The National Football League announced the Washington Commanders' 2026 schedule. Here are five things to know about this year's slate of games.
1. Rare back-to-back road games to start the season.
The Commanders have benefited from starting the season at home for the last few years. Since 2020, they have had a home opener five times and won four of them, the most recent being their 21-6 victory over the New York Giants.
This season, not only will the Commanders kick things off on the road, but they'll also be away from Northwest Stadium in Week 2 as well.
It's rare for Washington to start the season with back-to-back road matchups. It's only happened three times in the last 43 years, with the last time coming in 2012 during Robert Griffin III's rookie year. The other two occasions in recent memory were in 2001 during Marty Schottenheimer's first season as the franchise's head coach and in 1982, when Washington won its first Super Bowl.
The Commanders will face two of the better teams in the division for those matchups. They'll open the season against the Philadelphia Eagles for the third time since 2019 and then travel to AT&T Stadium to face the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams are particularly tough to beat on the road. The Eagles have not lost a Week 1 home opener since 2010, while the Cowboys are 31-18-1 at AT&T Stadium since 2020.
However, it would provide positive momentum for the Commanders if they managed to get a 2-0 start against two division rivals.
2. Early division tests.
Over the last few years, the NFL has tried to save the division games until the end of the season to provide more weekly drama and increase the stakes for playoff-contending teams. The Commanders ended the 2025 season with four consecutive matchups against NFC East opponents, and since 2020, nearly 60% of their division games have come in Week 11 or later.
This year's schedule will take the opposite approach. By the time the Commanders are done with Week 10, they will have played five of their six NFC East matchups.
Unlike previous years, when the league has tried to evenly disperse the Commanders' games against the Eagles, the two teams will meet both times by the end of Week 8. For the rematch, the Commanders will have almost two weeks to prepare for the two-time defending division champs. It will be under the lights at home for Sunday Night Football and could have serious playoff implications.
The Commanders will also see the Giants early in the season in Week 5, which will be the team's second home game at Northwest Stadium. They'll meet again in Week 10 on Thursday Night Football, marking the first primetime matchup between quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Jaxon Dart.
3. An early bye week.
The Commanders settled for late bye weeks in recent seasons. They haven't had a break earlier than Week 12 since 2021, and they had to wait until Week 14 -- the last possible week -- in three of those seasons.
This year's schedule is much kinder to the Commanders, as they will have their bye week in Week 7.
The interesting wrinkle here comes from the Commanders also being one of the teams playing an international game. It is common for the league to give teams a bye week following the matchup to compensate for the extra travel time, but there are circumstances where teams can request to have the bye week at other times on the schedule.
This year's Week 7 bye week provides a near-even break for the Commanders to prepare for the second half of the season. That has not been the case in recent years. A bye week in Week 12 or later guarantees that a team will go at least three months into the regular season before getting a break, and that doesn't account for the month of training camp the team will go through.
And with several playoff contenders on the schedule after the bye week, the Commanders will need the rest to prepare for them.
4. Five nationally televised games.
Daniels is still viewed as a major attraction by national audiences.
The NFL tried to get as many eyes on the Commanders as possible following Daniels' record-setting Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, giving them eight nationally televised games in 2025 and scheduling many of their other matchups in the late afternoon window.
The Commanders will have at least five nationally televised games this season, including four in the primetime window.
Each of the primetime games will put the Commanders against teams with high expectations in 2026. The San Francisco 49ers, who they will face on the road during Monday Night Football in Week 6, advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs despite the team experiencing multiple injuries. The Eagles have lost several key pieces on defense but are still viewed as the best team in the division. The Giants are hoping for a dramatic improvement in John Harbaugh's first season as their head coach.
The Commanders' schedule also features a Monday Night Football rematch with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. During the first matchup in 2024, Daniels completed 21 of his 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-sealing 27-yard score to Terry McLaurin.
5. Shorter travel.
The Commanders were one of the most traveled teams in the league last year with 21,363 air miles, crossing multiple time zones 26 times. This year is much better with 18,491 miles, putting them at 16th in the NFL.
Aside from the London game, which accounts for most of the travel miles, the Commanders are staying close to home in 2026. They only play three games outside of the eastern or central time zone, with the only exceptions being the matchup against the Colts, Arizona Cardinals and 49ers.
The Commanders also have extended stretches where they will spend most of their time at Northwest Stadium. They only travel two times from Weeks 3-9, and three of their last five games will be at home.
Don't miss a minute of action at Northwest Stadium this season. Click here to learn more about 2026 Season Tickets!
