2017 NFL season - wikipedia 2017 NFL season This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see 2017 National Football League ( Ireland ). 2017 National Football League season Regular season Duration September 7, 2017 ( 2017 - 09 - 07 ) -- December 31, 2017 ( 2017 - 12 - 31 ) Playoffs Start date January 6, 2018 Super Bowl LII Date February 4, 2018 Site U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Pro Bowl Date January 28, 2018 Site Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida ← 2016 NFL seasons The 2017 NFL season, the 98th and current season in the history of the National Football League ( NFL ), began on September 7, 2017, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the defending Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots 42 -- 27 in the NFL Kickoff Game. The season will conclude with Super Bowl LII, the league 's championship game, on February 4, 2018, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For the second consecutive year, a team relocated to the Los Angeles metropolitan area, as the former San Diego Chargers announced their intent to relocate to the city in January 2017. Contents 1 Player movements and retirements 1.1 Free agency 1.2 Trades 1.3 Notable retirements 1.4 Draft 2 Preseason 3 Regular season 4 In - season scheduling changes 5 Regular season standings 5.1 Division 5.2 Conference 6 Anthem protests 7 Notable deaths 7.1 Dan Rooney 7.2 Others 8 Rule changes 9 Records, milestones, and notable statistics 10 Awards 10.1 Players of the week / month 11 Head coaching and front office personnel changes 11.1 Head coaches 11.1. 1 Offseason 11.2 Front office personnel 11.2. 1 Offseason 12 Stadiums 12.1 Atlanta Falcons 12.2 Naming rights 12.2. 1 Arizona Cardinals 12.2. 2 Denver Broncos 12.3 Relocations 12.3. 1 San Diego Chargers ' relocation to Los Angeles 12.3. 2 Oakland Raiders ' relocation to Las Vegas 12.4 Attendance 13 New uniforms and patches 14 Media 14.1 Broadcast rights 14.2 Commercials 14.3 Personnel changes 15 Television viewers and ratings 15.1 Most watched regular season games 16 References Player movements and retirements The 2017 NFL League year began on March 9 at 4 : 00 p.m. EST. On March 7, clubs were allowed to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the agents of players who became unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their contracts two days later. On March 9, clubs exercised options for 2017 on players who have option clauses in their contracts, submitted qualifying offers to their restricted free agents with expiring contracts and to whom desire to retain a Right of Refusal / Compensation, submitted a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2016 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit, and teams were required to be under the salary cap using the `` Top - 51 '' definition ( in which the 51 highest paid - players on the team 's payroll must have a collected salary cap hit below the actual cap ). The 2017 trading period also began the same day. Free agency A total of 496 players were eligible for some form of free agency at the beginning of the free agency period. Among the high - profile players who changed teams via free agency were cornerbacks A.J. Bouye ( from Texans to Jaguars ), Logan Ryan ( from Patriots to Titans ), and Stephon Gilmore ( from Bills to Patriots ) ; safeties Barry Church ( from Cowboys to Jaguars ), Johnathan Cyprien ( from Jaguars to Titans ), Micah Hyde ( from Packers to Bills ), and Tony Jefferson ( from Cardinals to Ravens ) ; linebackers Jabaal Sheard ( from Patriots to Colts ), Malcolm Smith ( from Raiders to 49ers ), and Manti Te'o ( from Chargers to Saints ) ; defensive tackles Johnathan Hankins ( from Giants to Colts ) and Calais Campbell ( from Cardinals to Jaguars ) ; offensive tackles Andrew Whitworth ( from Bengals to Rams ), Kelvin Beachum ( from Jaguars to Jets ), Matt Kalil ( from Vikings to Panthers ), Mike Remmers ( from Panthers to Vikings ), Ricky Wagner ( from Ravens to Lions ), Riley Reiff ( from Lions to Vikings ), and Russell Okung ( from Broncos to Chargers ) ; offensive guards Kevin Zeitler ( from Bengals to Browns ), Larry Warford ( from Lions to Saints ), Ronald Leary ( from Cowboys to Broncos ), and T.J. Lang ( from Packers to Lions ) ; tight ends Martellus Bennett ( from Patriots to Packers ) and Jared Cook ( from Packers to Raiders ) ; wide receivers Alshon Jeffery ( from Bears to Eagles ), Brandon Marshall ( from Jets to Giants ), DeSean Jackson ( from Redskins to Buccaneers ), Kenny Britt ( from Rams to Browns ), Pierre Garçon ( from Redskins to 49ers ), Robert Woods ( from Bills to Rams ), Terrelle Pryor ( from Browns to Redskins ), and Torrey Smith ( from 49ers to Eagles ) ; running backs Latavius Murray ( from Raiders to Vikings ), Adrian Peterson ( from Vikings to Saints ), Eddie Lacy ( from Packers to Seahawks ), and Jamaal Charles ( from Chiefs to Broncos ) ; fullbacks Mike Tolbert ( from Panthers to Bills ) and Patrick DiMarco ( from Falcons to Bills ) ; quarterback Mike Glennon ( from Buccaneers to Bears ). Trades On March 9, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded tight end Julius Thomas to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2017 seventh - round draft pick. On March 9, the Miami Dolphins traded offensive tackle Branden Albert to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2018 seventh - round draft pick. On March 9, the Houston Texans traded quarterback Brock Osweiler, a 2018 second - round draft pick and a 2017 sixth - round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2017 fourth - round compensatory draft pick. On March 9, the Indianapolis Colts traded tight end Dwayne Allen and a 2017 sixth - round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2017 fourth - round draft pick. On March 9, the Los Angeles Rams traded defensive end William Hayes along with a 2017 seventh - round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2017 sixth - round draft pick. On March 10, the New Orleans Saints traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a 4th round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 1st and 3rd round draft pick. On March 10, the Carolina Panthers traded defensive end Kony Ealy and a 2017 third - round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2017 second - round draft pick. On March 15, the Baltimore Ravens traded center Jeremy Zuttah and a 2017 sixth - round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers for their 2017 sixth - round draft pick. On April 4, the Baltimore Ravens traded defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and a 2017 third - round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2017 third - round draft pick. On April 26, the Seattle Seahawks traded the contract rights of previously retired running back Marshawn Lynch and a 2018 sixth - round draft pick to the Oakland Raiders for a 2018 fifth - round draft pick. On August 11, the Buffalo Bills traded wide receiver Sammy Watkins and a 2018 sixth - round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2018 second - round draft pick. That same day, the Bills traded cornerback Ronald Darby to the Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a 2018 third - round draft pick. Notable retirements This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia 's quality standards. The specific problem is : Expand on some more notable players by adding details about their retirement. ( September 2017 ) Anquan Boldin Josh Cribbs King Dunlap Brandon Flowers Justin Forsett Doug Free Percy Harvin A.J. Hawk Andre Johnson James Jones Terrance Knighton James Laurinaitis Jake Long Robert Mathis Pat McAfee Lance Moore Rob Ninkovich Jerraud Powers Tony Romo Steve Smith, Sr. Stephen Tulloch John Urschel Michael Vick DeMarcus Ware Vince Wilfork Roddy White At one point, Jay Cutler had also announced retirement, but later rescinded and signed with the Miami Dolphins. Cutler previously played for the Chicago Bears. Draft For more details on this topic, see 2017 NFL draft. The 2017 NFL Draft was held on April 27 -- 29, 2017 in Philadelphia. The Cleveland Browns selected Myles Garrett with the first overall pick. Preseason Training camps for the 2017 season were held in late July through August. Teams started training camp no earlier than 15 days before the team 's first scheduled preseason game. Prior to the start of the regular season, each team played four preseason exhibition games, beginning on August 10. The preseason began on the evening of August 3 with the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, that featured the Dallas Cowboys ( represented in the 2017 Hall of Fame Class by owner Jerry Jones ) who hosted Arizona Cardinals ( represented by former quarterback Kurt Warner ). It was televised nationally on NBC. The 64 - game preseason schedule ended on August 31 ; a 65th game, that of the 2017 Texas Governor 's Cup, was canceled due to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Regular season The 2017 regular season 's 256 games will be played over a 17 - week schedule which began on September 7. Each of the league 's 32 teams plays a 16 - game schedule, with one bye week for each team. The slate also features games on Monday nights. There are games played on Thursday, including the National Football League Kickoff game in prime time on September 7 and games on Thanksgiving Day. The regular season will conclude with a full slate of 16 games on Sunday, December 31, all of which will be intra -- division matchups, as it has been since 2010. Scheduling formula Under the NFL 's current scheduling formula, each team plays the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition a team plays against all four teams in one other division from each conference. The final two games on a team 's schedule are against the two teams in the team 's own conference in the divisions the team was not set to play which finished the previous season in the same rank in their division ( e.g. the team which finished first in its division the previous season would play each other team in its conference that also finished first in its respective division ). The preset division pairings for 2017 will be as follows. Intra-conference AFC East vs AFC West AFC North vs AFC South NFC East vs NFC West NFC North vs NFC South Inter-conference AFC East vs NFC South AFC North vs NFC North AFC South vs NFC West AFC West vs NFC East Highlights of the 2017 schedule include : NFL Kickoff Game : The 2017 season began with the Kickoff Game on September 7, at 8 : 30 p.m. EDT. The game featured the defending Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots hosting the Kansas City Chiefs. The game was televised on NBC. While the game started off close, the Chiefs flew ahead in the second half to win by a final score of 42 -- 27. NFL London Games : Four games will be played in London in 2017. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Baltimore Ravens at Wembley Stadium on September 24 at 9 : 30 a.m. EDT, with the game streaming on Yahoo Sports ; Jacksonville won by a resounding 44 -- 7. The Miami Dolphins hosted the New Orleans Saints at Wembley Stadium on October 1 at 9 : 30 a.m. EDT on Fox ; the Saints won 20 -- 0. The Los Angeles Rams will host the Arizona Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium on October 22 at 1 : 00 p.m. EDT on Fox, and the Cleveland Browns will host the Minnesota Vikings at Twickenham Stadium on October 29 at 9 : 30 a.m. EDT on NFL Network. NFL Mexico Game : The Oakland Raiders will host the New England Patriots at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, making this the second consecutive year in which the Raiders will host one of their home games in Mexico City ; the game will be played on November 19, with a kickoff time of 4 : 25 p.m. EST, and will be televised on CBS. Thanksgiving Day : As has been the case since 2006, three games will be played on November 23. In the 12 : 30 p.m. EST, the Detroit Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings on Fox. The 4 : 30 p.m. EST game will feature the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on CBS. This will be the Chargers ' first Thanksgiving Day game since 1969, and their first Thanksgiving game since they joined the NFL as part of the AFL - NFL merger in 1970. The 8 : 30 p.m. EST game will feature the Washington Redskins hosting the New York Giants on NBC. Christmas games : Christmas Day, December 25, falls on a Monday in 2017. When this most recently occurred in 2006, the Sunday afternoon games were played as regularly scheduled on Christmas Eve, while the Sunday Night Football game was moved to Monday afternoon. This year, the Sunday night game was moved to Saturday, December 23. It will feature the Green Bay Packers hosting the Minnesota Vikings at 8 : 30 p.m. EST on NBC. As was the case in 2016, two games will be played on Christmas Day : The Christmas late - afternoon game will feature the Houston Texans hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers at 4 : 30 p.m. EST on NBC and NFL Network, while the Christmas night game will feature the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Oakland Raiders which will be played at 8 : 30 pm EST on ESPN 's Monday Night Football. New Year 's Eve games : The NFL will play a full slate of 16 games on December 31, to conclude the regular season. All of the Week 17 games will be intra-divisional matchups, as they have been since 2010. The college football bowl games usually scheduled for New Year 's Eve will instead be played on December 30 ( as is always the case when December 31 is a Sunday ), and the College Football Playoff semi-finals along with the 2018 NHL Winter Classic will be played on January 1, 2018. The entire schedule was released on April 20, 2017. In - season scheduling changes The following games were moved or canceled because of severe weather, by way of flexible scheduling, or for other reasons : Preseason Week 4 : Due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, the Cowboys -- Texans game was eventually canceled. The 2017 Texas Governor 's Cup preseason game, originally scheduled to be played at Houston 's NRG Stadium, was then initially moved to the Cowboys ' AT&T Stadium, before the NFL opted instead to cancel the game altogether in order to allow Texans ' players and coaches to reunite with their families as well as to assist with the relief efforts. Week 1 : Due to the potential impact from Hurricane Irma, the Buccaneers -- Dolphins game was rescheduled to Week 11 ( November 19 ) ; their originally scheduled bye was also rescheduled to this week. Regular season standings Division AFC East view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Buffalo Bills 0. 600 1 -- 0 2 -- 1 89 74 L1 New York Jets 0. 600 1 -- 1 2 -- 2 92 107 W3 New England Patriots 0. 600 0 -- 0 1 -- 1 148 142 W1 Miami Dolphins 0. 500 0 -- 1 2 -- 1 42 67 W1 AFC North view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Pittsburgh Steelers 0. 600 2 -- 0 2 -- 1 99 89 L1 Baltimore Ravens 0. 600 2 -- 1 3 -- 2 90 97 W1 Cincinnati Bengals 0. 400 1 -- 1 2 -- 2 84 83 W2 Cleveland Browns 0 5 0. 000 0 -- 3 0 -- 5 77 124 L5 AFC South view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Jacksonville Jaguars 0. 600 1 -- 1 3 -- 2 139 83 W1 Houston Texans 0. 400 1 -- 1 2 -- 3 144 130 L1 Tennessee Titans 0. 400 1 -- 1 1 -- 3 110 142 L2 Indianapolis Colts 0. 400 0 -- 0 1 -- 0 97 159 W1 AFC West view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Kansas City Chiefs 5 0 0 1.000 1 -- 0 3 -- 0 164 111 W5 Denver Broncos 0. 750 2 -- 0 2 -- 1 98 74 W1 Oakland Raiders 0. 400 0 -- 1 2 -- 2 108 106 L3 Los Angeles Chargers 0. 200 0 -- 2 0 -- 3 99 115 W1 NFC East view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Philadelphia Eagles 0. 800 2 -- 0 3 -- 0 137 99 W3 Washington Redskins 0. 500 0 -- 1 1 -- 1 91 89 L1 Dallas Cowboys 0. 400 1 -- 0 2 -- 2 125 132 L2 New York Giants 0 5 0. 000 0 -- 2 0 -- 4 82 122 L5 NFC North view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Green Bay Packers 0. 800 1 -- 0 3 -- 1 137 112 W3 Detroit Lions 0. 600 1 -- 0 3 -- 2 122 97 L1 Minnesota Vikings 0. 600 1 -- 1 3 -- 1 99 96 W1 Chicago Bears 0. 200 0 -- 2 0 -- 4 78 124 L2 NFC South view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Carolina Panthers 0. 800 0 -- 1 2 -- 1 105 94 W2 Atlanta Falcons 0. 750 0 -- 0 3 -- 0 104 89 L1 New Orleans Saints 0. 500 1 -- 0 1 -- 1 93 88 W1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0. 500 0 -- 0 2 -- 1 82 83 L1 NFC West view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Seattle Seahawks 0. 600 2 -- 0 2 -- 1 110 87 W2 Los Angeles Rams 0. 600 1 -- 1 2 -- 2 152 119 L1 Arizona Cardinals 0. 400 1 -- 0 1 -- 3 81 125 L1 San Francisco 49ers 0 5 0. 000 0 -- 3 0 -- 4 89 120 L5 Conference AFC # Team Division PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK Division leaders Kansas City Chiefs West 5 0 0 1.000 1 -- 0 3 -- 0. 500. 500 W5 Buffalo Bills East 0. 600 1 -- 0 2 -- 1. 652. 692 L1 Jacksonville Jaguars South 0. 600 1 -- 1 3 -- 2. 520. 533 W1 Pittsburgh Steelers North 0. 600 2 -- 0 2 -- 1. 400. 400 L1 Wild Cards 5 Denver Broncos West 0. 750 2 -- 0 2 -- 1. 400. 333 W1 6 New York Jets East 0. 600 1 -- 1 3 -- 2. 417. 357 W3 In the hunt 7 Baltimore Ravens North 0. 600 2 -- 1 3 -- 2. 400. 267 W1 8 New England Patriots East 0. 600 0 -- 0 1 -- 1. 652. 462 W1 9 Miami Dolphins East 0. 500 0 -- 1 2 -- 1. 421. 300 W1 10 Oakland Raiders West 0. 400 0 -- 1 2 -- 2. 565. 500 L3 11 Houston Texans South 0. 400 1 -- 1 2 -- 3. 600. 400 L1 12 Cincinnati Bengals North 0. 400 1 -- 1 2 -- 2. 480. 300 W2 13 Tennessee Titans South 0. 400 1 -- 0 1 -- 3. 500. 600 L2 14 Indianapolis Colts South 0. 400 0 -- 0 1 -- 0. 320. 000 W1 15 Los Angeles Chargers West 0. 200 0 -- 2 0 -- 3. 609. 000 W1 16 Cleveland Browns North 0 5 0. 000 0 -- 3 0 -- 5. 520. 000 L5 Tiebreakers ^ Jump up to : Buffalo wins tie break over Jacksonville based on best win percentage in conference games. ^ Jump up to : Buffalo wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on strength of victory. ^ Jump up to : Buffalo wins tie break over New England and NY Jets based on head - to - head win percentage. Jump up ^ Jacksonville wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on head - to - head win percentage. ^ Jump up to : Pittsburgh wins tie break over Baltimore based on head - to - head win percentage. ^ Jump up to : NY Jets wins tie break over Baltimore based on strength of victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate New England ( see below ). ^ Jump up to : NY Jets wins tie break over New England based on best win percentage in division games. ^ Jump up to : Oakland wins tie break over Houston based on best win percentage in conference games. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Tennessee and Indianapolis ( see below ). ^ Jump up to : Oakland wins tie break over Cincinnati based on strength of victory. ^ Jump up to : Houston wins tie break over Cincinnati based on head - to - head win percentage. ^ Jump up to : Houston wins tie break over Tennessee and Indianapolis based on head - to - head win percentage Jump up ^ Tennessee wins tie break over Indianapolis based on best win percentage in division games Jump up ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL 's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division. NFC # Team Division PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK Division leaders Philadelphia Eagles East 0. 800 2 -- 0 3 -- 0. 417. 263 W3 Green Bay Packers North 0. 800 1 -- 0 3 -- 1. 458. 400 W3 Carolina Panthers South 0. 800 0 -- 1 2 -- 1. 458. 450 W2 Seattle Seahawks West 0. 600 2 -- 0 2 -- 1. 440. 333 W2 Wild Cards 5 Atlanta Falcons South 0. 750 0 -- 0 3 -- 0. 550. 533 L1 6 Detroit Lions North 0. 600 1 -- 0 3 -- 2. 500. 333 L1 In the hunt 7 Minnesota Vikings North 0. 600 1 -- 1 3 -- 1. 478. 385 W1 8 Los Angeles Rams West 0. 600 1 -- 1 2 -- 2. 375. 267 L1 9 New Orleans Saints South 0. 500 1 -- 0 1 -- 1. 632. 667 W2 10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 0. 500 0 -- 0 2 -- 1. 350. 100 L1 11 Washington Redskins East 0. 500 0 -- 1 1 -- 1. 700. 500 L1 12 Dallas Cowboys East 0. 400 1 -- 0 2 -- 2. 500. 200 L2 13 Arizona Cardinals West 0. 400 1 -- 0 1 -- 3. 440. 200 L1 14 Chicago Bears North 0. 200 0 -- 2 0 -- 4. 652. 600 L2 15 San Francisco 49ers West 0 5 0. 000 0 -- 3 0 -- 4. 560. 000 L5 16 New York Giants East 0 5 0. 000 0 -- 2 0 -- 4. 500. 000 L5 Tiebreakers ^ Jump up to : Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Carolina are ranked based on best win percentage in conference games. ^ Jump up to : Seattle wins tie break over Los Angeles based on head - to - head win percentage. ^ Jump up to : Detroit wins tie break over Minnesota based on head - to - head win percentage. ^ Jump up to : Detroit wins tie break over Los Angeles based on best win percentage in conference games. ^ Jump up to : Minnesota wins tie break over Los Angeles based on best win percentage in conference games. ^ Jump up to : New Orleans wins tie break over Tampa Bay based on best win percentage in division games. ^ Jump up to : New Orleans wins tie break over Washington based on strength of victory. Jump up ^ Tampa Bay wins tie break over Washington based on best win percentage in conference games. ^ Jump up to : Dallas wins tie break over Arizona based on head - to - head win percentage. ^ Jump up to : San Francisco wins tie break over NY Giants based on strength of schedule. Jump up ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL 's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division. Anthem protests Main article : U.S. national anthem protests ( 2016 -- present ) In week 3 of the season there were numerous anthem protests in response to comments by President Donald Trump stating that those who kneel during the anthem should be fired. Protests included entire teams linking arms or kneeling during the anthem. Three teams - the Steelers, Titans and Seahawks - did not even take to the field for the anthem. Notable Deaths The following people associated with the NFL ( or AFL ) have died in 2017. Dan Rooney Dan Rooney was chairman and plurality owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and one of the sons of founding owner Art Rooney, Sr. Having been officially involved with the franchise since 1960, Rooney was a part of all six of the Steelers ' Super Bowl victories. In addition to this, Rooney was considered an active and progressive owner in the league 's operations, most famously by successfully pushing for the Rooney Rule, an affirmative action policy requiring all NFL franchises to interview persons of color for head coaching vacancies. Concurrently with his role with the Steelers, Rooney also served as United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2014. Rooney died on April 13 at the age of 84. Others Dave Adolph Bill Anderson Ron Billingsley Dave Brazil Bernie Casey Bill Cox Bill Fischer Tom Graham Larry Grantham Ralph Guglielmi James Hadnot James Hardy III Larry Hayes Mitchell Henry Aaron Hernandez Larry Hickman John Hilton Claude Hipps Michael Jackson Derrick Jensen Cortez Kennedy Ken Kranz Yale Lary Bob Lee Tony Liscio Eddie Macon George Maderos Mickey Marvin Clay Matthews Sr. Red Miller Paul Mitchell David Modell Tom Modrak Rod Monroe Quentin Moses Leonard Myers Tommy Neck Babe Parilli Benny Perrin Hugh Pitts Sonny Randle Len Rohde Max Runager Jimmy Thomas Y.A. Tittle Ted Topor Rick Tuten Wayne Walker Ellery Williams Clarence Williams Rule changes The following rule changes were approved for the 2017 NFL season at the owner 's meeting on March 28, 2017 : Defensive players are now prohibited from running toward the line of scrimmage and leaping or hurdling over offensive linemen on field goal or PAT attempts, similar to a change made in college football for the 2017 season. Previously this action was permitted as long as the leaper / hurdler did not land on other players. Include in the definition of a `` defenseless player '' receivers tracking the quarterback or looking back for the ball, including inside the legal contact ( 5 yards from the line of scrimmage ) zone. Egregious hits to the head ( similar to the `` targeting '' rule in NCAA football ) will now result in an automatic ejection. The replay control center will make the final ruling on reviewed plays instead of the game referee, although the referee can still provide input on reviewable plays. The sideline replay monitor ( the `` hood '' ) will be eliminated and replaced with a tablet on the field for the referee to review with the replay control center. Crackback blocks are now prohibited by a backfield player in motion, even if he is not more than two yards outside the tackle box when the ball is snapped. Make permanent the rule that players who commit two certain types of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties ( throwing punches / forearms / kicking, even if they do not connect, directing abusive, threatening, or insulting language toward opponents, teammates, game officials or league officials, and using baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams ) in the same game will be automatically ejected. Extend for a second season the change in the touchback spot after a kickoff / safety free kick to the 25 yard line. Make actions to conserve time ( that usually results in a 10 - second runoff ) illegal after the two - minute warning of each half / overtime. Previously this only applied in the final minute of each half or overtime. If a team commits multiple fouls on the same down with the intent of manipulating the game clock, the team will be penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and the game clock will be reset. This change was made in response to both the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens employing this strategy by intentionally holding the defensive players to allow the game clock to run down or run out ( in the case of the Ravens ' game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals ) during the previous season. In response to the move of Sarah Thomas from Line Judge to Head Linesman for the 2017 season, the NFL renamed the officiating position of the Head Linesman to `` Down Judge ''. The following rule changes were approved for the 2017 NFL season at the NFL Spring League meeting on May 23, 2017 : Overtime has been shortened from 15 minutes to 10 minutes for preseason and regular season games. Playoff games will continue to have 15 minutes for overtime periods. Restrictions on celebrations have been relaxed, removing penalties for group celebrations, going to the ground to celebrate, or using the ball as a prop. Teams can bring two players back from injured reserve instead of one. Teams can now cut their preseason rosters from 90 players to 53 on one day, removing the deadline to get the roster down to 75 players before the final preseason game. Teams will not be required to give candidates for general manager final say over the 53 - man roster. The following will be `` points of emphasis '' for the 2017 season : Blindside blocks of a defender in the head or neck area while the defender is in a defenseless position Low hits on quarterbacks at or below the knees `` Launching '' at players by leaving both feet to impact a defender anywhere on his body with the helmet Contact downfield between receivers and defensive players, closely enforcing both offensive and defensive pass interference or illegal contact / holding The ban on teams contacting potential coaching candidates until that candidate 's team has been eliminated from the playoffs was tabled. Records, milestones, and notable statistics Week 1 Kansas City Chiefs ' running back Kareem Hunt finished with 246 total yards and 3 touchdowns, setting the record for the most total yards in an NFL debut. Week 2 Los Angeles Chargers ' tight end Antonio Gates scored his 112th career receiving touchdown, breaking a tie with Tony Gonzalez for the most career receiving touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history. Aaron Rodgers passed for his 300th touchdown, surpassing Peyton Manning as the fastest quarterback to reach that milestone both in attempts and appearances. Week 3 Antonio Brown reached 650 receptions in his 104th game, becoming the fastest player since Marvin Harrison to reach that feat. New York Giants ' wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. broke the record for fastest receiver to reach 300 career receptions, doing so in 45 games. Matt Prater of the Detroit Lions broke the previous NFL record of three made field goals from more than 55 yards in a season by kicking a 57 - yard field goal against the Atlanta Falcons. Week 4 Deshaun Watson tied the rookie quarterback record with 5 total touchdowns so far in the season. Week 5 Larry Fitzgerald was the 3rd player in NFL history to reach 200 straight games with a reception, all while playing for the Arizona Cardinals. Awards Players of the week / month The following were named the top performers during the 2017 season : Week / Month Offensive Player of the Week / Month Defensive Player of the Week / Month Special Teams Player of the Week / Month AFC NFC AFC NFC AFC NFC Alex Smith ( Chiefs ) Sam Bradford ( Vikings ) Calais Campbell ( Jaguars ) Trumaine Johnson ( Rams ) Giorgio Tavecchio ( Raiders ) Matt Prater ( Lions ) Tom Brady ( Patriots ) J.J. Nelson ( Cardinals ) Chris Jones ( Chiefs ) Desmond Trufant ( Falcons ) Cody Parkey ( Dolphins ) Jamal Agnew ( Lions ) Tom Brady ( Patriots ) Kirk Cousins ( Redskins ) Terrence Brooks ( Jets ) DeMarcus Lawrence ( Cowboys ) Steven Hauschka ( Bills ) Jake Elliott ( Eagles ) Sept. Kareem Hunt ( Chiefs ) Todd Gurley ( Rams ) Melvin Ingram ( Chargers ) DeMarcus Lawrence ( Cowboys ) Ryan Succop ( Titans ) Matt Prater ( Lions ) Deshaun Watson ( Texans ) Todd Gurley ( Rams ) Cameron Heyward ( Steelers ) Julius Peppers ( Panthers ) Steven Hauschka ( Bills ) Greg Zuerlein ( Rams ) 5 Melvin Gordon ( Chargers ) Aaron Rodgers ( Packers ) Telvin Smith ( Jaguars ) Earl Thomas ( Seahawks ) Adam Vinatieri ( Colts ) Kenjon Barner ( Eagles ) Week FedEx Air Player of the Week ( Quarterbacks ) FedEx Ground Player of the Week ( Running backs ) Pepsi Rookie of the Week Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Week Alex Smith ( Chiefs ) Kareem Hunt ( Chiefs ) Kareem Hunt ( Chiefs ) Alex Smith ( Chiefs ) Trevor Siemian ( Broncos ) C.J. Anderson ( Broncos ) Tyus Bowser ( Ravens ) Trevor Siemian ( Broncos ) Tom Brady ( Patriots ) Kareem Hunt ( Chiefs ) Jake Elliott ( Eagles ) Jake Elliott ( Eagles ) Deshaun Watson ( Texans ) Le'Veon Bell ( Steelers ) Alvin Kamara ( Saints ) Deshaun Watson ( Texans ) Month Rookie of the Month Offensive Defensive Sept. Kareem Hunt ( Chiefs ) Tre'Davious White ( Bills ) Head coaching and front office personnel changes Head coaches Offseason Team 2016 head coach 2016 interim 2017 replacement Reason for leaving Story / accomplishments Buffalo Bills Rex Ryan Anthony Lynn Sean McDermott Fired Ryan was fired with one week remaining in the 2016 regular season and a 15 -- 16 record with no playoff appearances in two seasons. His twin brother, assistant head coach Rob Ryan, was also dismissed. Ryan signed on as a commentator for ESPN, replacing Trent Dilfer. Lynn began the 2016 season as running backs coach, then moved to offensive coordinator when Greg Roman was fired in week 3, then interim head coach after the Ryans ' dismissal. Lynn lost his one game as interim head coach. Former Carolina Panthers ' defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was named as the Bills ' new head coach on January 11, 2017. Meanwhile, Lynn was hired as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Denver Broncos Gary Kubiak Vance Joseph Retired Kubiak stepped down after two seasons due to health concerns, with a victory in Super Bowl 50 and a 24 -- 10 record, including postseason games. Vance Joseph, who spent the previous season as the Miami Dolphins ' defensive coordinator, was hired on January 11, 2017. Jacksonville Jaguars Gus Bradley Doug Marrone Fired Bradley was fired with two weeks remaining in the 2016 season and a 14 -- 48 (. 226 ) record with no playoff appearances in four seasons. He is expected to join Anthony Lynn with the Chargers, with Bradley as defensive coordinator. Marrone, the Jaguars ' offensive line coach, was previously head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 2013 -- 14 ; he went 1 -- 1 in his two games as interim head coach of the Jaguars. On January 9, 2017, the Jaguars announced that Marrone would be named permanent head coach. Los Angeles Chargers Mike McCoy Anthony Lynn McCoy was fired after four seasons, with one playoff appearance and a 27 -- 37 record. He then joined the Denver Broncos, serving as Vance Joseph 's offensive coordinator. Anthony Lynn was hired as the Chargers ' new head coach on January 12, 2017. Los Angeles Rams Jeff Fisher John Fassel Sean McVay After receiving a two - year contract extension prior to the season, Fisher was fired after going 4 -- 9 through the first 13 games of the 2016 season, and 31 -- 45 -- 1 (. 414 ) in his five - year tenure in St. Louis and Los Angeles. Under his tenure, the Rams never finished better than 7 -- 8 -- 1 ( 2012 ) and never reached the playoffs. Fassel, the son of former NFL head coach Jim Fassel, has been the Rams ' special teams coach since 2012 ; he went 0 -- 3 in the interim. On January 12, Washington Redskins Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay was named head coach. Sean McVay is the grandson of former San Francisco 49ers GM John McVay. At the time of his hiring, McVay was age 30, making him the youngest person to become a head coach ( excluding the player - coaches of the 1920s ) in NFL history. San Francisco 49ers Chip Kelly Kyle Shanahan Kelly was fired after one season with a 2 -- 14 record. Kyle Shanahan, who most recently served as the Atlanta Falcons ' offensive coordinator, was named the new coach of the 49ers on February 6, 2017. Due to league anti-tampering rules, the 49ers had to wait until after the completion of the Falcons ' playoff run, before formally hiring Shanahan. Front office personnel Offseason Team Position 2016 office holder Reason for leaving 2017 office holder Notes San Francisco 49ers GM Trent Baalke Fired John Lynch Baalke, who spent the past twelve years with the team, informed KNBR - AM in San Francisco on January 1, 2017, that he had been fired. On January 29, 2017, Lynch, a former player and broadcaster, was named the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers ; it is his first front office position. Jacksonville Jaguars EVP - FO position created Tom Coughlin Coughlin, the team 's inaugural head coach, was rehired as executive vice president of football operations on January 9, 2017. He had spent the 2016 season out of football after several years of coaching the New York Giants. Indianapolis Colts GM Ryan Grigson Fired Chris Ballard Grigson was relieved of his duties as Colts general manager on January 21, 2017. On January 30, 2017, Chris Ballard, who had spent the past four seasons as director of football operations for the Kansas City Chiefs, was named the new GM of the Colts. Washington Redskins GM Scot McCloughan TBA McCloughan was fired on March 9, 2017, after two seasons with the Redskins. Doug Williams was named senior vice president of player personnel on June 13, 2017. Buffalo Bills GM Doug Whaley Brandon Beane Whaley was fired the morning of April 30, 2017, immediately following the draft. He had spent seven seasons with the Bills, four of them as general manager. Brandon Beane, who had spent the previous 19 seasons with the Carolina Panthers ( most recently as assistant general manager ), was hired as the new general manager on May 9, 2017. Kansas City Chiefs GM John Dorsey Brett Veach Dorsey was unexpectedly fired on June 22, 2017 after four seasons. Brett Veach, who had spent the past four seasons as the Chiefs co-director of player personnel, was promoted to general manager on July 10, 2017. Carolina Panthers GM Dave Gettleman Marty Hurney Gettleman was unexpectedly fired after four seasons on July 17, 2017. Marty Hurney, who was the Panther 's GM from 2002 - 2012, was rehired as the interim general manager for the 2017 season. The team plans to conduct a search for a permanent general manager after the season ends. Stadiums Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons will play their first season at Mercedes - Benz Stadium, after playing in the Georgia Dome for the previous 25 seasons. Naming rights Arizona Cardinals The stadium in which the Arizona Cardinals play their home games is in the process of obtaining a new naming rights agreement. The University of Phoenix, which owns the naming rights to the Cardinals ' home field, is planning to terminate the final nine years of a 20 - year agreement, but will continue to keep its name on the stadium. Denver Broncos The stadium in which the Denver Broncos play their home games is in the process of obtaining a new naming rights agreement. Sporting goods retailer Sports Authority, which had owned the naming rights to the Broncos ' home field since 2011, filed for bankruptcy in March 2016, and liquidated all of their stores. The Broncos bought out the existing naming rights contract with permission from the Delaware District United States bankruptcy court in August 2016. Three months later, the Broncos selected American talent agency WME - IMG to secure a new naming rights partner for their home field, which, to date, still carries the name Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Relocations San Diego Chargers ' relocation to Los Angeles On January 12, 2017, the San Diego Chargers exercised their option to relocate to Los Angeles as the Los Angeles Chargers. They will be joining the Los Angeles Rams as tenants in their new stadium, Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California when that stadium is complete in 2020. For the time being, the Chargers will play at the 30,000 seat StubHub Center in Carson, California, the smallest venue ( in terms of number of seats ) the league has used for a full season since 1956. Oakland Raiders ' relocation to Las Vegas Main article : Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas On January 19, 2017, the Oakland Raiders filed paperwork to relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada. The NFL officially approved the Raiders relocation to Las Vegas on March 27. Unlike the Chargers, the Raiders will remain at the Oakland -- Alameda County Coliseum through at least the 2018 season ( with the 2019 season to be determined ) while Las Vegas Stadium is built, with the team moving to Nevada in 2019 or 2020. Attendance The Los Angeles Rams, who had capped season ticket sales at 55,000 for the 2017 season, announced to have 60,128 spectators in the first home game on week 1. However, reports estimate that spectators only filled a third of the 93,607 seats of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Los Angeles Chargers did not sell out their week 2 game at the StubHub Center, which was never expanded to 30,000 seats as originally stated and has typically had less than 26,000 fans in attendance. When the StubHub Center is at capacity, the majority of the fans present are of the opposing team. The Los Angeles teams were not the only ones with visible attendance problems. The San Francisco 49ers reported a Week 3 attendance total that exceeded the capacity of Levi 's Stadium, even as wide swaths of empty seats were visible in the stadium throughout the game. This followed similar sparse attendance for the 49ers ' home opener. New uniforms and patches Twenty - five teams transitioned to Nike 's new uniform template. While most teams have just transitioned to it without any actual changes to the uniforms themselves, the New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, and Los Angeles Rams uniforms are the most noticeable in it, fixing their collars in the process. The Detroit Lions unveiled new uniforms on April 13, 2017, eliminating all black elements from the uniform and logo. They added a new alternate uniform as well as a new Color Rush uniform. The Los Angeles Rams announced they would be switching their primary helmets to white and blue, similar to their Color Rush helmets. The team had fans vote on the color of their facemask, which would be white, and the design of their pants, which would be white with a blue stripe. The Rams also announced that they would explore a full rebrand in the near future. The Cincinnati Bengals will wear a patch to commemorate their 50th season. The San Francisco 49ers have altered their sleeve striping from 3 stripes to 2 stripes. The Pittsburgh Steelers will wear a patch to honor their former chairman, the late Dan Rooney, who died in April, at the age of 84. The patch will feature a shamrock, with Rooney 's initials `` DMR ''. The last time the Steelers wore a jersey patch was when Art Rooney died in 1988. They also donned a helmet decal to honor Chuck Noll, who died in 2014. The Dallas Cowboys will wear blue jerseys at home on a more regular basis, marking the first time the team has worn blue jerseys at home outside of Thanksgiving games since the NFL allowed teams to wear white jerseys at home in 1964. Despite the team 's well - documented blue jersey `` jinx '', player preference as well as stronger retail sales of the navy blue jerseys over the white ones have prompted the team 's decision. The blue jerseys will be worn for `` high - profile '' games at AT&T Stadium. Media Broadcast rights This is the fourth season under the current broadcast contracts with ESPN, CBS, Fox, and NBC. This includes `` cross-flexing '' ( switching ) Sunday Afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season ( regardless of the conference of the visiting team ). NBC will continue to air Sunday Night Football, the annual Kickoff game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game. ESPN will continue to air Monday Night Football and the Pro Bowl. NBC will also serve as the broadcaster of Super Bowl LII. This will also be the second and final year of the current Thursday Night Football contract with CBS, NBC, and NFL Network. Along with ESPN 's simulcasted Wild Card game on ABC, ESPN announced on May 24, 2017 that the 2018 Pro Bowl will also be simulcast on ABC, marking the return of the Pro Bowl to the network for the first time since 2003. For the first 9 weeks of the regular season, ESPN2 will simulcast ESPN Deportes ' Spanish - language Monday Night Football broadcasts. The simulcast will end after Week 9 due to ESPN2 's Monday - night college basketball broadcasts. Although never explicitly announced, the league continued the moratorium on its blackout policy, ensuring all games will be televised in the market of their home teams regardless of ticket sales. In over-the - top rights, Amazon Video acquired non-exclusive streaming rights to the 10 broadcast television Thursday Night Football games for $50 million. These streams will be exclusive to paid Amazon Prime subscribers, in contrast to Twitter, which held the rights to the same package in 2016 and had made those streams free to most of the world. Verizon Communications acquired international streaming rights to an NFL London Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars, in a similar arrangement to the 2015 game that was streamed by Yahoo ! -- which has since been acquired by Verizon. The game was streamed across Verizon 's platforms, including Yahoo !, AOL, go90, and Complex. Despite the loss of TNF streaming, NFL Network will continue to partner with Twitter for streaming shows, including NFL Blitz Live ( which premiered on August 29, 2017 and will run on Monday to Thursday nights through the season ), and other video content. The NFL also reached a deal with Facebook in September 2017 to offer video highlights following games, and streaming programs on the service 's new Watch platform. This is also the final season of the NFL 's current national radio contract with Westwood One. Two new international digital rights deals also led to user criticism over their quality of service. In Canada, NFL Sunday Ticket shifted from distribution through television providers to the over-the - top provider DAZN, while in Europe, Deltatre took over European distribution of NFL Game Pass and launched new mobile apps. Both services faced criticism over their streaming quality, while Delatre 's app faced criticism for having bugs and initially lacking features seen in the previous version of the platform. The Independent exposed that Deltatre had also issued an internal e-mail instructing its employees to give the apps 5 - star reviews. DAZN subsequently announced that it would return to distributing Sunday Ticket through Canadian television providers in addition to their OTT service. Commercials The league has sought to reduce the number of standard commercial breaks ( media timeouts ) on its telecasts from 21 to 16, four in each quarter, with each break extended by one additional 30 - second commercial. One particular scenario the league sought to eliminate is the `` double - up, '' in which a network cuts to a commercial after a scoring play, then airs the kickoff, and again goes to commercial before play from scrimmage resumes. Under the proposal, the league will allow networks to cut to commercial during instant replay reviews, which it had not been allowed to do before. Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the changes are being made in an attempt to consolidate downtime between the actual game play so that there are fewer and less noticeable interruptions ; he does not expect the changes to have an appreciable impact on the real - time length of a game, which currently clocks in at slightly over three hours. The NFL will also, as a trial, lift its ban on the broadcast of commercials for distilled spirits during its telecasts. However, they are subject to restrictions ; a maximum of four liquor ads may be broadcast per - game, along with two per - pregame and postgame show. These ads may not contain football - related themes or target underage viewers, and must contain a `` prominent social responsibility message ''. Personnel changes Tony Romo, who announced his retirement as a player on April 4, 2017, joined CBS, where he replaced Phil Simms as lead color commentator. Simms and Nate Burleson, who comes over from NFL Network, will replace Tony Gonzalez and Bart Scott on CBS 's pregame show, The NFL Today. Jay Cutler also announced his retirement from professional football on May 5 and was slated to join Fox as a color analyst for its NFL coverage ; he later rescinded that announcement in August and joined the Miami Dolphins. Gonzalez will move to Fox, where he will join Fox NFL Kickoff ; upon his departure, Gonzalez stated that he wished to pursue opportunities closer to his home in California, rather than travel to New York weekly to appear on CBS. James Lofton, coming over from radio, will replace Solomon Wilcots as a CBS analyst. On May 31, 2017, it was announced that Mike Tirico would replace Al Michaels on play - by - play on NBC 's portion of the Thursday Night Football package, joined by Cris Collinsworth. The NFL had previously required this role to be filled by NBC 's lead broadcast team of Michaels and Collinsworth ; Tirico called a limited slate of games in 2016, including several NBC - broadcast games as a fill - in for Michaels ( who voluntarily took several games off due to the increased number he was calling that season ), and as part of a secondary team for selected games the TNF package. He will also succeed Bob Costas as the lead studio host for NBC. Due to its proximity to the 2018 Winter Olympics ( where he is also succeeding Bob Costas as lead host ), Tirico will not participate in NBC 's Super Bowl LII coverage. Beth Mowins was the second woman to call play - by - play for a national NFL broadcast, and was the first to do so since Gayle Sierens in 1987, when she served as play - by - play announcer for the nightcap in ESPN 's Week 1 Monday Night doubleheader, with Rex Ryan as her color commentator. In an unusual case of a broadcaster working for two networks in the same season, Mowins also called a regional game for CBS in Week 3, with Jay Feely as her partner. Television viewers and Ratings Most watched regular season games DH = doubleheader ; SNF = NBC Sunday Night Football Rank Date Matchup Network Viewers ( millions ) TV rating Window Significance September 17, 4 : 25 ET Dallas Cowboys 17 Denver Broncos 42 Fox 26.0 14.3 Late DH September 10, 8 : 30 ET New York Giants Dallas Cowboys 19 NBC 24.4 13.4 SNF Cowboys -- Giants Rivalry October 8, 4 : 25 ET Green Bay Packers 35 Dallas Cowboys 31 Fox 23.9 13.6 Late DH Cowboys -- Packers Rivalry September 10, 4 : 25 ET Seattle Seahawks 9 Green Bay Packers 17 22.8 12.7 Late DH 2014 NFC Championship Game rematch 5 September 7, 8 : 30 ET Kansas City Chiefs 42 New England Patriots 27 NBC 21.8 12.6 Kickoff Game First game of the season 6 September 24, 4 : 25 ET Cincinnati Bengals 24 Green Bay Packers 27 CBS 21.3 12.2 Late DH 7 September 17, 8 : 30 ET Green Bay Packers 23 Atlanta Falcons 34 NBC 20.2 11.3 SNF 2016 NFC Championship Game rematch * Note -- Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market. DAL / DEN was shown in 81 % of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage. GB / DAL was shown in 99 % of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage, with the Bay Area being the only market not airing the game. SEA / GB was shown in 89 % of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage. CIN / GB was shown in 80 % of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage. References Jump up ^ Spanos, Dean ( January 12, 2016 ). `` Letter From Dean Spanos ''. San Diego Chargers. Retrieved January 12, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Chargers announce decision to relocate to Los Angeles ''. National Football League. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017. Jump up ^ `` 2017 Free Agent List ''. National Football League. Jump up ^ `` PRESS RELEASE : Dolphins Trade For Julius Thomas ''. MiamiDolphins.com. March 9, 2017. Jump up ^ Oehser, John ( March 9, 2017 ). `` It 's official : Branden Albert acquired in trade ''. 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( subscription required ) Jump up ^ `` Phil Simms on being replaced at CBS by Tony Romo : My pride was hurt ''. Philly.com. Retrieved May 5, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tony Romo will finally rescue us from Phil Simms and become top analyst at CBS ''. SB Nation. Vox Media. Retrieved May 5, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Jay Cutler to join FOX Sports as a broadcaster ''. NFL.com. May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017. Jump up ^ Fang, Ken ( May 10, 2017 ). `` James Lofton joins CBS as an NFL game analyst, while Tony Gonzalez jumps to Fox ''. Awful Announcing. Retrieved May 22, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tirico To Call `` Thursday Night Football '' For NBC This Season ``. Sports Business Journal. Retrieved June 1, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Syracuse University alum Mike Tirico to call NFL games on NBC ''. Syracuse.com. Retrieved February 13, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Mike Tirico to replace Al Michaels on four NFL broadcasts on NBC ''. USA Today. Retrieved November 16, 2016. 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Retrieved September 11, 2017. 2017 NFL season AFC East North South West East North South West NFC Buffalo Baltimore Houston Denver Dallas Chicago Atlanta Arizona Miami Cincinnati Indianapolis Kansas City NY Giants Detroit Carolina LA Rams New England Cleveland Jacksonville LA Chargers Philadelphia Green Bay New Orleans San Francisco NY Jets Pittsburgh Tennessee Oakland Washington Minnesota Tampa Bay Seattle Draft NFL Honors Pro Bowl Super Bowl LII National Football League seasons Early era ( 1920 -- 1969 ) 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Modern era ( 1970 -- present ) 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 2017 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2017_NFL_season&oldid=804976899 '' Categories : 2017 National Football League season National Football League seasons Current American football seasons Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content Use mdy dates from October 2017 Articles needing cleanup from September 2017 All pages needing cleanup Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from September 2017 Articles using small message boxes Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from September 2017 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano Magyar 日本 語 Português Română Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 12 October 2017, at 08 : 19. 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Question: who plays the first game of the nfl regular season
Answer: the Kansas City Chiefs