The NFL season begins this week. Here's a look at some of the big games and rules changes

The NFL season begins on Thursday night when the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens.

Here are a couple of big storylines as the games that count in the standings rapidly approach:

When does the NFL season start?

The Chiefs-Ravens game kicks the season off on a Thursday night and then the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers meet in Sao Paulo on Friday night for the first regular season game played in Brazil. It's the first time since 1970 that the NFL has had a Friday night game as part of its opening week schedule.

Most of the Week 1 games will be on Sunday, Sept. 8, followed by the season's first Monday night matchup between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.

Important early games on the schedule

Sept. 8, Rams at Lions: The game features the quarterback matchup of Jared Goff vs. Matthew Stafford. Stafford was the longtime QB for the Lions before getting traded to the Rams for Goff and then leading L.A. to a Super Bowl title in 2022. Goff led the Lions past the Rams in the playoffs last season. Both QBs performed well in last year's playoff matchup and more fireworks are expected in Week 1.

Sept. 15, Bears at Texans: If all goes well, this should be the second NFL game for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who was taken by the Bears with the No. 1-overall pick out of USC. Williams gets a Week 2 matchup against Texans QB C.J. Stroud, who was the AP's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023.

Nov. 25, Ravens at Chargers: This one is later in the schedule, but features a coaching matchup between brothers John and Jim Harbaugh. Jim was hired by the Chargers in the offseason after leading Michigan to a national championship. The action on the field should be good as well — Baltimore's Lamar Jackson and L.A.'s Justin Herbert are two of the league's top quarterbacks.

New kickoff rules

The NFL has overhauled its kickoffs, with the new format using elements of rules from the XFL and tweaking them for use in the NFL beginning this fall. The rules will be in play for one season on a trial basis and then be subject to renewal in 2025.

So far, the changes appear to have had their desired effect.

It's fair to wonder how much strategy teams are withholding for the regular season. There could be some fireworks in Week 1.

The rookie quarterbacks

Williams is commanding a big chunk of the attention since he was the No. 1-overall pick, but multiple teams could be going with a rookie quarterback this season.

The Washington Commanders have already named No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels the starter following his Heisman-winning season at LSU.

The No. 12 overall pick — Bo Nix — has already earned the starting nod for the Denver Broncos. Nix, who started an NCAA QB-record 61 times at Oregon and Auburn, has led the Broncos to scores on six of the seven drives he's directed in the preseason and has been statistically one of the league's best passers this month.

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AP Pro Football Writers Rob Maaddi, Arnie Stapleton, Josh Dubow and Schuyler Dixon and AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower contributed to this story.

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