Atlanta Falcons

When Does the 2017 NFL Season Start?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:01 p.m. ET

Fansided, Cody Williams/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Taking a look at when the 2017 NFL season will start with the NFL Kickoff Game

With the end of Super Bowl 51 between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons comes a dark time for NFL fans. Sure, they’ll be able to look at things like free agency and the draft. However, fans won’t be able to see a meaningful football game for over a half of a year. Yes, the preseason is also a thing that will happen. But fans really are just looking forward to the 2017 NFL season actually kicking off.

As is always the case, the 2017 season will get underway with the defending Super Bowl Champion facing off against a high-profile opponent in the NFL Kickoff Game. To start the 2016 season, it was the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers facing off in a rematch of Super Bowl 50. That was an immensely fun game that saw more of the same from those two teams.

However, there’s no need to look back. What actually matters is who is going to be playing in the 2017 NFL Kickoff Game to start next season. We know that it’ll be either the Patriots or Falcons, but we don’t know who they’ll be playing until the schedules are officially released.

While that may leave many things unknown, the real question how long do fans have to wait until the start of the 2017 NFL season. More specifically, when does the 2017 season start?

The Kickoff Game will take place on Sept. 7, 2017 likely from Atlanta or Foxboro. That leaves fans seven months to dream about football being back. But as is always the case with this great sport, it’s worth the wait. Until then, dive into the draft, look at all of the free agency options, and start getting your hopes up. Even if futile, that’s our duty as fans.