Sep 8, 2025
The NFL wastes no time. Two MVP quarterbacks open the 2025 season under the lights: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, two of the league’s best playmakers, go head-to-head in Orchard Park on Sunday Night Football. The national stage, a rowdy Highmark Stadium crowd, and a pair of teams with real Super Bowl ambitions—this is how you start a season.
How to watch tonight: channel, time, streaming
Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
- TV channel (national): NBC
- Local TV (Buffalo): WGRZ (NBC affiliate)
- Pregame show: Football Night in America begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBC
- Start time by time zone: 8:20 p.m. ET | 7:20 p.m. CT | 6:20 p.m. MT | 5:20 p.m. PT
- Spanish-language: Universo/Telemundo Deportes (check local listings)
Streaming options:
- Peacock (live stream of Sunday Night Football)
- NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com (authentication with a participating TV provider)
- Live TV streaming services that carry NBC in most markets, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and DirecTV Stream
- NFL+ (live local and primetime games on mobile and tablet, in-market)
Radio options:
- National: Westwood One (check station listings and compatible radio apps)
- Buffalo: Bills Radio Network (flagship WGR 550 AM)
- Baltimore: Ravens Gameday Network (WBAL NewsRadio 1090/101.5 FM and 98 Rock 97.9 FM)
If you’re a cord-cutter, Peacock is the simplest path for Sunday Night Football. If you already get NBC through a cable or satellite package—or a live TV streaming bundle—you can also stream the broadcast through the NBC Sports app after logging in. And if you’re on the go, NFL+ covers live primetime games on phones and tablets in your local market.
Expect the full Sunday Night Football production: Mike Tirico on play-by-play, Cris Collinsworth as analyst, and sideline reporting from Melissa Stark.
Why this Bills–Ravens opener matters
Openers don’t decide a season, but they set the tone—and this one features two teams comfortable in the contenders’ conversation. Buffalo brings Allen off an MVP year and a defense that has carried top-10 efficiency stretches under Sean McDermott. Baltimore counters with Jackson, the 2023 MVP, and John Harbaugh’s steady program that keeps finding January football.
The headline is obvious: Bills vs Ravens means Allen versus Jackson. Both can wreck a game from the pocket or on the move, and both stress defenses in different ways. Buffalo thrives on Allen’s second-reaction throws, deep shots off play-action, and designed QB power in short yardage. Baltimore leans into Jackson’s quick processing in Todd Monken’s spread concepts, layered routes, and a run game that morphs with motion and tempo.
What to watch within the matchup:
- Explosive plays: The Bills’ vertical passing game against a Baltimore secondary that loves to challenge timing and disrupt routes. If Buffalo hits a couple chunk gains early, it changes how aggressive the Ravens can be on third down.
- Edge discipline: Containing Jackson isn’t a one-man job. Buffalo’s ends and second-level defenders have to keep rush lanes clean or risk giving up back-breaking scrambles.
- Red-zone execution: Both teams can move the ball. Finishing with six instead of three usually decides these prime-time heavyweights.
- Situational blitzing: Baltimore’s pressure packages are creative. Allen’s pre-snap checks and hot routes will be busy if the Ravens heat him up.
- Special teams swing: Field position matters in Orchard Park. A big return or a pin at the 2 can flip a quarter.
Recent history gives this matchup extra juice. These teams have traded meaningful games in the Allen–Jackson era, including Buffalo’s playoff win in January 2021 and a tight 23–20 Bills comeback in Baltimore in 2022. Different rosters now, same core tension: physical defenses trying to corral quarterbacks who don’t like being corralled.
Highmark Stadium itself is a factor. Even in early September, the wind can swirl, and the crowd noise ramps up fast on third downs. Communication—especially for Baltimore’s offensive line and Buffalo’s receivers making sight adjustments—will matter.
For fans heading to the game, expect mobile-only tickets at the gates and the usual clear-bag policy. Arrive early if you want the full tailgate scene; the pregame energy in Orchard Park is part of the show. If you’re watching at home, the window is simple: tune to NBC, start the pregame at 7 p.m. ET, and settle in for a heavyweight opener at 8:20 p.m. ET.
It’s Week 1, but the stakes feel bigger. A win here is a statement in the AFC pecking order, the kind of result that shapes tiebreakers and confidence months down the road. Two MVPs, one national stage, and ninety-or-so snaps to remind the league who they are.
