NFL Kickoff Game is the name given to the first game of theNational Football League (NFL)regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the season is usually scheduled for the Thursday followingLabor Day in early September (with the date range being from September 4 to 10). An exception was made in2012, when the game was moved to Wednesday to prevent conflicts with the acceptance speech of theDemocratic National Convention.[1] Although the Kickoff Game is typically played on Thursday night, the league treats it separately from theThursday Night Football games during the rest of the season and as such it has been broadcast in the United States on a different network or streaming service than the one that holds the rights toThursday Night Football.
NFL Kickoff was introduced for the2002 season. From 2004 onward, the currentSuper Bowl champion has hosted the Kickoff Game with two exceptions—in2013, the defending championBaltimore Ravens opened on the road because of a conflict with a previously scheduledOrioles baseball game the same day,[2] and in2019, the defending championNew England Patriots did not play at all in the Kickoff Game as the league instead scheduled theGreen Bay Packers and theChicago Bearsfor that game to celebrate its 100th season of operation.[b][3] Since the NFL began it, the home team has won all but six matchups (2002, 2012,2017, 2019,2022, and2023).
The logo for the 2002 concert event before the Kickoff game.
The Kickoff Game was introduced in the2002 season, under the leadership of then–NFL marketing executiveJohn Collins and then–NFL Senior Vice President of Special EventsJim Steeg. It was conceived as an effort to boost economic recovery in theNew York andWashington areas in the wake of9/11. It was considered a success, increasing NFL sponsorships by $1.9 billion over the next 14 months.[4]
ESPN televised the first game. In order to do so, ESPN eliminated its traditional late-October Thursday night game (held the weekend of Games 1 and 2 of theWorld Series), and replaced it with the opening night kickoff game. Because of the success of the first game, the rights to televise both the Kickoff Game and the pregame concert were transferred immediately after the season toABC as part of theirMonday Night Football package. In 2006,NBC acquired the television rights to the Kickoff Game as part of theirSunday Night Football package.
The concept of the NFL champion playing in an opening game was not altogether new, however. From 1934 to 1976, the first game of the pre-season was theChicago All-Star Game, anexhibition match featuring the previous season's NFL champions against an all-rookie team of college all-stars held annually inSoldier Field inChicago.
After the merger of the NFL with theAll-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1949, the opening game of the 1950 NFL season was a Saturday night showcase game between the NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles and the AAFC champion Cleveland Browns. Billed as the "World Series of Pro Football" the game matched the four-time champion Browns against the two-time champion Eagles and with an attendance of 71,000 was one of the largest pro football crowds to that date.[citation needed]
With the advent ofMonday Night Football in 1970 it became common for the Super Bowl champion to appear in a "showcase" game the first weekend of the season. This was the case in 1978–1979, 1983, 1987–1988, 1990–1993, 1996–2000, and 2002–2003.[citation needed]
Defending Super Bowl champions are 13–5 in the Kickoff Game. TheNew York Giants,Baltimore Ravens,New England Patriots,Los Angeles Rams, andKansas City Chiefs are the only five defending Super Bowl champions to have lost. The Giants are also the only home team to have lost in the Kickoff Game twice—once in the very first edition of the contest, when the defending Super Bowl winner was not yet a regular participant, and again in 2012.
2003: The kickoff game's popularity and success saw it move toABC as part of theMonday Night Football package. In order for the kickoff game to fit into the schedule, ABC dropped theMonday Night Football game held in the last week of the NFL season. That game had become increasingly unpopular because it often lacked playoff significance, and because of the undesirable possibility that a team playing on Monday night in the final week of the regular season might have to play a playoff game the following Saturday. In return, ESPN (which, like ABC, is owned byDisney) received a week 17 Saturday night game. While thedefending Super Bowl championsTampa Bay Buccaneers were not selected for the Thursday night game, they did play a nationally televised game against thePhiladelphia Eagles four nights later onMNF. Instead, theWashington Redskins defeated theNew York Jets 16–13.
2004: The tradition began that the kickoff game would be hosted by the reigningSuper Bowl champions. Afterthe "wardrobe malfunction" incident atSuper Bowl XXXVIII, the NFL initially canceled future plans for concerts in conjunction with the NFL Kickoff game.[5] Later in the year, however, the decision was reversed, and instead a 10-second broadcast delay was put in place.[6]
2006: With the change in television contracts, the Kickoff Game was moved toNBC, who held the rights toNBC Sunday Night Football. The game opposite the first weekend of World Series games was once again removed to compensate.
2008: The league and NBC agreed to move up the opening kickoff of the kickoff game, to 7 p.m., in order for coverage of theRepublican National Convention not to compete with the game. That game featured theWashington Redskins and theNew York Giants. The game was also the first to be carried by Internet television in the United States, as were allSunday Night Football games in the 2008 season.[7]
2011: TheGreen Bay Packers hosted the 2011 Kickoff Game after winningSuper Bowl XLV. They defeated theNew Orleans Saints, a match-up of the winners of the two previous Super Bowls, the first time this has occurred. The Saints are only the second team to have played in two consecutive kickoff games, and the first to do so not by winning two consecutive Super Bowls. In the third quarter, the Packers'Randall Cobb returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown, tying the NFL record for the longest such return.
2012: Similar to the situation in 2008, the NFL was faced with the prospect of having to compete with a national political convention, this time theDemocratic National Convention. Instead of moving the kickoff to 7 p.m. like in 2008, or even opening up the season on a Thursday like in past years, the league instead decided to move the 2012 Kickoff Game one day earlier to Wednesday, September 5. TheNew York Giants, winners ofSuper Bowl XLVI, hosted theirrivals, theDallas Cowboys.[9]
2013: After winningSuper Bowl XLVII, theBaltimore Ravens were to have hosted the 2013 Kickoff Game on September 5. However, this was on the same day as a home game for theBaltimore Orioles, whose stadium,Oriole Park at Camden Yards, shares parking with the Ravens'M&T Bank Stadium. (The Orioles did not move their game to the afternoon, because they and their opponent were playing night games in other cities the preceding day.) The Ravens instead played on the road against theDenver Broncos in a rematch of theprevious season'sAFC Divisional Playoff game.[10] During this game,Peyton Manning became one of only six players to have thrown seven touchdowns in a single game. He added to this feat by doing it without throwing an interception, something that has only been done once before byY. A. Tittle during the1962 NFL season. The Ravens also had the most points scored against them in franchise history. They also suffered the biggest margin of defeat by a defendingSuper Bowl champion on opening day in NFL history.
2015: TheNew England Patriots, after winningSuper Bowl XLIX, hosted the 2015 Kickoff Game on September 10 atGillette Stadium, with thePittsburgh Steelers as their opponent. Patriots quarterbackTom Brady was originally not going to play due to his four-game suspension as a result of his involvement in theDeflategate scandal, but a court threw out the suspension on September 3, 2015, and ordered the league to let him play.[11] It also marked the first time NFL CommissionerRoger Goodell did not attend a Kickoff Game, stating that he did not want to be a distraction.
2016: TheDenver Broncos hosted the 2016 Kickoff Game atSports Authority Field at Mile High against theCarolina Panthers on September 8, in aSuper Bowl 50 rematch. (As theRepublican andDemocratic conventions were both scheduled for July 2016, there was no scheduling conflict with them as there was in 2008 and 2012, nor were there conflicts with any other sports team in Denver that night.) The Broncos debutedTrevor Siemian as their new starting quarterback after both quarterbacks who started games in 2015 left the team;Peyton Manning (who played the entirety of Super Bowl 50) retired andBrock Osweiler left as a free agent.
2017: The defendingSuper Bowl LI champions, theNew England Patriots, hosted theKansas City Chiefs for the 2017 Kickoff Game at Gillette Stadium. Goodell visited Gillette Stadium for the Kickoff Game, having been absent from the venue since the 2014 season.
2018: The 2018 season kicked off with the defendingSuper Bowl LII champions, thePhiladelphia Eagles, hosting theAtlanta Falcons atLincoln Financial Field. The game was a rematch of the previous season's NFC Divisional Round matchup, in which Philadelphia won, before going on to win their first Super Bowl championship in franchise history. In the rematch, Philadelphia came out victorious again with a goal-line stand, much like their playoff matchup in the previous season.
2021: The 2021 season kicked off in Tampa Bay between the defendingSuper Bowl LV championTampa Bay Buccaneers and theDallas Cowboys.[13] The game marked the return of Cowboys quarterbackDak Prescott after suffering a significant injury during Week 5 of the 2020 season; Prescott passed for 403 yards in a losing effort, as the Buccaneers secured a 31–29 victory with the winning points coming on aRyan Succop field goal with two seconds left in the game.[14]
2024: The 2024 season kicked off for the second straight year in Kansas City with the defendingSuper Bowl LVIII championKansas City Chiefs defeating theBaltimore Ravens 27–20, in a rematch of the previous season's AFC Championship game.
* – Game did not feature the defendingSuper Bowl champions. ** – Game played on a Wednesday instead of the usual Thursday. *** – Defending Super Bowl champions played away because of a scheduling conflict. **** – Game was a rematch of the previous Super Bowl.
2002: "NFL Kickoff Live fromTimes Square" started at 4:30 p.m. and led up to kickoff of the game at the Meadowlands. The concert was headlined byBon Jovi (who also performed at halftime), and also featuredEnrique Iglesias,Eve andAlicia Keys. The event included recognition and support of New York City's9/11 memorial events.
2003: The event moved to theNational Mall inWashington, D.C., and was billed as "NFL Kickoff Live From The National Mall Presented ByPepsi Vanilla."Britney Spears, who was introduced by Air Force Staff Sergeant Richard W. Duken II from Leesville LA, stationed at Tinker AFB,Aerosmith andMary J. Blige headlined the concert. The activities started at 6 p.m. and featured a tribute to troops active inIraq andAfghanistan, and was attended by thousands of American military personnel. ABC televised the concert live from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. eastern.Aretha Franklin concluded the concert by singing thenational anthem from the National Mall leading up to kickoff. Three weeks later, theUnited States Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation that, when enacted into law, limited displays of commercial sponsorship on the Mall.[44]
2005: The fourth annual "NFL Opening Kickoff" featured concert activities from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough,Detroit (host of the upcomingSuper Bowl XL), andLos Angeles. The Super Bowl XXXIX champion New England Patriots again were honored at the event, hosted byFreddie Prinze, Jr., and broadcast live on ABC. Performers at the stadium includedGreen Day,Carlos Santana,Michelle Branch, and a surprise appearance byOzzy Osbourne, who emerged from a giant-sized helmet.The Rolling Stones were shown on video from a taped broadcast in Detroit.Kanye West,Maroon 5,Good Charlotte andRihanna performed from a red-white-and-blue stage in Los Angeles.Trisha Yearwood concluded the hour-long concert by singing the national anthem back at Gillette Stadium.
2006: The Thursday night concert and game switched to NBC for 2006, and was billed as "NFL Opening Kickoff 2006 Presented bySprint." The 30-minute concert broadcast live fromHeinz Field inPittsburgh, and from a special stage inSouth Beach inMiami Beach, near the home of the upcomingSuper Bowl XLI.Diddy andCassie entertained from Miami Beach, whileRascal Flatts were in Pittsburgh, along withMartina McBride, who sang the national anthem.
2007: "NFL Opening Kickoff 2007 Presented by Sprint" was aired on NBC as a thirty-minute special hosted byNFL Network anchorRich Eisen.Kelly Clarkson was the first performer, singing on a sloped, outdoor stage atMonument Circle in downtownIndianapolis. The concert moved indoors to theRCA Dome with Indiana nativeJohn Mellencamp singing his classic hit "Small Town".Billy Joel followed, back outside at Monument Circle.Hinder also performed. Back inside the RCA Dome,Colts ownerJim Irsay unveiled theSuper Bowl XLI championship banner. The event was marred by the death of a man who fell or jumped off the ninth-floor pool deck of the Sheraton City Center overlooking Monument Circle.[45]Keyshia Cole wrapped up the show singing thenational anthem with the Voices of Unity Youth Choir ofFort Wayne. Unlike in past years, there were no performances in the host area of the Super Bowl, in this case thePhoenix, Arizona area (Super Bowl XLII was held atUniversity of Phoenix Stadium in suburbanGlendale).
2008:Keith Urban andUsher were the featured performers at an afternoon concert atColumbus Circle inMidtown Manhattan inNew York City on September 4. The concert was officially called "NFL Opening Kickoff 2008 Presented byEA Sports." Media coverage includedNFL Network, NFL.com, and streaming on Sprint-branded mobile phones. NBC intercut portions of the concert into a broadcast of their2008–09 season fall preview show the next night, September 5 at 9 pmET/PT, 8 pmCT. (Unlike in past years, there was no live broadcast on NBC because of the early kickoff and later coverage of the2008 Republican National Convention.)[46]
2013: "NFL Kickoff 2013 presented byPepsi" featured a concert atBaltimore'sInner Harbor, with performances byDanielle Bradbery who performed the national anthem andKeith Urban. The introduction to the game was done on the field byRyan Seacrest, and culminated with a "countdown" to the start of the season starring 32 legendary NFL players (one from each franchise).[54] A 34-minute weather delay due to lightning occurred immediately after the concert and delayed the kickoff of the game, pushing the kickoff to 9:10 ET, 7:10 local time in Denver.
2017: "NFL Kickoff 2017 presented by Hyundai" was held at the Christopher Columbus Park atBoston Harborwalk, with the Boston-based Guster performing in place ofMiguel, who was unable to perform due to an illness.Flo Rida also performed at the concert.[58] The concert took place after a special screening ofAmerica's Game: The 2016 New England Patriots.Maren Morris performed the national anthem.[59]
2018: "NFL Kickoff 2018 Driven by Hyundai" was held atPenn's Landing inPhiladelphia, withShawn Mendes performing.[60]Boyz II Men sang the national anthem. A 45-minute weather delay due to a severe thunderstorm occurred immediately after the concert and delayed the kickoff of the game, pushing the kickoff back to 9:05 ET.
2019: "NFL Kickoff 2019 presented by EA SportsMadden NFL 20" was held atGrant Park inChicago, withMeek Mill,Meghan Trainor andRapsody performing. The concert was part of the league's Inspire Change initiative of which the three artists performing at the event were among the first advocates of the season.Chance the Rapper, was originally supposed to appear in the concert, but his performance was scrapped by the league.Chicago Blackhawks anthem singerJim Cornelison sang the national anthem.[61]
2021: The "2021 NFL Kickoff Experience presented byEA SportsMadden NFL 22" was held atJulian B. Lane Riverfront Park. Alicia Keys, accompanied by the Florida A&M UniversityMarching 100 and Concert Choir, sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing", andMichelle Williams accompanied byCory Henry sang the national anthem. Victory Boyd was originally going to sing the anthem at the game, but her performance was cancelled due to herCOVID-19 vaccine refusal, which she attributed to religious reasons.[62]Ed Sheeran headlined the pre-game concert.[63][64]
^The logo year is updated annually. The then-new NFL "shield" logo was used for the first time in 2008. In 2015, an alternate black and gold version of the logo was used in preparation for that season’sSuper Bowl 50.
^"ESPN.com: The Daily Quickie".ESPN.com. September 8, 2004.10-second delay on the TNF NFL season opening kickoff concert tomorrow: Because you never know what that crazy Toby Keith might do?...
