Opening Weekend

[poptart]

Kickoff Weekend primetime schedule includes Monday doubleheader

National Football League

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the 2008 Kickoff Weekend national primetime television schedule on Monday.


For the fifth consecutive season, the defending Super Bowl champion will open the season by hosting the NFL Thursday night season kickoff. The 2008 regular season officially opens on Thursday, Sept. 4 when the New York Giants host the Washington Redskins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.

The kickoff will be 90 minutes earlier than the start time of the traditional season opener due to the Republican National Convention.

The Week 1 Sunday night primetime contest will feature a rematch of of Super Bowl XLI, with the Chicago Bears at the Indianapolis Colts at 8:15 p.m. ET. It will mark the Colts' first game in their new home, Lucas Oil Stadium.

The first Monday night of the 2008 season will feature a doubleheader for the third consecutive season. In two matchups of division rivals on Sept. 8, the Green Bay Packers will host the Minnesota Vikings at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Denver Broncos at the Oakland Raiders at 10:15 p.m. ET. Both games will be televised on ESPN.

The announcement of these national primetime TV games was made by Goodell at the NFL Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida.




Dungver last opened a season in Oakland in 1967, when the Raiders bitchslapped them 51-zip enroute to a 13-1 season.

War history repeating itself.

[Shoalzie]

I'm stunned the Packers are on MNF in Week 1 post-Favre...

[RevLimiter]

I'm stunned the Packers are on MNF in Week 1 post-Favre...

I'm even more stunned that they have a 4-12 Raydah debacle vs. a 7-9 underacheiving Mule squad as a viable MNF matchup. :doh:

[poptart]

The Raider are an intriquing team, Paul.
At least until they are about 1-6 and looking to 2009.

errrr ....

Seriously, JaMarcus might be fun to watch.
Little vertical-ball to Javon Walker.
Toss in ... DMac ... maybe, ESPN hopes.
Toss in a stellar corner duo of Hall and Aso.
Toss in some infield dirt.

Might be fun times.

[BSmack]

I'm stunned the Packers are on MNF in Week 1 post-Favre...

I'm even more stunned that they have a 4-12 Raydah debacle vs. a 7-9 underacheiving Mule squad as a viable MNF matchup. :doh:

They wanted a west coast home team for the back end of the doubleheader. There's not exactly a plethora of quality teams out west. So an old school AFL rivalry isn't a bad way to go.

[Goober McTuber]

I'm stunned the Packers are on MNF in Week 1 post-Favre...

Last I heard, Favre still hasn’t filed his retirement papers with the league office.

[RumpleForeskin]

I agree with the Thursday night opener featuring the Champs. I don't like the NFC East bias part of it, but the Giants are the champs.

The Sunday night game woul've seemed more fitting if it were Pats vs. ______, but I supoose Indy's new digs is kind of a good curtain call on opening weekend of the primetime slot. No harm there.

The Packers/Vikings matchup is what perplexes me somewhat. Call my opinion on this a little skewed, but the AFC south was the most competitive division last year, so maybe, just maybe it would have been a good idea for the NFL to recognize that and have indy open their new digs against a division foe, OR if that wasn't going to work, then at least have J-Ville v Tennessee matchup on the opener of the Monday night double-header.

A Favre-less Packers teams against a mediocre Vikings squad who has a great running back. Memo to the NFL, never make a decision about one player. Always make it about the teams.

Oh yeah, I can dig the Oakland/Denver matchup. Very Nice.

[RevLimiter]

a mediocre Vikings squad who has a great running back.

If the Vikes had ANYBODY that could play the QB position worth a shit they would be a VERY good team IMO.