Two marquee quarterbacks open the season under the lights, and the timing could not be better for prime time. Josh Allen’s Bills welcome Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to Highmark Stadium for Week 1’s Sunday Night Football showcase — a rematch with playoff bite and early AFC seeding vibes.
The date is set for Sunday, September 7, 2025. The setting is Orchard Park, New York. And the stage is classic NBC Sunday night, where the country usually meets the season’s biggest storylines in one tight window. Jackson is back after a recent MVP run, Allen remains one of the league’s toughest covers, and both teams walk in with expectations that stretch into January.
TV channel, start time, and where to find the broadcast
• Game: Bills vs Ravens
• Date: Sunday, September 7, 2025
• Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. ET (7:20 CT / 6:20 MT / 5:20 PT)
• TV channel: NBC
• Stadium: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y.
NBC has the exclusive national TV broadcast for Sunday Night Football throughout the regular season. Pregame coverage on Football Night in America typically starts at 7 p.m. ET, rolling straight into kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET.
If you prefer to stream, Peacock carries Sunday Night Football in most U.S. markets. You can also use the NBC Sports app or NBC.com with a pay-TV login. Live TV streaming services that include local NBC stations in many areas — such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and DirecTV Stream — are also options. Availability varies by ZIP code, so it’s smart to confirm your local NBC affiliate is included before kickoff.
Watching over the air? An HD antenna will pick up NBC for free in most regions if you’re within range of your local affiliate’s transmitter. A quick scan or rescan of channels on your TV or tuner box usually does the trick.
Prefer radio? Westwood One is slated to carry the national audio broadcast. Locally, Bills games air on WGR 550 AM in Buffalo, while Ravens coverage is available on WBAL NewsRadio and 98 Rock in Baltimore. Team mobile apps often provide in-market streaming audio as well. Spanish-language audio may be offered via SAP on some TV feeds or through team radio partners in select markets.
What to expect on the field — and why this opener matters
This matchup brings back playoff memories. Buffalo and Baltimore have traded high-stakes moments in recent years, and the chess match between Sean McDermott and John Harbaugh remains one of the conference’s better sideline duels. Both coaches lean into physical defense and situational football, but they win in different ways on offense.
For Buffalo, it still starts with Allen’s arm talent and his ability to extend downs. The Bills lean on vertical threats and designed movement that lets Allen create outside structure. Short fields off special teams and takeaways typically tilt their way in prime time, and the home crowd in Orchard Park has a way of adding an extra beat to opposing snap counts.
Baltimore leans on Jackson’s dual-threat stress test. When the Ravens are humming, the ground game forces lighter boxes to pay, and play-action hits chunk gains behind it. Jackson’s efficiency against the blitz improved in recent seasons, and Baltimore’s tempo control is tailor-made to quiet road environments if they can start fast.
Third downs and red-zone trips will likely decide it. Buffalo’s ability to force field goals instead of touchdowns is often the swing in close games, while Baltimore’s run-pass options in tight space put linebackers in conflict. If either side flips a turnover into points, expect a noticeable momentum swing, especially early.
Special teams tend to loom large in Sunday night openers. Field position, wind, and first-week timing can turn what looks like a routine 45-yarder into a conversation. Highmark Stadium can be breezy even in early September, so kicking and punting could matter more than the forecast suggests.
A quick note on health and depth charts: Week 1 typically brings optimism, but it also brings snap-count management for players returning from offseason procedures. Expect both staffs to rotate skill talent early, protect key linemen when possible, and lean on scripted sequences in the first quarter before opening the playbook.
Traveling or watching from abroad? International distribution varies by country, but many regions carry Sunday Night Football through local rights holders. In territories where it’s offered, NFL Game Pass International (via select partners) provides live and on-demand access; check availability in your location ahead of time to avoid last-minute surprises.
Quick troubleshooting tips before kickoff: update your streaming app, sign in on a second device as a backup, and confirm your local NBC feed is available in your plan. If you’re using an antenna, position it near a window facing your local transmitter and run a fresh channel scan. And give yourself a few extra minutes — prime-time sports can cause login slowdowns right at kickoff.
However you watch, this one checks every box for a Week 1 headliner: elite quarterbacks, two defenses that tackle, and the kind of sideline adjustments that keep a national audience locked until the last possession.
