Like every other sports league in the world, the NFL's season has been affected by COVID-19 — but not in the obvious way.
The 2020 season will start on time, which is a departure from other leagues that have seen major disruptions and cancellations to their schedules. While the NFL's campaign is on course to start without interruption, where it has differed from previous years is in the lead-up to the season.
In short, the entire preseason schedule was axed in order to hep protect the players and staff during the ongoing pandemic. It's the first time the season has started without teams going through a traditional preseason — training camps were longer and more focused on health and fitness, without a single exhibition game having been played.
What that means for Week 1 and onward is undetermined, but generally preseason contests are used to iron out the kinks before the games start counting for real.
Here's what you need to know about the start of the 2020 NFL season.
When does the 2020 NFL season start?
- Date: Thursday, Sept. 10
- Game: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs
- Kickoff time: 8:20 p.m. ET
The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs host the league's traditional Thursday night season-opener. The Sept. 10 contest is a rematch of the AFC divisional playoffs when the Chiefs came back to defeat the Texans, 51-31.
In Canada, the 2020 NFL season-opener will streamed live Thursday, Sept. 10 on DAZN, and it will also be shown on CTV and TSN.
NFL schedule Week 1
Opening week will begin with a Thursday night game featuring the defending champs and end with a doubleheader on "Monday Night Football."
As usual, the bulk of the games will take place on Sunday — including the first game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Below is the complete Week 1 schedule for the start of the 2020 NFL season.
Thursday, Sept. 10
| Time | Game | Stream/TV channel |
| 8:20 p.m. ET | Texans at Chiefs | DAZN/CTV, TSN 1/4/5 |
Sunday, Sept. 13
| Time | Game | Stream/TV channel |
| 1 p.m. ET | Eagles at Washington | DAZN |
| 1 p.m. ET | Dolphins at Patriots | DAZN |
| 1 p.m. ET | Packers at Vikings | DAZN |
| 1 p.m. ET | Colts at Jaguars | DAZN |
| 1 p.m. ET | Bears at Lions | DAZN |
| 1 p.m. ET | Raiders at Panthers | DAZN |
| 1 p.m. ET | Jets at Bills | DAZN |
| 1 p.m. ET | Browns at Ravens | DAZN |
| 1 p.m. ET | Seahawks at Falcons | DAZN |
| 4:05 p.m. ET | Chargers at Bengals | DAZN |
| 4:25 p.m. ET | Cardinals at 49ers | DAZN |
| 4:25 p.m. ET | Buccaneers at Saints | DAZN |
| 8:20 p.m. ET | Cowboys at Rams | DAZN/TSN 3/5, CTV2 |
Monday, Sept. 14
| Time | Game | Stream/TV channel |
| 7:15 p.m. ET | Steelers at Giants | DAZN/TSN 1/3/4 |
| 10:10 p.m. ET | Titans at Broncos | DAZN/TSN |
Can I watch NFL games for free?
In Canada, DAZN offers new customers a free-trial period. You can learn how to sign up for a free trial here.
The free-trial period includes access to all of DAZN's live and on-demand programming.
Following the free trial, a monthly subscription to DAZN is $20 CAD a month and an annual subscription is $150 CAD.
What is DAZN?
DAZN is a global sports streaming service that offers access to NFL Game Pass, which provides coverage of every NFL game and RedZone in Canada.
Football fans in Canada also can enjoy 24/7 streaming of the NFL Network on DAZN, which includes complete coverage of the NFL Draft, Scouting Combine and free agency.
DAZN also airs every match from Champions League, Europa League and Premier League soccer. In addition, DAZN has the rights to championship boxing and MMA events, WTA tour events, MLB Network and more.
What devices are supported by DAZN?
DAZN has apps available for all of the following platforms: Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Amazon Fire Tablet, Android Phone & Tablet, iPhone & iPad, Android TV, LG, Smart TV, Panasonic Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, SmartCast, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 Pro, and Roku.
It is also available on web browsers at DAZN.com.