Special to Sports News Highlights

(SNH) — With the full NFL schedule being released, we can now prepare for what Week 1 will look like.

The rosters of teams are bolstered following free agency and the draft and the coaching staffs are set. Now, fans can book their tickets for the first game, and the coaching staffs can begin preparing for opponents.

As expected, Week 1 is filled with numerous high-profile games, and here are the top five:

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

This one is obvious as this game kicks off on Thursday, September 5, and launches the NFL regular season.

The Chiefs will host the Ravens in a rematch of the AFC Championship. The Ravens were the No. 1 seed in the postseason but lost to the Chiefs, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

As for storylines, the Ravens have a quarterback in Lamar Jackson, who’s dropped weight to be even more elusive, and they added Derrick Henry.

The Chiefs drafted Xavier Worthy and signed former Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown to bolster their receiving corps, which was a weak point of their roster last season.

Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

In the second game of the season, on Friday, September 7, we’ll witness history with the first-ever NFL game live from Brazil.

This game features two NFC playoff teams from a season ago, the Packers and Eagles.

Packers fans are eagerly awaiting a second season of Jordan Love as their starting quarterback with a youthful receiving corps. They lost Aaron Jones at running back but added Josh Jacobs and drafted fellow running back MarShawn Lloyd.

As for the Eagles, they signed A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to big-time extensions and signed Saquon Barkley to bolster their backfield even more.

These teams will be in the playoff hunt once again.

Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans

We can’t believe it either, but you cannot miss Bears vs. Titans for one obvious reason: This is Caleb Williams’ debut, and it’s at home.

The Bears have never had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards in a single season, and Williams has a chance to do that with an offense around him consisting of Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, Cole Kmet, D’Andre Swift, and fellow 2024 NFL Draft pick Rome Odunze.

As for the Titans, they’ve set up Will Levis with an offense to see if he’s their quarterback of the future. He’ll also have a wide receiver room littered with talent, including DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks, and Tyler Boyd. They also drafted JC Latham as their new offensive tackle to protect Levis.

This is a battle of two young quarterbacks, including a generational No. 1 overall pick with a franchise that’s been seeking a suitable quarterback for decades.

Cleveland Browns vs. Dallas Cowboys

At first glance, you may be wondering why this game is in our top five games you cannot miss in Week 1. But remember: This is the first game that Tom Brady will be in the broadcast booth.

Years ago, when Tony Romo first broke into broadcasting, he caught fire with his instant dissection of plays and guessing them live.

Imagine what Brady will do? He played for more than two decades and has seen every possible coverage from every coordinator in the league today.

As for on-the-field storylines, the Cowboys are coming off an embarrassing playoff showing against the Packers, and Dak Prescott’s days as the Cowboys quarterback could be numbered if they don’t get over the hump. The same can be said for head coach Mike McCarthy.

The Browns are coming off a playoff appearance after winning 11 games, but it wasn’t with Deshaun Watson; it was with Joe Flacco. Flacco is now with the Indianapolis Colts, and Watson will look to provide the Browns fan base with some semblance of hope, given he’s on a guaranteed contract.

San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Jets

The conclusion of Week 1 will be Monday Night Football with the 49ers and Jets.

The 49ers are coming off a crushing Super Bowl loss and are poised to be back there again. Their team is nearly the same, but they’ve added some pass rush help and drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round, adding him to a receiver room with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

As for the Jets and their fans, they’ll finally get to see what it looks like to have Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback, barring injury, of course. He played just four snaps last season before tearing his Achilles.

The team added offensive tackle Tyron Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams in free agency and drafted offensive lineman Olu Fashanu to continue bolstering the line for Rodgers.

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