NFL season opener will pit Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 rematch

Talk about instant replay. The NFL season will open Thursday, Sept. 8, with the Denver Broncos hosting the Carolina Panthers in a rematch of Super Bowl 50.

“It’s exciting for our players to compete on a national stage,” said Panthers Coach Ron Rivera, whose team lost in February to the Broncos, 24-10. “We’ve earned the right to be in the spotlight, and we have to take advantage of it.”

That game will mark the first Super Bowl rematch on opening weekend since 1970, when the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.

The league released the 2016 schedule Thursday, and there were a slew of marquee games. Among them:

• The runners-up the conference championship games will square off on the first Sunday night, Sept. 11, when the New England Patriots play at Arizona. New Cardinals outside linebacker Chandler Jones will line up against his former team.

• The Rams, who open at San Francisco on Monday Night Football, host the Seattle Seahawks the following week in their Coliseum debut. It will be Pete Carroll’s first coaching return to Los Angeles since his USC days.

• The Atlanta Falcons will play at New Orleans on Monday night in Week 3. This year is the 10th anniversary of the reopening of the Superdome in the wake of Hurricane Katrina — and the Saints’ emotional, 23-3 win over the Falcons in that game.

• There are four international games, with the Jacksonville Jaguars the home team against the Indianapolis Colts at London’s Wembley Stadium on Oct. 2 and the Rams hosting the New York Giants at London’s Twickenham Stadium on Oct. 23. It’s back to Wembley the following Sunday, when the Cincinnati Bengals play the Washington Redskins. On Nov. 21, the Oakland Raiders host the Houston Texans in Mexico City.

• Both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sundays this year, so the league had to adjust. All but two of the would-be Dec. 25 games were moved to Dec. 24. Because the regular season ends Jan. 1, all 16 games will be played that day — and each is a division matchup.

NFL SCHEDULE

WEEK 1

Thursday, Sept. 8

Carolina at Denver, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Sunday, Sept. 11

Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Buffalo at Baltimore, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Chicago at Houston, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Green Bay at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. (FOX)

San Diego at Kansas City, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Oakland at New Orleans, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Cincinnati at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Cleveland at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Minnesota at Tennessee, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Miami at Seattle, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Giants at Dallas, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Detroit at Indianapolis, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

New England at Arizona, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Sept. 12

Pittsburgh at Washington, 4:10 p.m. (ESPN)

Los Angeles at San Francisco, 7:20 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 2

Thursday, Sept. 15

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 5:25 p.m. (CBS-NFLN-Twitter)

Sunday, Sept. 18

San Francisco at Carolina, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Baltimore at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Tennessee at Detroit, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Kansas City at Houston, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Miami at New England, 10 a.m. (CBS)

New Orleans at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Dallas at Washington, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Tampa Bay at Arizona, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

Seattle at Los Angeles, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

Indianapolis at Denver, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Atlanta at Oakland, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Jacksonville at San Diego, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Green Bay at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Sept. 19

Philadelphia at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 3

Thursday, Sept. 22

Houston at New England, 5:25 p.m. (CBS-NFLN-Twitter)

Sunday, Sept. 25

Arizona at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Minnesota at Carolina, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Denver at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Detroit at Green Bay, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Baltimore at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Cleveland at Miami, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Washington at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Oakland at Tennessee, 10 a.m. (CBS)

San Francisco at Seattle, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

Los Angeles at Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

San Diego at Indianapolis, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Jets at Kansas City, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Chicago at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Sept. 26

Atlanta at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 4

Byes: Green Bay, Philadelphia

Thursday, Sept. 29

Miami at Cincinnati 5:25 p.m. (NFLN)

Sunday, Oct. 2

Indianapolis vs. Jacksonville at London, 6:30 a.m. (CBS)

Carolina at Atlanta, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Oakland at Baltimore, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Detroit at Chicago, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Tennessee at Houston, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Buffalo at New England, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Seattle at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Cleveland at Washington, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Denver at Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)

Los Angeles at Arizona, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

New Orleans at San Diego, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Dallas at San Francisco, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Kansas City at Pittsburgh, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Oct. 3

N.Y. Giants at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 5

Byes: Jacksonville, Kansas City, New Orleans, Seattle

Thursday, Oct. 6

Arizona at San Francisco, 5:25 p.m. (CBS-NFLN-Twitter)

Sunday, Oct. 9

Washington at Baltimore, 10 a.m. (FOX)

New England at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Philadelphia at Detroit, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Chicago at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Tennessee at Miami, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Houston at Minnesota, 10 a.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Atlanta at Denver, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

Cincinnati at Dallas, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Buffalo at Los Angeles, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

San Diego at Oakland, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

x-N.Y. Giants at Green Bay, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Oct. 10

Tampa Bay at Carolina, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 6

Byes: Minnesota, Tampa Bay

Thursday, Oct. 13

Denver at San Diego, 5:25 p.m. (CBS-NFLN-Twitter)

Sunday, Oct. 16

San Francisco at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Jacksonville at Chicago, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Los Angeles at Detroit, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Pittsburgh at Miami, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Cincinnati at New England, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Carolina at New Orleans, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Baltimore at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Cleveland at Tennessee, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Philadelphia at Washington, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Kansas City at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)

Dallas at Green Bay, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Atlanta at Seattle, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

x-Indianapolis at Houston, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Oct. 17

N.Y. Jets at Arizona, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 7

Byes: Carolina, Dallas

Thursday, Oct. 20

Chicago at Green Bay, 5:25 p.m. (CBS-NFLN-Twitter)

Sunday, Oct. 23

N.Y. Giants vs. Los Angeles at London, 6:30 a.m. (NFLN)

Cleveland at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Washington at Detroit, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Oakland at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. (CBS)

New Orleans at Kansas City, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Buffalo at Miami, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Baltimore at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Minnesota at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Indianapolis at Tennessee, 10 a.m. (CBS)

San Diego at Atlanta, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

Tampa Bay at San Francisco, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

New England at Pittsburgh, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

x-Seattle at Arizona, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Oct. 24

Houston at Denver, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 8

Byes: Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, N.Y. Giants, Pittsburgh, San Francisco

Thursday, Oct. 27

Jacksonville at Tennessee, 5:25 p.m. (NFLN)

Sunday, Oct. 30

Washington vs. Cincinnati at London, 6:30 a.m. (FOX)

Green Bay at Atlanta, 10 a.m. (FOX)

New England at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Jets at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Detroit at Houston, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Kansas City at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Seattle at New Orleans, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Oakland at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. (CBS)

San Diego at Denver, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)

Arizona at Carolina, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

x-Philadelphia at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Oct. 31

Minnesota at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 9

Byes: Arizona, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, New England, Washington

Thursday, Nov. 3

Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 5:25 p.m. (NFLN)

Sunday, Nov. 6

Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Dallas at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Jacksonville at Kansas City, 10 a.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Jets at Miami, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Detroit at Minnesota, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Carolina at Los Angeles, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

New Orleans at San Francisco, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

Indianapolis at Green Bay, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Tennessee at San Diego, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

x-Denver at Oakland, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Nov. 7

Buffalo at Seattle, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 10

Byes: Buffalo, Detroit, Indianapolis, Oakland

Thursday, Nov. 10

Cleveland at Baltimore, 5:25 p.m. (NFLN)

Sunday, Nov. 13

Kansas City at Carolina, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Houston at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Denver at New Orleans, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Los Angeles at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Atlanta at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Chicago at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Green Bay at Tennessee, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Minnesota at Washington, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Miami at San Diego, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)

San Francisco at Arizona, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Dallas at Pittsburgh, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

x-Seattle at New England, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Nov. 14

Cincinnati at N.Y. Giants, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 11

Byes: Atlanta, Denver, N.Y. Jets, San Diego

Thursday, Nov. 17

New Orleans at Carolina, 5:25 p.m. (NBC-NFLN-Twitter)

Sunday, Nov. 20

Buffalo at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Baltimore at Dallas, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Jacksonville at Detroit, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Tennessee at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Tampa Bay at Kansas City, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Arizona at Minnesota, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Chicago at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Miami at Los Angeles, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

New England at San Francisco, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Philadelphia at Seattle, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

x-Green Bay at Washington, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Nov. 21

Houston vs. Oakland at Mexico City, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 12

Thursday, Nov. 24

Minnesota at Detroit, 9:30 a.m. (CBS)

Washington at Dallas, 1:30 p.m. (FOX)

Pittsburgh at Indianapolis, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Sunday, Nov. 27

Arizona at Atlanta, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Cincinnati at Baltimore, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Jacksonville at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Tennessee at Chicago, 10 a.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Giants at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (FOX)

San Diego at Houston, 10 a.m. (CBS)

San Francisco at Miami, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Los Angeles at New Orleans, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Seattle at Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

Kansas City at Denver, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Carolina at Oakland, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

x-New England at N.Y. Jets, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Nov. 28

Green Bay at Philadelphia, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 13

Byes: Cleveland, Tennessee

Thursday, Dec. 1

Dallas at Minnesota, 5:25 p.m. (NBC-NFLN-Twitter)

Sunday, Dec. 4

Kansas City at Atlanta, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Miami at Baltimore, 10 a.m. (CBS)

San Francisco at Chicago, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Philadelphia at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Houston at Green Bay, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Denver at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Los Angeles at New England, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Detroit at New Orleans, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Buffalo at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)

Washington at Arizona, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

N.Y. Giants at Pittsburgh, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Tampa Bay at San Diego, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

x-Carolina at Seattle, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Dec. 5

Indianapolis at N.Y. Jets, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 14

Thursday, Dec. 8

Oakland at Kansas City, 5:25 p.m. (NBC-NFLN-Twitter)

Sunday, Dec. 11

Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (CBS)

San Diego at Carolina, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Cincinnati at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Chicago at Detroit, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Houston at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Minnesota at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Arizona at Miami, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Washington at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. (FOX)

New Orleans at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Denver at Tennessee, 10 a.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Jets at San Francisco, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)

Seattle at Green Bay, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Atlanta at Los Angeles, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

x-Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Dec. 12

Baltimore at New England, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 15

Thursday, Dec. 15

Los Angeles at Seattle, 5:25 p.m. (NBC-NFLN-Twitter)

Saturday, Dec. 17

Miami at N.Y. Jets, 5:25 p.m. (NFLN)

Sunday, Dec. 18

Philadelphia at Baltimore, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Cleveland at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Green Bay at Chicago, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Tampa Bay at Dallas, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Jacksonville at Houston, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Tennessee at Kansas City, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Indianapolis at Minnesota, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Detroit at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. (FOX)

New Orleans at Arizona, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

San Francisco at Atlanta, 1:05 p.m. (FOX)

New England at Denver, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Oakland at San Diego, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

x-Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Dec. 19

Carolina at Washington, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 16

Thursday, Dec. 22

N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 5:25 p.m. (NBC-NFLN-Twitter)

Saturday, Dec. 24

Miami at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Atlanta at Carolina, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Washington at Chicago, 10 a.m. (FOX)

San Diego at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Minnesota at Green Bay, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Tennessee at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Jets at New England, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Indianapolis at Oakland, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)

San Francisco at Los Angeles, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Arizona at Seattle, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Cincinnati at Houston, 5:25 p.m. (NFLN)

Sunday, Dec. 25

Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m. (NFLN)

Denver at Kansas City, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Dec. 26

Detroit at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

WEEK 17

Sunday, Jan. 1

New Orleans at Atlanta, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Baltimore at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Green Bay at Detroit, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 10 a.m. (CBS)

New England at Miami, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Chicago at Minnesota, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Dallas at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. (CBS)

Carolina at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Houston at Tennessee, 10 a.m. (CBS)

N.Y. Giants at Washington, 10 a.m. (FOX)

Oakland at Denver, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Arizona at Los Angeles, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Kansas City at San Diego, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Seattle at San Francisco, 1:25 p.m. (FOX)

Note: Night game TBD

POSTSEASON

Saturday, Jan. 7

AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoff

Sunday, Jan. 8

AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoff

Saturday, Jan. 14

AFC and NFC Divisional Playoff

Sunday, Jan. 15

AFC and NFC Divisional Playoff

Sunday, Jan. 22

AFC and NFC Championship Games

Sunday, Feb. 5

Super Bowl (FOX)