Kehlani’s sophomore album, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, has been a long time coming. However, in the midst of that wait, the Oakland-born singing made sure fans did not feel the wait of her forthcoming project. From her 2019 EP While We Wait to the many singles she shared since 2017’s SweetSexySavage, which include “Valentine’s Day,” “All Me,” “Toxic,” and “Everybody’s Business,” Kehlani has continued to work on It Was Good Until It Wasn’t while keeping her fans more than satisfied in the progress. Now that the album has arrived, one of its most anticipated tracks has emerged as an early favorite.
Supplying our ears with a much-needed west coast connection, Kehlani and Jhene Aiko joined forces on “Change Your Life.” The song serves as the first collaboration between the R&B stars who both call California home. On the track, Kehlani and Jhene look to convince their love interest to allow them to be apart of their life. Citing no issues with their current lifestyles, Kehlani and Jhene aim to only improve their love interest’s days and nights.
The track and the album arrived after Kehlani was accused of colorism by fellow west coast rapper Kamaiyah after Kehlani removed her verse from her “All Me” single.
It Was Good Until It Wasn’t is out now via Atlantic Records. Get it here.
Following his comeback single and its accompanying album Changes, Justin Bieber has spent 2020 sporadically sharing videos from the album. Switching things up a bit, Bieber caused quite the commotion after he said he has a “special announcement” in store for later in the week. Ariana Grande added to the announcement by teasing her own involvement in the effort. Keeping to that promise, Bieber and Grande revealed that the special announcement was a collaboration, “Stuck With U.” Since the announcement, Bieber has been sharing videos of fans enjoying the moment together with their fellow loved ones after he made the song’s instrumental available in order for his fans to be part of its promotion.
In the announcement, Bieber revealed that “proceeds from the sales and streams of #StuckwithU will fund grants and scholarships for children of first responders who have been impacted by COVID-19.” The effort comes with help from SB Projects and Universal Music Group in partnership with First Responders Children’s Foundation. Labeling the song as “the prom song for everyone who can’t go to prom now,” the new track celebrates spending time with your loved ones as it incorporates the videos they received from fans into the song’s official music video. Showcasing their own quarantine habits, Ariana gets cozy with her dog while Bieber enjoys time with his wife. The song marks the second time the two have collaborated with the first being Grande’s remix of Bieber’s “What Do You Mean.”
While Future and Young Thug have been heavyweights on the southern rap scene for years now, Moneybagg Yo has taken his position as a notable talent on the Memphis scene over the last year. His Time Served album from January is only proof of the improvement portrayed in his career. Uniting as one on their latest track, Young Thug, Future, and Moneybagg Yo connect on “Blue Jean Bandit.”
Flowing over production from TM88 and Southside, Young Thug, Future, and Moneybagg Yo each grace the track with a verse of their own, while Young Thug places an eccentric hook in between each verse. The song originally surfaced last year and on the original version, Young Thug was the lone vocal artist on the track which still featured production from TM88 and Southside.
The track arrives days after Moneybagg Yo announced a deluxe version of Time Served would arrive next week May 15. Future and Young Thug recently shared space on a song as they both appeared on Drake’s “D4L” off his Dark Lane Demo Tapes project. Future and Young Thug have also shared releases of their own with Future joining Lil Baby and RMR for “Dealer (Remix)” while Young Thug connected with Chris Brown for their Slime And B project.
Press play on the video above to hear “Blue Jean Bandit.”
Restaurant Wars returned to Top Chef this week, and guess what? I, your humble power ranker, was there. Sharp-eyed viewers would’ve seen me make my Bravo debut as “unkempt man who enjoys desserts.”
Vince Mancini
This is my brand now, I welcome it. Note the heavy pour on the wine glass. I kept the jacket on so you wouldn’t see my pit stains (I’m a sweaty one). We call that “professionalism.” Brian Malarkey waited on us. Here’s a picture of us looking like we just fell in love:
Kelley McGinnis (NBCUniversal )
What can I say, I get all dreamy around anyone who brings me Haitian food and drinks, especially if it’s a man with extremely high pant cuffs. Okay, that’s probably enough inside baseball (for now).
This week’s Restaurant Wars pitted Kevin Gillespie’s “Country Captain,” a restaurant that he modeled after fancy parties at his mee-maw’s house — in order to celebrate “the cuisine of the plantation south,” (whoa, Kev, ixnay on the antation-play, don’t you remember what happened a few seasons ago-fay?) against Gregory Gourdet’s Kann, a Haitian concept named after the local word for sugar cane. Would Restaurant Wars punish last week’s winners by forcing upon them the high-risk position of executive chef?
The short answer… sort of. As TopChefStats notes, the Restaurant War executive chef is the most likely to be sent home, but it’s a tie with front of the house manager, and only one ahead of line cook (not exactly a definitive statistical advantage). The breakdown for who wins are identical.
The chefs chose teams and divvied responsibilities, prepared their spaces, and did a service, all in just 48 hours. That seems impressive. But then again, what do we care? Take six weeks if you want, the show’s still only going to be about an hour.
With only one challenge for the whole episode, it was an opportunity to gin up some classic drrrama (with a capital RRR), which began with Team Kann pilfering Team Country Captain’s tableware (more on that below). It continued with Chef Lee Anne hulking out on some temp servers. Meanwhile, the most obnoxious part of Restaurant Wars remains the part where Padma has to spell her last name for the hostess. “Yes, reservation for Lakshmi? L-A-K…”
Right, I’m sure the 8-foot tall supermodel whose cleavage you can see from space needs an introduction. Oh right, I wondered why you were surrounded by all those cameras.
Thicc Kev was the Captain of Team Country Captain, which unfortunately slammed into an iceberg. Kevin took the noble way out and went down with the ship, if we were to believe Kevin.
20th Century Fox
Tom asked Kevin straight out if anyone should go home besides him. At which point Kevin launched into a speech worthy of the Oscar sequence from Wayne’s World.
“The monologue inside my head was my grandmother saying ‘you give them everything you can and then you give them more because that’s what you’re supposed to do with your guests,’” said Kevin. “To be very candid with you, I was raised to stand in front of your mistakes and own them for what they are. Frankly, I couldn’t live with myself if I tried to throw anybody under the bus to save myself.”
Damn, dog, nice speech. Did you just create your own personal lost cause myth? That’s some good martyring. Kevin’s about to receive 72 virgin daiquiris in Top Chef heaven for that sacrifice (is that enough borderline offensive analogies or should I try to squeeze in a Nazi one somehow?).
Might as well toot your own noble horn though, because after a season looking like a three or four seed almost the entire time, Kevin went home for something that ultimately did seem like his fault. The challenge seemed to turn on:
1. Kevin’s centerpiece “country captain” dish not tasting as good as it did the first time (possibly due to not being able to find the same curry powder). High expectations are a bitch. I suppose we could blame him for not making his own curry spice blend, but that seems cruel.
2. Bry Guy Voltaggio’s shrimp over grits dish eating more like an entree than a side. It was supposed to be shrimp gravy, but if you give Bry Voltage that kind of latitude, of course he’s going to cook up some $100 seafood dish fit for a sultan.
3. Karen’s weak-ass mushrooms — possibly due to her having to run ragged as the FOH manager with not enough time to prep servers.
4. Not enough banana in the banana pudding. You fools! I need more banana!
5. Grandmotherly decor and a tacky-ass menu that looked “very 80s Miami Vice,” according to the judges. I know this is a cooking competition but it’s all for naught if you can’t choose a font.
Which is to say, Kevin probably could’ve easily blamed Karen on the way out (weak dish, weak FOH management) and he might’ve gotten away with it. Was his only crime not micromanaging enough? Instead, he graciously took the blame and instantly got his honorable head lopped off like Ned Stark. C’mon, man, this show never rewards moral grandstanding. I’m with the judges on this one. You want to go home? Go home. I don’t want to see big speeches and people cooking the “right” way. Give me chef Draymond Green, throwing elbows and wanging Lebron in the ding dong. If you ain’t cheatin’ you ain’t tryin’, that’s what I say. What are you, here to make friends?
Though in the end, it does seem fitting that the Southerner went home for an overabundance of feeexins.
HBO
For the record, I would eat the hell out of everything Thicc Kev cooked this season.
When the going gets tough the tough get mean, that’s Lee Anne’s motto. Lee Anne has been clawing her way back into contention these past few weeks but seemed to almost snipe her way back to the bottom mid-service this week when she started to Chefzilla out on the temp wait staff for not having their orders organized. Damn, I thought she was about to toss one out of a helicopter as a warning to the others.
Seeing an impending disaster, the C-Monster volunteered to take over expediting duties and Chef Gregory swiftly made the swap, feelings be damned. The outcome and the editors at least would have us believe it was the right decision.
So where does Lee Anne stand now? She probably should’ve gone home four episodes ago, but I have to say: I ate Lee Anne’s food. She didn’t do anything especially fancy, or as impressive as that whole fish, but her salad and upside-down cake were the tastiest parts of the meal. If only Lee Anne can keep her heart rate down, she might keep this runaway truck on the road.
6. (even) Karen Akunowicz
Nicole Weingart/Bravo
AKA: Good Witch. Aka Glenda. Aka Aunt Kitty. Aka Rosie The Triveter
Not exactly a strong showing for the Good Witch this week but maybe that was because of Kevin and all his god damned feeexins. There was a big pileup in the dining room. Maybe Karen should’ve been better about tossing those lollygagging customers out on their asses after their meals were over, who knows. Let this be a lesson to the aspiring restauranteurs out there, the customer is always scum. Treat them like the dogs they are and they will beg you for treaty treats.
5. (+2) Stephanie Cmar
NBC Universal
AKA: C-Monster. Aka Underdog. Aka C-Truffle.
C-Monster has seemed like an also-ran for most of this season and still does, but you have to hand it to her for this episode. She stepped in before Lee Anne could go full Karen and demand to speak to her own manager (the proverbial Karen, not the literal chef named Karen). Steph’s quick thinking may not have saved the team but it certainly helped. She faithfully executed Gregory’s fried plantains and fish patties, but we’re left to wonder: is Stephanie at her best when taking orders?
Another strong showing for Shenanigans this week in another challenge that seemed perfectly suited to his skill set. He skipped through the dining room using his leprechaun magic to convince us that we actually were on “Island Time” and it totally worked. Slow service? Nah, we were just relaxin’!
On the one hand, I can’t believe how far back Shenanigans has climbed after being so close to going home, but on the other, it doesn’t surprise me that someone with ADHD as intense as his thrives in a chaotic environment. Also, his outfit was even more magnificent in person. As my editor Steve wrote when I sent him the pictures, “Has there ever been a person more likely to wear a boater hat? Like you could travel the world hanging out with Harold Hill from Music Man and the gondoliers of Venice, and when they stumbled into this guy they’d all deferentially hand over their boater hats.”
He also may have torpedoed team Country Captain by casually stealing their entire place settings. Things got so heated that Kevin even called Malarkey “chintzy.” Holy shit! Back on mee-maw’s plantation them’s fightin’ words! I couldn’t tell whether this was calculated or if Shenanigans’ just assumed the dish place was laid out under IKEA rules. It looked like he maybe just assumed Kevin’s place setting was a showroom display.
As for the service, do we give Malarkey the credit for the roasted snapper that he theoretically cooked (which was wonderful, incidentally), or credit it to Gregory who probably handled more of the execution while Shenanigans was out glad-handing? Hard to say. But if Shenanigans makes it to the finale it would be the comeback to end all comebacks.
3. (+1) Bryan Voltaggio
Nicole Weingart/Bravo
AKA: Flatbill Dad. Aka Bry Voltage. Aka Kyle Shanahan. Aka Linkin Clark Griswold.Aka Family Bry.
This picture of Family Bry looking terrified kind of says it all. He seemed to smell disaster at every turn — too many dishes, not a focused enough menu, not enough time spent training the front of the house staff. I think he used the word “uneasy” 17 times. Can’t you listen to your dad? Listen to your dad! Bry Guy barely had time to let out a husky dad laugh. Easily my favorite part of the show this season.
Yet for all his Monday Morning Quarterbacking, it was partly his dish, the shrimp over grits, that was responsible for Kevin going home. You fool, that was supposed to be a fixin, not a share plate at the French Laundry! C’mon, Bry, no one likes a showboat. Act like you’ve been there before. That’s like number five on the list of 1o dad commandments, right after “if you haven’t put on a sweater don’t fiddle with the thermostat” and “time to lean, time to clean.”
Was it sabotage? Maybe this whole Linkin Clark Griswold thing act is just a cover.
2. (even) Melissa King
NBC Universal
AKA: Zen Master. Aka Dimples. Aka Shutterstock.
And then there was Melissa, casually cooking all the most well-received components of her team. Does she ever make mistakes? She’s a machine. It doesn’t even matter what team she’s on, she just breezes right through.
Only Gregory could conceive and basically control everyone’s dish without being seen as a micromanager. It’s the same way he can pull off a fringed leather vest, he just has something special. Gregory made all the right moves this episode, pulling strings like a maestro. Brian Malarkey as your first pick!? Are you insane?! And then Gregory made him front of the house manager and looked like a genius. Lee Anne hulking out on the service? Replaced instantly. There is no room for bad vibes on the USS Gregory.
Later when Gregory was talking about the sugar cane man shouting his wares with the smell of smoke in the air and the feel of an ocean breeze in your face I thought I was going to tear up. I’ve never even been to Haiti. Now that’s how you brand story. I can’t decide if I’m happy or sad that no one acknowledged the potential symbolism of the successful-slave-rebellion cuisine defeating the Plantation Cuisine. Chef Eric probably would’ve pointed it out. Restaurant Toussaint Louverture?
It didn’t even matter that, the way I tasted it, one of Gregory’s dishes (the chicken thigh) was the weakest of the service. He had the clearest vision, it was pretty obvious. Gregory isn’t a stone-cold lock but it feels like his competition to lose.
After 17 seasons, Restaurant Wars is still Top Chef‘s signature challenge. This year, after covering the series for years, I had the chance to actually attend it. Okay, so “this year” is a bit of a misnomer, considering it was filmed last October, but that’s TV magic, baby! Finally, I’d gone Hollywood.
I arrived to The Row, a cluster of new restaurants, in Downtown LA, in early afternoon. Being LA in October, it was a hot, sunny day and still felt basically like summer — already I was sweating through my “upscale casual” button-up and knew I’d have to wear my jacket over it to avoid being photographed with giant pit stains. There was a line of people waiting to check-in at a tent, and eventually I was led to a table in a little cafe where I met my tablemates for the day.
Media events like these are always a little awkward because you usually get seated in a group of strangers. To make matters worse, we would be eating family-style, which I have enough trouble with when dining with actual family. Family style is a challenge for us prodigious eaters, who have to weigh the opportunity to sample more food against the constant low-level shame of worrying about eating too much and looking like a rude pig.
“Do you want the last one? Do you? Oh okay then, if no one’s going to I’ll just take it.”
Luckily there was free-flowing alcohol. My group was seated in Kann, which six months later I now understand was Chef Gregory Gourdet’s Haitian food concept. Our first “course” was a signature cocktail — soursop with guava and a rum floater. It basically had two flavors, pure rum and pure guava. That is, the second half tasted like pure guava, but that could’ve been because of all the straight rum at the top. Critique worthy from the judges, maybe, but it was exactly what you want when seated awkwardly amongst strangers — something strong. I was happy.
Our waiter turned out to none other than Shenanigans, aka Chef Brian Malarkey, who I recognized at the time, but not quite the way I would now after having watched him for half a season. My personal experience of Malarkey was… well, mostly exactly what you see on television. He’s one of those people whose personality you can tell is “a lot” from 30 or 40 feet away, whose atoms seem to swirl at a higher speed than everyone around him. He puts your fight-or-flight censors into standby mode.
Malarkey was dressed, as usual, like a flamboyant stretched out leprechaun, in clear round wrist beads, disconcertingly high high-water pants, and a straw boater hat. He makes an almost unnerving amount of contact when he talks — both eye and hand. That being said, he was so cheerful and nice that I couldn’t help but like the guy. He seems like he’d be hard to live with but fun to have a drink with. Which is to say, an ideal party host.
Things were moving slowly, but again, free booze. Eventually, the judges took their seats at a long table a few tables away from ours. Gail was seated next to a handsome man with his shirt unbuttoned dangerously far down his torso. “Must be European,” I thought. A member of the staff set a bowl of pickly, kimchi-type stuff at the table. It was sitting atop a cafeteria-style tray and no one told us what it was or what we should do with it, so we were a little unclear on whether it was a dish or garnish. It was sort of like salsa with no chips. Naturally, we tried it anyway, cautiously. It was very spicy. Sort of like… salsa with no chips. There should be a German word for getting exactly what you expected and thinking “…I don’t know what I expected.”
We found a hair in the kimchi stuff (pickliz, we know now) but we were a few drinks in by that point and didn’t especially care. Eventually, someone else returned to take the tray from underneath the pickliz. Tray rescinded! No tray for you!
After about 45 minutes, the appetizers finally appeared. Fried plantains, twice-cooked pork, salt cod patties (basically like an empanada), and a salad with a habanero dressing and lots of crispy stuff. They say hunger is the ultimate spice, but I think this all would’ve hit just as much even if I hadn’t been 45-minutes-worth-of-drinks-with-strangers hungry. The salad was full of delicious small crispy things and the toughest thing about it was knowing that it probably isn’t socially acceptable to tilt the plate up in the air and pour them down my gullet. Salt cod probably wouldn’t have been my first choice of patty filling, but it worked.
Afterward, Malarkey came over to apologize for the wait, putting a hand on my back and telling us it was because we got stuck behind the judges. But the entrees are coming and anyway, we’re on island time! Again, he talks more loudly and directly and touchily than most of us are probably used to, but it kind of works. He puts you just a little off-guard, forcing you to lower your defenses and chill out.
It was another decently long wait for the entrees, but worth it when they arrived. We got a whole snapper in a broth with veg on top, and a braised chicken thigh, with some rice and a bean sauce. Once again no one really told us how to eat this stuff, but the beans and rice being sides seemed like a safe bet. Chicken thighs are one of my favorite foods in the world while whole fried fish at restaurants — no matter how cool it looks when it comes out — is always dry. This meal flipped the script. I went for seconds on the snapper (is snapper the best fish? discuss). As for the chicken I jotted down “not bad, but honestly, I do better chicken thighs than this.”
Vince Mancini
Seeing the menu I can now surmise that the fish being so good probably had something to do with it being roasted rather than fried (one of the few situations I don’t prefer the fried thing). As for the chicken, the judges on the show loved it. Maybe it was over braised by the time it got to us? Or just overshadowed by the fish? It was fine, just not a showstopper.
We got to the dessert, a pineapple upside-down cake with a fruit salad, ice cream, and caramel sauce on top. Tom will say it “eats a little sweet” on the show, but as I’d always suspected, this is an insane criticism for a dessert. It was perfect. I’m not a really a cake person, but it turns out if you remove all the sickly-sweet frosting and add butter crisp, they’re wonderful. I jotted down “Why aren’t all cakes upside down? New rule: no more right-side-up cakes.”
Vince Mancini
We luxuriated in the meal for a few minutes, by this point pretty chummy all around. I don’t want to wax overly philosophical about food (and booze) but a good meal always seems to have this effect. You were strangers before the food came and you’ll probably be strangers again tomorrow, but for now, in the glow of a full stomach, you’re just like old friends. Remember that snapper? Yeah, that was great.
A small camera crew stopped just after the dessert. They guided us a bit, basically having us recreate the conversation we’d just had about the dessert. Eventually, I’ll make my Bravo debut as the slightly unkempt-looking guy who says “I could eat like five of these.”
Vince Mancini
Are you proud of me now, Papa?
As they shot us discussing our extravagant meal, out of the corner of my eye I noticed the boom guy loudly munching on some Pringles. Quite an image. I can’t imagine having to shoot so many loving close-ups of gourmet food without being able to eat any of it, though I had sort of the same problem as a waiter. At least there I could occasional sneak unfinished food off plates on the way back to the kitchen.
After dessert, the publicist took us behind the scenes where some of the rest of the crew (152 in total, I’m told, presumably good union jobs) were humming about, doing various other things. We got to stroll through the “food porn” room, a giant lightbox for shooting the food closeups.
Vince ManciniVince Mancini
By the time it was all over we’d been there about three hours. Under normal circumstances, I’d say that’s about twice as long as I’d ever want to devote to lunch. But we had good food, good drinks, and a flamboyant whimsical elf man assuring us that we were on “Island Time.” Believe it or not, this actually worked. It really did feel like the kind of chilled out long lunch you’d have on a tropical vacation — somewhere you just sit and listen to the waves crash, not worried about your sightseeing schedule.
Aside from the valuable experience seeing the show I’d been covering for years from close up, I came away impressed. The food was great, almost without exception, the concept communicated clearly and casually, and the experience was relaxed and enjoyable. Overall it was a restaurant I’d almost certainly come back to (assuming it wasn’t hot and trendy and there wasn’t a huge wait — my personal opinion is that no one should wait more than an hour or so for anything). Even without eating anything from or seeing the other restaurant, I would’ve bet my whole paycheck that Kann had won Restaurant Wars.
Did I gain any special insight? Other than that the food was mostly about as good as it looked, not really. I’ve seen how the reality show sausage is made thanks to past jobs and internships (that I probably signed an NDA for) and I’ve been a video editor, so I know the kind of manipulation that’s possible. Nothing here struck me as especially manipulated.
And maybe that’s why Top Chef has lasted 17 seasons. Food content is about as evergreen as it gets and the producers seem to play it pretty straight (I stopped watching Kitchen Nightmares as soon as I realized the “resolution” always took exactly five minutes after the final commercial break). If there’s no room for spontaneity, that’s when a show is truly dead, reality, cooking, or otherwise.
All in all, it was a pleasant dining experience six months ago. Enjoyable but nothing to hold onto, other than a brush with mid-level television fame. Thinking back on it from my desk six weeks into quarantine, it’s much more precious. A small slice of the kind of life I desperately hope we can get back to.
The NFL made significant news again on Thursday, May 7 with the release of the full schedule for the 2020 season. In some respects, the grand reveal is merely procedural, especially with pre-existing knowledge of which teams will face off over the course of the campaign. Still, it is a day that many NFL fans circle for planning purposes and, in addition to travel plans and, this year, other considerations with the world around us, it is also useful to spotlight the face-offs that will be broadcast in national television windows in primetime.
The first scheduled game of the 2020 season is a rematch of the AFC Playoffs, with Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs kicking off the campaign at home with a match-up against Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans. From there, there is a typical Sunday night matchup and, to cap Week 1, ESPN will be airing their now-traditional Monday night doubleheader.
When the holidays arrive, the NFL is scheduled to dominate the sports world with a trio of games on Thanksgiving. In addition, the league schedule a very intriguing match-up on a Friday, with the Vikings and Saints set to square off on Christmas Day and, potentially, going head-to-head with the NBA. At the end of the campaign, Week 17 once again has no scheduled games in primetime, simply to avoid the funny business that could occur as teams jockey for playoff positioning.
For more details, the full schedule is here.
Week 1
Thursday, Sept. 10 – Texans at Chiefs – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Sunday, Sept. 13 – Cowboys at Rams – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 14 – Steelers at Giants – 7:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Monday, Sept. 14 – Titans at Broncos – 10:10 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 2
Thursday, Sept. 17 – Bengals at Browns – 8:20 pm ET (NFL Network)
Sunday, Sept. 20 – Patriots at Seahawks – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 21 – Saints at Raiders – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 3
Thursday, Sept. 24 – Dolphins at Jaguars – 8:20 pm ET (NFL Network)
Sunday, Sept. 27 – Packers at Saints – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 28 – Chiefs at Ravens – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 4
Thursday, Oct. 1 – Broncos at Jets – 8:20 pm ET (NFL Network)
Sunday, Oct. 4 – Eagles at 49ers – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 5 – Falcons at Packers – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 5
Thursday, Oct. 8 – Buccaneers at Bears – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Oct. 11 – Vikings at Seahawks – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 12 – Chargers at Saints – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 6
Thursday, Oct. 15 – Chiefs at Bills – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Oct. 18 – Rams at 49ers – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 19 – Cardinals at Cowboys – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 7
Thursday, Oct. 22 – Giants at Eagles – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Oct. 25 – Buccaneers at Raiders – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 26 – Bears at Rams – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 8
Thursday, Oct. 29 – Falcons at Panthers – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Nov. 1 – Cowboys at Eagles – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 2 – Buccaneers at Giants – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 9
Thursday, Nov. 5 – Packers at 49ers – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Nov. 8 – Saints at Buccaneers – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 9 – Patriots at Jets – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 10
Thursday, Nov. 12 – Colts at Titans – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Nov. 15 – Ravens at Patriots – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 16 – Vikings at Bears – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 11
Thursday, Nov. 19 – Cardinals at Seahawks – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Nov. 22 – Chiefs at Raiders – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 23 – Rams at Buccaneers – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 12
Thursday, Nov. 26 – Texans at Lions – 12:30 pm ET (CBS)
Thursday, Nov. 26 – Redskins at Cowboys – 4:30 pm ET (FOX)
Thursday, Nov. 26 – Ravens at Steelers – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Sunday, Nov. 29 – Bears at Packers – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 30 – Seahawks at Eagles – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 13
Thursday, Dec. 3 – Cowboys at Ravens – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Dec. 6 – Broncos at Chiefs – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Dec. 7 – Bills at 49ers – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 14
Thursday, Dec. 10 – Patriots at Rams – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Dec. 13 – Steelers at Bills – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Dec. 14 – Ravens at Browns – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 15
Thursday, Dec. 17 – Chargers at Raiders – 8:20 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Dec. 20 – 49ers at Cowboys – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Dec. 21 – Steelers at Bengals – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
Week 16
Friday, Dec. 25 – Vikings at Saints – 4:30 pm ET (FOX, NFL Network, Prime Video)
Sunday, Dec. 27 – Titans at Packers – 8:20 pm ET (NBC)
Monday, Dec. 28 – Bills at Patriots – 8:15 pm ET (ESPN)
The NFL schedule for the 2020 season was released in full on Thursday night, with the obvious and very large caveat that all of this is subject to change pending how things are going with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, the hope is that these games are all played on time, even if that means without fans or other precautions in place, and for the folks in the desert, it’s never too early to post some lines. At the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, lines have been posted for all games in Week 1, starting with the Thursday night playoff rematch between the Texans and Chiefs, with KC as a heavy favorite at home — and the highest point total of the week. Thursday, Sept. 10
Houston at Kansas City (-10.5, 56.5)
Sunday, Sept. 13
Miami at New England (-6.5, 44)
Cleveland at Baltimore (-8.5, 49)
NY Jets at Buffalo (-5.5, 40.5)
Las Vegas at Carolina (PK, 46.5)
Seattle (-1, 49) at Atlanta
Philadelphia (-6, 45.5) at Washington
Chicago at Detroit (-1.5, 44.5)
Indianapolis (-8.5, 47) at Jacksonville
Green Bay at Minnesota (-3.5, 47)
LA Chargers (-3.5, 46) at Cincinnati
Arizona at San Francisco (-4, 45)
Tampa Bay at New Orleans (-4, 49.5)
Dallas (-3, 50) at LA Rams
Monday, Sept. 14
Pittsburgh (-3.5, 48.5) at NY Giants
Tennessee at Denver (-3, 42)
There aren’t a ton of surprises on the board. The lowest total is 40.5 in Jets-Bills, which is to be expected given that’s two good defenses against two not so good offenses. It seems the folks in Vegas are taking a bit more of a wait and see approach with the Browns this year after Cleveland fell flat to expectations in 2019, as they are 8.5-point road dogs against the AFC’s top regular season team a year ago in the Ravens. The only home dogs are the Falcons, Jaguars, Bengals, Rams, and Giants, none of which are shocking — although, even with Ben Roethlisberger back, it’s a bit surprising to see the Steelers laying more than a field goal on the road.
The biggest surprise might be the nightcap on Monday, where the Broncos are three-point home favorites against the Titans, as it seems the folks in Vegas are buying in on Drew Lock in Denver — and/or not buying in on a repeat to the end of last year from Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and the Titans. The biggest matchup of the week in terms of interest nationally is, surprisingly, not in primetime, but Drew Brees and Tom Brady’s first meeting as divisional foes will be in Week 1 in New Orleans, where the Saints are 4-point favorites.
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