The NFL released its 2021 schedule on Wednesday, May 12.

The 2021 season includes 17 regular season games for the first time ever and will begin with the defending superbowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Dallas Cowboys. There are many primetime matchups this season but the most intriguing game will be week 4, when the Buccaneers take on the New England Patriots on Sunday night. This will be the first time Tom Brady returns to New England. In his 20 year career with the Patriots, Brady received three NFL MVP awards and won six Superbowl titles. Another highly anticipated game will be   the Cleveland Browns taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City week one. This will be a rematch of the Conference Championship game last year, a game in which the Chiefs defeated the Browns 22-17.

According to ESPN, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears have the hardest schedules in the NFL. The Chicago Bears will face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football in week one. This game has quickly become another highly anticipated matchup after Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey called out Bears receiver Darnel Mooney on his Instagram. This came after Bears fans trolled Ramsey on Instagram and created memes that referred to Mooney as Ramsey’s father.

“I cant wait till week one so all these lame Bears fans can shut up about their number two receiver,” said Ramsey on his instagram. “It is funny because they know better too.”

Another highly anticipated matchup will be when the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to New York to take on the jets. This game will be a battle between the first two overall picks, quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson. 

Many teams have a hard schedule coming up this season. However,the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons have the easiest schedules. All three teams are coming off a below average year where neither of them made the playoffs. The Falcons and Eagles are entering their first seasons with new head coaches, while the Cowboys’s starting quarterback Dak Prescott returns from injury. After improving in the offseason, each team will look to return back to the playoffs next season.