ESPN will televise the unveiling of the NFL schedule next month (yes, ESPN actually paid the NFL for the rights to the announcement), but Peter King of SI.com reports today that the two opening-weekend NBC prime time games will be the New Orleans Saints vs. the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, Sept. 6 and the New York Giants vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 9.The Thursday opener usually goes to the defending champions, so it's no surprise that the Colts are hosting. It is a bit of a surprise that the Saints are the opponent, though. Because the Saints are an NFC team, that's a game that would usually go to Fox, and Fox can't be happy that one of its two opportunities to show Peyton Manning has just been given to NBC.
Cowboys-Giants is a good rivalry between two teams coming off playoff seasons, but it's not a huge game in terms of the 2007 expectations for either team. It is, however, a sign of just how marketable the NFL thinks the Manning family is: Although the NFL can't give us another Manning vs. Manning opener, it is giving us both Manning brothers in prime time to start the season.
UPDATE: NFL.com says other opening-weekend games include Bears at Chargers, Ravens at Bengals and Cardinals at 49ers. Thanksgiving games will be Packers at Lions, Jets at Cowboys and Colts at Falcons.
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Is the game at New Orleans or Indianapolis? If it's at New Orleans it would've been a CBS game.
Uh, the defending champions host the opening game, so it's in Indianapolis.
I'm bummed, I was hoping for New England at Indianapolis seeing that the Pats play in Indy this year. This would have made for a great opener.
i think the Cowboys are a bigger draw than Eli Manning. their games were consistently among the top rated games of '06.
That opener has "shootout" written all over it. You'd have to favour the Colts (Indy's advantages at QB and WR (and home field) are more important than the Saints' at RB), but not by as much as you'd expect those teams to hang 60 points on the scoreboard. Should be fun...only, like, five months and a week or so away...
Colts versus anybody but the Saints on opening night. Saints vs. Colts would be better suited around Halloween or early November since the game would be around the mid season instead of opening night. Hopefully the Saints will limit Rod Carew I mean Peyton to one touchdown pass instead of six the last time Colts vs. Saints played in New Orleans a few years ago.
I Hope The Giants man handle the Cowgirls sunday nite.