with a pay cut, the reward Olsen, whose work seemingly everyone loved, got for his troubles. He will team with Joe Davis this season; Brady joins Kevin Burkhardt on the No. 1 team.

You may well be thinking, so what? Nobody watches football games for the announcers. And to some extent that may be true. Football broadcast teams are like Academy Awards hosts. They perform a necessary but somewhat thankless task because no matter what they say or do, people will complain about it. It’s part of the gig. But when that gig pays $37.5 million per year, it probably eases the pain somewhat.

Cardinals fans probably don’t have to worry too much about getting tired of Brady. The chances of Fox’s No. 1 broadcast team calling an Arizona game are remote at best. But he’ll be on the network’s game of the week every Sunday, where you can listen in or mute him, your call.

Is Bill Belichick funny? We’ll find out

In a semi-related development, Brady’s former coach and, depending on who you believe, frenemy, Bill Belichick has signed on to be the first-half guest for all of the “ManningCast” games this season (there will be 11). These are the ESPN2 broadcasts in which Peyton and Eli Manning talk about the game as it’s played like a couple of football dorks that they are, along with assorted guests. (If you didn’t catch Marshawn Lynch’s three-shots-of-Hennessy appearance, you really missed out.) It is the one attempt at alternative broadcasts — and there have been many — that actually works.

Belichick is widely considered the greatest NFL coach in history. He was also, without question, one of the most annoying when it came to addressing the media, to whom he gave non-answers and acted like someone had stepped on his toe every time a reporter dared to ask him a question. Yet the players and coaches who know him insist he was actually a really funny guy (his appearance at Netflix’s roast of Brady lent some credit to this). We’re about to find out.

NFL games will look different this season

The game will look a little different on the field, as well. Trying to cut down on injuries, the NFL changed its kickoff rules. I’m not going into great detail because it will be explained ad nauseam in every game, but the gist is the teams line up a lot closer together, a “landing zone” is involved and it all just looks really weird. (In the regular meaning of “weird,” not the newly political one. That seems like it needs to be explained.)

In truth, they could kick the ball from the beer stand in the mezzanine, line the return team up somewhere out past the visitors’ parking lot and I’d still watch. Everyone would. Not to get all Mt. Everest about it, but if a game is on we will watch. Clearly. Why? Because it is there.

More big changes at the NFL Network: Four on-air personalities are out

How to watch Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills

10 am Arizona time, Sunday, Sept. 8 on Channel 5 (CBS).

Reach Goodykoontz at [email protected]. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

How to watch NFL opening night

When does the NFL come back?

Plenty of talent on and off the field this season

Is Bill Belichick funny? We’ll find out

NFL games will look different this season

How to watch Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills

By meerna

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How to watch NFL opening night

When does the NFL come back?

Plenty of talent on and off the field this season

Is Bill Belichick funny? We’ll find out

NFL games will look different this season

How to watch Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills

By meerna

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Mario Anderson ran for 125 yards and scored two touchdowns in Memphis’ 38-17 victory over Troy

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