The NFL teams that have appeared most, and least, on Opening Night

“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some... are scheduled by the NFL to play on Opening Night.” OK, this is neither Shakespeare’s correct line, nor is the upcoming grid iron curtain-raiser taking place on the Twelfth Night. It’s the 4th!

Since 2002, the Kickoff Game has become somewhat of a barometer of league prestige, but mainly because of what happened seven months previous. Let’s take a look at what we know about the opening matchup.

Which NFL teams dominate Opening Night appearances?

The New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs lead the pack with four Kickoff Game appearances each, sharing one in 2017. Dynasty years under Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and later, slightly less so, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid kept them in the spotlight.

Chasing them are four franchises tied at three appearances each: the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers. All are multi-time Super Bowl winners and heavy TV draws.

A cluster of others – from the Dallas Cowboys to the Denver Broncos – have been featured twice. Meanwhile, plenty of teams including the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills have played just once.

All NFL Kickoff Games 2002–2025

• 2002: San Francisco 49ers 16, New York Giants 13
• 2003: Washington 16, New York Jets 13
• 2004: New England Patriots 27, Indianapolis Colts 24
• 2005: New England Patriots 30, Oakland Raiders 20
• 2006: Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Miami Dolphins 17
• 2007: Indianapolis Colts 41, New Orleans Saints 10
• 2008: New York Giants 16, Washington 7
• 2009: Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Tennessee Titans 10 (OT)
• 2010: New Orleans Saints 14, Minnesota Vikings 9
• 2011: Green Bay Packers 42, New Orleans Saints 34
• 2012: Dallas Cowboys 24, New York Giants 17
• 2013: Denver Broncos 49, Baltimore Ravens 27
• 2014: Seattle Seahawks 36, Green Bay Packers 16
• 2015: New England Patriots 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 21
• 2016: Denver Broncos 21, Carolina Panthers 20
• 2017: Kansas City Chiefs 42, New England Patriots 27
• 2018: Philadelphia Eagles 18, Atlanta Falcons 12
• 2019: Green Bay Packers 10, Chicago Bears 3
• 2020: Kansas City Chiefs 34, Houston Texans 20
• 2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Dallas Cowboys 29
• 2022: Buffalo Bills 31, Los Angeles Rams 10
• 2023: Detroit Lions 21, Kansas City Chiefs 20
• 2024: Kansas City Chiefs 27, Baltimore Ravens 20
• 2025: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles - 4 Sept

Which teams have never played the NFL Kickoff Game?

Five franchises have never appeared: the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Chargers.

Part of the reason is structural. Since 2004, the NFL almost always awards the hosting role to the defending Super Bowl champion, with rare exceptions in 2013 (Ravens had to travel to Denver due to an MLB scheduling clash) and 2019 (Packers at Bears instead of Patriots hosting, to mark the NFL’s 100th season). The game is always on Thursday night, except in 2012, when the Giants and Cowboys played on a Wednesday to avoid clashing with President Obama’s DNC speech.

If your team doesn’t win it all, the odds of landing a Kickoff slot are slim, unless there’s a a tasty rivalry, an enticing storyline, or maybe a title rematch in order. It’s not personal, it’s about ratings!

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