Seahawks Opening Week 1 on Wednesday? Here's Why the NFL Schedule Just Got Weird
Well, this is a first in over a decade. The Seattle Seahawks, fresh off winning Super Bowl LX, will kick off their season on Wednesday night instead of the traditional Thursday night slot. Why the schedule shuffle? Because the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are heading down under to start their seasons in Melbourne, Australia, and the NFL had to get creative.
The Wednesday Night Opener
Here's the deal: the Seahawks will play their Week 1 game on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It's a move that hasn't happened since 2012, when the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys got bumped to Wednesday to avoid conflicting with then-President Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention. The league hasn't announced who we're facing yet, so stay tuned.
Why Australia Forced the Schedule Change
The Rams-49ers game in Australia is happening Friday morning at 10:35 a.m. local time, which translates to 8:35 p.m. ET. Since that game is being broadcast Thursday night in the United States, the Seahawks had to slide over to Wednesday to avoid the conflict. The league hasn't announced which network will carry the Australia game, but you know it's going to be a weird viewing experience for the East Coast crowd.
This international scheduling thing has become the norm lately. The past two seasons, the NFL has run an international game the Friday after the traditional season opener. In 2024, it was the Eagles and Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. Last year, the Chargers and Chiefs opened their seasons on Friday in Brazil. This year, the league decided to flip the script and put the international game earlier in the week.
What's Next for the Hawks
So we're breaking 14 years of Wednesday night tradition to accommodate this. The Seahawks will be ready whenever they take the field, but hearing about our opponent and knowing who we're up against in Week 1 would be nice. Keep an eye out for that announcement.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.