Redskins to be featured on Thanksgiving for the third straight season

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The National Football League announced its 2018 regular season schedule tonight, and among the highlights of the Washington Redskins' 2018 campaign will be the franchise's inclusion on the league's Thanksgiving Day slate for a third consecutive year.

The Redskins will open the season on the road for the first time since 2014 when the team faces the Arizona Cardinals at 4:25 p.m. on Sept. 9 on FOX. The Redskins will then return home to FedExField for back-to-back games, first against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 16 on CBS, then against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 23 on FOX. Both contests are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.

After a Week 4 bye – Washington's earliest since a Week 4 bye in 2007 – the Redskins will make their 2018 prime-time debut on Oct. 8 at 8:15 p.m. against the New Orleans Saints on ESPN's Monday Night Football. The Redskins will then host their second two-game homestand of the season in Weeks 6-7, first hosting the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. on Oct. 14 on FOX prior to welcoming the rival Dallas Cowboys for a 4:25 p.m. game on Oct. 21 on CBS.

The Redskins will play four consecutive 1 p.m. games in Weeks 8-11, starting with the team's first divisional road game against the New York Giants on Oct. 28 on FOX. The Redskins will host the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 4 on FOX, travel to the face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 11 on FOX, then host the Houston Texans on Nov. 18 on CBS.

In Week 12, the Thanksgiving spotlight will once again shine on the Redskins for a third consecutive season as the team travels to face the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. Excluding the Cowboys and Detroit Lions, both of whom play on Thanksgiving annually, the Redskins will become the third team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to play on three consecutive Thanksgivings, joining the St. Louis Cardinals (1975-77) and Chicago Bears (1979-81). Following the teams' last Thanksgiving Day meeting in 2016, FOX Sports announced that the contest was the most-watched regular-season game in the network's history with an average of 35.1 million viewers.

The Redskins will stay in the national spotlight in Week 13 when the team hits the road to face the Philadelphia Eagles at 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 3 on ESPN's Monday Night Football. The team will then host another NFC East foe the following week when they face the New York Giants at FedExField on Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. on FOX.

In Weeks 15-16, the Redskins will play road games against AFC South opponents in back-to-back weeks. First, the Redskins will play the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. on FOX on Dec. 16, then the team will travel to face the Tennessee Titans on either Saturday, Dec. 22 or Sunday, Dec. 23. An exact game date, time and broadcast network will be announced at a later date.

The Redskins will close the 2018 regular season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. on FOX. The Redskins are 8-6 all-time in season finales against the Eagles, dating back to Head Coach Ray Flaherty's Redskins concluding their 9-2 regular season campaign in 1940 with a 13-6 victory against the Eagles at Griffith Stadium.

For Redskins season, group or individual game ticket information, visit www.Redskins.com/tickets or call (301) 276-6800. For the safest way to secure Redskins tickets, Redskins fans are strongly encouraged to purchase from official sources like Redskins.com, the Redskins box office or Ticketmaster, the official ticketing partner of the NFL and the Washington Redskins.

A select number of games across the league, including the Redskins' Week 7 contest against the Cowboys, will be "cross-flexed," moving between CBS and FOX to bring potentially under-distributed games to wider audiences. Some of those contests were announced today while the remainder of "cross-flexed" games will be decided during the season.

"Flexible scheduling" will be used in Weeks 11-17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. 

Flexibility for Saturday games in Weeks 15 and 16 is also part of the 2018 schedule. In Week 15, there will be two games played on Saturday on NFL Network, with the game times of 4:30 p.m. and 8:20 p.m. to be determined. In Week 16, two of four possible matchups will be scheduled for Saturday. Start times and Saturday games for Week 15 and 16 will be announced no later than following Week 8, with the non-Saturday games to be played on Sunday.

For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to Dec. 30. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot.  Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives "surprise" teams a chance to play their way into prime time. 

Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday or Monday nights.

NOTES ON THE REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:

Week 1: at Arizona Cardinals

• The Redskins will open the season on the road for the first time since 2014 at Houston. The Redskins will be seeking their first road win in a season opener since a 40-32 victory at New Orleans to open the 2012 season.
• The Redskins opened against AFC competition in three straight seasons from 2014-16. Including facing the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 season opener, the Redskins will now open against NFC opponents in consecutive seasons for the first time since a six-year streak from 2008-13.
• The Redskins are 40-42-4 all-time in season openers, including a 24-24 record in openers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
• The Redskins will attempt to snap a five-game losing streak in season openers. The team won three straight Week 1 contests from 2010-12 prior to the current streak.
• The Redskins and Cardinals have faced one another 123 times. It represents the Redskins' third-most games played against any opponent and the most against an opponent in which the series does not include a postseason game.
• The Redskins are 75-46-2 all-time against the Cardinals. The Redskins' 75 wins against the Cardinals are the team's second most against any opponent.
• The Redskins have won 11 of their last 14 games against the Cardinals dating back to 1999, including nine of the last 11 contests. The Redskins defeated the Cardinals, 20-15, in Week 15 last season.
• The Redskins are 27-26-2 all-time in road games against the Cardinals, including a 7-4-1 record against the franchise in Chicago (1932-59), a 13-12-1 record against the franchise in St. Louis (1960-87), and a 7-10 record against the franchise in Arizona (1988-present).
• A win in Arizona would be the Redskins' first road victory against the Cardinals since earning a 17-13 win at Sun Devil Stadium on Dec. 11, 2005.
• The Redskins are 6-2 all-time against the Cardinals in season openers and have won the last four season openers in the series dating back to a 24-17 road victory by Head Coach George Allen's Redskins against the St. Louis Cardinals to open the 1971 season.
• Including a victory in their road opener against the New York Giants in Week 3 of 2016 and against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 of 2017, a win would give the Redskins victories in their first road game of three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1978-80.
• A three-year winning streak in road openers would tie for the second-longest in team history, trailing only the franchise's streak of seven straight victories in road openers across the 1937-43 seasons.
• The game will be the first of five games the Redskins will play against head coaches hired this past offseason, including one game each against Cardinals Head Coach Steve Wilks, Colts Head Coach Frank Reich and Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel, and two games against Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur. The Redskins posted a 3-1 record in 2017 against coaches in their first season with their respective teams.

Week 2: vs. Indianapolis Colts

• The Redskins will make their regular season FedExField debut in the contest. The Redskins are 30-18 in home openers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
• A win would be the Redskins' first in their FedExField debut since they defeated another AFC South opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, 41-10, in Week 2 of the 2014 season.
• The Redskins will seek their first win against the Colts since a 26-21 win on Oct. 27, 2002.
• The Redskins hold a 7-6 all-time advantage in home games against the Colts, dating back to a 24-21 win against the Baltimore Colts at Griffith Stadium on Oct. 31, 1954.

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

• The Redskins currently trail their all-time series with the Packers, 15-20-1, including postseason play.
• Including postseason play, the Redskins are 10-9 all-time in home games against the Packers, dating back to the first meeting between the Packers and then-Boston Braves on Nov. 13, 1932.
• The Redskins are 6-2 against the Packers at home, including postseason play, since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The Packers held a 7-4 advantage in games played in Boston/Washington prior to 1970.
• Running back Rob Kelley tied a franchise record with three rushing touchdowns in the teams' most recent meeting, a 42-24 Redskins victory on Nov. 20, 2016. Wide receiver Jamison Crowder was also one of two Redskins receivers to record 100 or more receiving yards in the game, marking the most recent instance in which the Redskins have had multiple players record 100 or more receiving yards in a single game.

Week 5: at New Orleans Saints

• The game will be the Redskins' first following a bye in Week 4. A win against the Saints would be the Redskins' 14th in games directly following a bye week since byes were instituted in 1990.
• The game will be the Redskins' 71st appearance on Monday Night Football since the introduction of the broadcast package in 1970. Entering 2018, the Redskins' 70 previous appearances on the program are tied for the fifth-most of any franchise.
• The Redskins will attempt to snap a five-game losing streak on Monday Night Football and earn their first victory on the program since a 20-17 overtime victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 27, 2014.
• The Redskins are 17-9 all-time against the Saints, with all 26 meetings having come in regular season play.
• A win would even the Redskins' all-time record against the Saints on Monday Night Football at 1-1. The Saints earned a 20-3 victory in the teams' only previous Monday Night Football meeting on Nov. 23, 1992.
• The Redskins hold a 9-4 all-time advantage against the Saints in games played in New Orleans, dating back to the Redskins' 30-10 victory at Tulane Stadium in the teams' first meeting on Sept. 24, 1967.

• The Redskins have won four of their last five games in New Orleans and have scored more than 30 points in four of those contests.
• From 1980-90, the Redskins won six straight games against the Saints, marking the longest winning streak by either team in the series.

Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers

• The Redskins are 7-6 all-time against the Panthers, including a 5-2 series record at home.
• The Redskins won the first six meetings between the two teams from 1995-2001.
• The Redskins will be seeking their first victory against the Panthers since earning a 17-13 victory against Carolina on Nov. 26, 2006.

Week 7: vs. Dallas Cowboys

• The Redskins will attempt to push their all-time home record against the Cowboys to 29-32, including postseason play.
• The Redskins are seeking their first home victory against the Cowboys since a division-clinching 28-18 victory against Dallas in Week 17 of the 2012 season.

Week 8: at New York Giants

• The Redskins and Giants enter the 2017 season having previously played one another 172 times. The Giants are the Redskins' most-common opponent.
• The Redskins will look to secure their 69th all-time win against the Giants, their third-most against any opponent in franchise history.
• The Redskins will attempt to win their second road game against the Giants in a span of three years. It would mark the team's first time accomplishing the feat since winning four straight road games against the Giants from 1980-83.

Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons

• The Redskins are 15-9-1 against the Falcons all-time, including postseason play.
• The Redskins are 10-3 at home against the Falcons all-time, including the lone postseason contest between the two teams, a 24-7 Redskins victory at RFK Stadium on Jan. 4, 1992, en route to Washington's victory in Super Bowl XXVI.
• The Redskins will attempt to snap a five-game losing streak to the Falcons and earn their first win against Atlanta since a 33-31 victory on Sept. 14, 2003.
• The Redskins are seeking their first victory against the Falcons at FedExField. The Redskins' most recent home victory against the Falcons came on Dec. 19, 1993, at RFK Stadium.

Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Including postseason play, the all-time series between the Redskins and Buccaneers is tied, 11-11.
• The Redskins and Buccaneers are 10-10 all-time against one another in regular season play.
• In the teams' last meeting on Oct. 25, 2015, the Redskins recorded the largest comeback in team history, erasing a 24-0 deficit to earn a 31-30 victory.
• The Redskins will attempt to earn victories in back-to-back regular season games in their series with the Buccaneers for the first time since the 1998 and 2000 seasons.
• The Redskins won their most recent road game against the Buccaneers, connecting on a 41-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in a 24-22 win on Sept. 30, 2012.
• The Redskins will be seeking consecutive road victories against the Buccaneers for the first time since winning their first three games in Tampa across the 1977-93 seasons.

Week 11: vs. Houston Texans

• The all-time series between the Redskins and Texans is currently tied, 2-2.
• A win against the Texans would be the Redskins' first since earning a 31-15 victory in Houston on Sept. 24, 2006.
• A win would improve the Redskins to 2-1 in home games against the Texans all-time.

Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys

• The Redskins will play on Thanksgiving for a third consecutive season for the first time in team history.
• Excluding the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, both of whom play on Thanksgiving annually, the Redskins will become the third team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to play on three consecutive Thanksgivings, joining the St. Louis Cardinals (1975-77) and Chicago Bears (1979-81).
• After defeating the New York Giants, 20-10, on Thanksgiving last season, the Redskins will be seeking victories in consecutive Thanksgiving games for the first time in team history.
• The game will be the Redskins' 11th Thanksgiving Day contest all-time and their ninth such game against the Cowboys.
• A win would be the Redskins' fourth all-time victory on Thanksgiving, including wins against the Lions in 1973, Cowboys in 2012 and Giants in 2017.
• The Redskins and Cowboys last met on Thanksgiving in 2016. Following the game, FOX Sports announced that it was the most-watched regular-season game in the network's history with an average of 35.1 million viewers.
• The Redskins recorded 449 passing yards in their 2016 Thanksgiving game at Dallas, the team's highest total since Head Coach Jay Gruden's arrival in 2014.
• A win would give the Redskins victories in a Thursday game in consecutive seasons for the first time in team history.
• The Redskins will attempt to snap a two-game road losing streak against the Cowboys and earn their first victory at AT&T Stadium since a 34-23 victory on Jan. 3, 2016.

Week 13: at Philadelphia Eagles

• Including postseason play, the Redskins are 86-75-5 all-time against the Eagles, including season series sweeps in two of the last three years.
• The Redskins' 86 all-time wins against the Eagles are their most against any opponent.
• The Redskins are 42-39-2 all-time against the Eagles in Philadelphia, including a victory in the NFC Wild Card Round on Jan. 5, 1991. The Redskins' 42 road wins against the Eagles are their most against any opponent.
• The Redskins have won two of their last three road games in Philadelphia.
• The game will be the second of the Redskins' two appearances on Monday Night Football in 2018. The 2018 season will mark the 25th time that the Redskins have made multiple appearances on Monday Night Football since the program's inception in 1970.
• The Redskins will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak in Monday Night Football games against the Eagles.
• A win would be the Redskins' first against Philadelphia on Monday Night Football since earning a 20-12 win on Sept. 17, 2007.
• The Redskins will be seeking their 11th all-time victory against defending Super Bowl champions. The Redskins' most recent victory against defending Super Bowl champions was a 17-16 victory against the New York Giants on Dec. 3, 2012.
• The Redskins are 20-20 all-time against defending NFC Champions since the formation of conferences following the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. A win would be Washington's first against a team that represented the NFC in the most recent Super Bowl since defeating the New York Giants in 2012.

Week 14: vs. New York Giants

• After defeating the Giants, 20-10, at FedExField a year ago, the Redskins will be seeking home victories against the Giants in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-12.
• The first victory in Washington Redskins franchise history was secured in a home contest against the New York Giants when the then-Boston Braves defeated the Giants, 14-6, at Braves Field on Oct. 9, 1932.
• The game will conclude a stretch of three consecutive NFC East contests for the Redskins. It will represent the first time the Redskins have faced divisional opponents in three consecutive weeks since the final three games of the 2014 season.

Week 15: at Jacksonville Jaguars

• The Redskins are 5-1 against the Jaguars all-time.
• The Redskins are 2-1 all-time in road games against the Jaguars.
• Two of the last three meetings between the two teams have been decided in overtime. The Redskins earned a 36-30 overtime victory against the Jaguars on Oct. 1, 2006, when Santana Moss caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to seal the win. On Dec. 26, 2010, the Redskins earned a 20-17 overtime win in Jacksonville on a game-winning 31-yard field goal.
• Head Coach Jay Gruden earned his first career NFL head coaching victory against the Jaguars, a 41-10 victory in Week 2 of the 2014 season. He enters the 2018 season ranked fifth in team history with 28 career victories.
• The Redskins tied a team record with 10 sacks in their most recent meeting with the Jaguars in 2014. Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan tied an individual team record with 4.0 sacks in the contest.

Week 16: at Tennessee Titans

• The Redskins are currently 6-6 against the Titans' franchise all-time, including a 3-3 record against the Houston Oilers (1960-96), an 0-1 record against the Tennessee Oilers (1997-98) and a 3-2 record against the Tennessee Titans (1999-present).
• The Redskins will attempt to even their road record against the Titans franchise at 3-3. The Redskins dropped their first three road contests to the Houston/Tennessee Oilers in 1975, 1988 and 1997 but won road games against the Tennessee Titans in 2002 and 2010.
• A win would be the Redskins' third consecutive victory in their series with the Titans, which would represent the longest winning streak by either team in the series.
• The Redskins have won each of their last two games against the Titans on walk-off field goals. The Redskins earned a 19-16 victory in Tennessee on a 48-yard overtime field goal on Nov. 21, 2010, and also recorded a 19-17 win at FedExField on a 22-yard field goal with no time remaining in regulation on Oct. 19, 2014.
• The exact date of the game – either Saturday, Dec. 22 or Sunday, Dec. 23 – has not yet been determined. If the game is played on a Saturday, it would be the first Saturday meeting between the two franchises. The Redskins are 26-24 all-time in Saturday contests, including postseason play.
• The Redskins earned Saturday wins in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and could be seeking a victory in four consecutive Saturday games for the first time since winning six straight Saturday contests across the 1980-85 seasons, including postseason play.

Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

• The Redskins are 46-38-2 all-time in regular season finales.
• The Redskins will conclude the season against NFC East competition for the ninth consecutive season, the longest such stretch in team history. The NFL began exclusively scheduling intra-divisional contests in Week 17 in 2010. Washington's last season finale against an opponent from a division other than the NFC East was the 2009 season finale at San Diego.
• The Redskins are 8-6 all-time in season finales against the Eagles.
• The first meeting in a season finale between the Redskins and Eagles was in 1940, when Head Coach Ray Flaherty's Redskins concluded their 9-2 regular season campaign with a 13-6 victory against the Eagles at Griffith Stadium.
• Ten of the 14 season finales contested between the Redskins and Eagles have been played in Washington, with the Redskins holding a 6-4 advantage in those contests.

Games vs. 2017 playoff teams: 7 (at New Orleans, vs. Carolina, vs. Atlanta, at Philadelphia, at Jacksonville, at Tennessee, vs. Philadelphia)

Games Outdoors:13 (vs. Indianapolis, vs. Green Bay, vs. Carolina, vs. Dallas, at New York Giants, vs. Atlanta, at Tampa Bay, vs. Houston, at Philadelphia, vs. New York Giants, at Jacksonville, at Tennessee, vs. Philadelphia)

Games at Domes:1 (at New Orleans)

Games at Retractable Roof Stadiums:2 (at Arizona, at Dallas)

Games on Grass:13* *(at Arizona, vs. Indianapolis, vs. Green Bay, vs. Carolina, vs. Dallas, vs. Atlanta, at Tampa Bay, vs. Houston, at Philadelphia, vs. New York Giants, at Jacksonville, at Tennessee, vs. Philadelphia)

Games on Turf:3 (at New Orleans, at New York Giants, at Dallas)* *

PRESEASON:

REGULAR SEASON:

^ Game will be played on either Saturday, Dec. 22 or Sunday, Dec. 23.

POSTSEASON:

Jan. 5-6: NFL Wild Card Weekend
Jan. 12-13: NFL Divisional Weekend
Sunday, Jan. 20: NFL Conference Championship Games
Sunday, Jan. 27: 2019 NFL Pro Bowl (Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.)
Sunday, Feb. 3: Super Bowl LIII (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.)

All Kickoff Times Eastern
ALL HOME GAMES CAPS

Nationally Televised

• Subject to flexible scheduling

^ Game will be played on either Saturday, Dec. 22 or Sunday, Dec. 23.