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2008 NFL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

The NFL announced today its 17-week, 256-game regular-season schedule for 2008, which kicks off on Thursday night, September 4 and concludes on Sunday, December 28.

The season begins with the NFL’s annual Thursday primetime kickoff game. This year the opener on September 4 on NBC (7:00 PM ET) features the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants at home against the NFC East Division-rival Washington Redskins.

In a format introduced in 2004, the Super Bowl champion hosts the NFL Thursday night season kickoff. Super Bowl XLIII will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, followed by the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8.

Two of the highlights in a season sure to have many will come in late October and early December when the NFL continues its international series of regular-season games. On October 26 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, the New Orleans Saints will host the San Diego Chargers. Last October 28, the eventual Super Bowl-champion Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins 13-10 at a sold-out Wembley (81,176) in the NFL’s first regular-season game overseas. Then on December 7, the NFL will venture north to Canada for the first time in the regular season when the Buffalo Bills host the Dolphins in Toronto at the Rogers Centre.

The 2008 NFL Kickoff Weekend schedule:

NFL KICKOFF 2008 WEEKEND

Thursday, September 4
LOCAL EASTERN

Washington Redskins at New York Giants
7:00 PM ET
7:00PM


Sunday, September 7


Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons
1:00 PM ET
1:00 PM

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
1:00 PM ET
1:00 PM

Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills
1:00 PM ET
1:00 PM

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
1:00 PM ET
1:00 PM

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots
1:00 PM ET
1:00 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
12:00 PM CT
1:00 PM

St. Louis Rams at Philadelphia Eagles
1:00 PM ET
1:00 PM

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers
1:00 PM ET
1:00 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
12:00 PM CT
1:00 PM

Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns
4:15 PM ET
4:15 PM

Carolina Panthers at San Diego Chargers
1:15 PM PT
4:15 PM

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers
1:15 PM PT
4:15 PM

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts
8:15 PM ET
8:15 PM



Monday, September 8

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
6:00 PM CT
7:00 PM

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
7:15 PM PT
10:15 PM


NBC will carry two primetime games on Kickoff Weekend (Thursday and Sunday nights) for a season total of 17 primetime games (the opening Thursday night kickoff and 16 Sunday Night Football games). The Sunday night Kickoff Weekend game will feature a rematch of Super Bowl XLI when the Chicago Bears visit the Indianapolis Colts in the first regular-season game at new Lucas Oil Stadium.

ESPN will begin its Monday Night Football schedule with a division doubleheader on Kickoff Weekend – the NFC North Minnesota Vikings at the Green Bay Packers (7:00 PM ET) and the AFC West Denver Broncos at the Oakland Raiders (10:15 PM ET). Then ESPN will televise one Monday night game for the next 15 weeks. There will continue to be no Monday night game on the final regular-season weekend (Week 17), enhancing the ability to schedule the opening weekend of the NFL playoffs.

NFL Network will kick off an eight-game schedule on November 6 when the Cleveland Browns host the Broncos. The network will televise seven games on Thursday and one on Saturday -- all at 8:15 PM ET. The schedule features teams that combined for six playoff berths and five division titles in 2007.

The season again will utilize “flexible scheduling” in Weeks 11-17.

In Weeks 11-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game will be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights.

A flexible scheduling move will be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the change will be announced no later than six days before the game. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot to conclude the season.

Flexible scheduling will ensure quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and give “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime.

Thanksgiving Day will feature an NFL tripleheader.

The early Thanksgiving Day game will send the Tennessee Titans to the Detroit Lions on CBS at 12:30 PM ET. The afternoon game will be the Seattle Seahawks at the Dallas Cowboys on FOX at 4:15 PM ET. That night at 8:15 PM ET, NFL Network will carry the Arizona Cardinals at the Philadelphia Eagles, the first Thanksgiving game in Philadelphia since 1940.

The regular season will conclude in Week 17 on December 28, the 50th anniversary of the famed Colts-Giants sudden-death NFL title game.

With the NFL’s 32 teams each playing 16 games over 17 weeks, byes are scheduled for Weeks 4 through 10.

The 2008 playoffs will include four division winners and two wild cards from each conference. The playoffs begin with Wild Card Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, January 3-4. The two division winners with the best records in each conference will earn first-round byes.

Wild Card Weekend winners join the top four AFC and NFC division champions in the Divisional Playoffs on Saturday and Sunday, January 10-11. The AFC and NFC Championship Games will be played on Sunday, January 18. The winners meet two weeks later on Sunday, February 1 in Tampa, Florida in Super Bowl XLIII. The postseason concludes with the AFC All-Stars vs. the NFC All-Stars in the Pro Bowl on Sunday, February 8 in Honolulu, Hawaii.



CBS will present the AFC, the AFC playoffs, and the AFC Championship Game. FOX will carry NFC games, the NFC playoffs and the NFC Championship Game. The 64 AFC-NFC interconference games (excluding primetime) are carried by CBS when the AFC team is the visitor and by FOX when the NFC team is on the road. All postseason games are televised nationally.


In addition to its Sunday night package, NBC will televise a Wild Card playoff doubleheader on Saturday, January 3, Super Bowl XLIII and the Pro Bowl.


By NFL policy, ESPN and NFL Network games also will be carried on free, over-the-air television in the city of the visiting team and in the city where the game is played if it is sold out 72 hours in advance of kickoff.


The NFL is the only sports league that carries all regular-season and postseason games on free, over-the-air television.

Westwood One Radio will broadcast all NFL primetime games, the three Thanksgiving Day games and the entire NFL playoffs.