The NFL announced the nationally televised NFL openers on Monday afternoon, and it is packed with good matchups.
The
NFL will continue opening the season with the Super Bowl champs, as Miami visits Pittsburgh Sept. 7 at 8:30 ET on NBC. This
has some interesting storylines featuring Jerome Bettis' broadcasting debut, the Steelers launch their season as Super Bowl
champs, and the Dolphins look to dive into the playoffs.
The second matchup is a big one. Being dubbed the Manning
Bowl and Manning vs. Manning, the NY Giants will play host to the Indy Colts. Eli hopes to beat his brother and end the comparisons
and Peyton hopes to avoid all the hype. At least that's what he told Colts.com anyway. The game will be held in NBC's new
Primetime slot, 8:30 ET on Sunday, Sept. 10. So here is your early Viewers Guide To Week 1.
Now we are getting
to the normal Sunday openers. All of the following are regionally unless otherwise noted.
The league is going to start the race for the NFC South championship early this year, with Carolina hosting Mike Vick
and Atlanta. The key storyline here: How far along is Michael Vick's development? 1:00pmET
If you dont feel like tuning into the onesided rushing parade, there is some smashmouth football as Tampa Bay hosts Baltimore.
You got your top 5 defenses, you got your power runners, and those cool cannons in the Buc's stadium. This is not for the
big offensive numbers as it seems to be a classic battle of defense. 1:00pmET
In Gillett Stadium in Foxboro, the Pats will open up their season against cupcake Buffalo. If all goes as planned, Tom
Brady will tear their defense to shreads and Corey Dillon will emerge as his old self. If it doesnt go as planned a miracle
still might not keep a W out of the Pats will column. 1:00pmET
The Bengals will finally open as AFC North Defending Champs. They will do that at Kansas City where they meet Larry Johnson.
If they can limit Johnson and Palmer is healthy this should be a fair match to watch. If you like burns and poor DB play this
might be the game for you. 1:00pmET
Denver goes out on the road to St.Louis. I know you're thinking why watch? But there is a reason. The Rams return to
playoff caliber as soon as Marc Bulger is their starting QB and they could knock off Denver in a classic underdog fight. 1:00pmET
Now here is a great matchup for those who like to watch the up-and-coming teams in the NFL. New Orleans will head to
Cleaveland to battle it out in a match of vastly improved teams. The key here is seeing if Cleaveland's D can keep up with
Reggie Bush and the Saints high octane offense. 1:00pmET
When the N.Y. Jets travel to Tennessee their may be no reason to watch if you arent a fan of either club. Vince Young
will more than likely not start, LenDale White is going to be buried in the depth chart and the Jets biggest playmaker is
an aging runningback. 1:00pmET
Philly at Houston is an intriguing matchup. Mario Williams vs. Donovan McNabb. Reggie Brown vs. Dunta Robinson. Andre
Johnson vs. Lito Sheppard. Eagles D-Line vs. David Carr. All these matchups should be exciting to watch and it makes it even
better that the Texans have a shot to win this one. 1:00pmET
Seattle at Detroit. I wouldnt watch this game if I was a Lion fan. The Seahawks have made vast improvments even with
the loss of Steve Hutchenson. The Lions only improved a bit at QB and thats not saying much. If you like blowouts this is
your game. 1:00pmET
Chicago at Green Bay looks to be a puzzling match. It features a team (Green Bay) that has alot of questions. Some
of them are on the defensive side of the ball at which many playmakers were added (Abdul Hodge, A.J. Hawk, Charles Woodson.)
and they need to come through for this team. Some questions are on the offense where some playmakers need to
show up. If neither of this happens tune in to watch Chi-Town crush the Packers in this age old rivalry. 4:15pmET
