NEW YORK - The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, marquee teams, storied rivalries and the NFL’s most dynamic players highlight the “NBC Sunday Night Football” schedule as the league today announced its 2008 slate of games. NBC will open the season on Thursday, Sept. 4 with the Giants hosting their NFC East rival the Washington Redskins and end the season on Feb. 1 with Super Bowl XLIII from Tampa Bay, the network’s first since 1998. Highlights of NBC’s schedule:

• Fourteen of NBC’s 16 scheduled games involve at least one playoff team from last season; 11 of 16 include two playoff teams; four of the 16 games are playoff rematches from last season. Three appearances from the Super Bowl champion Giants (Redskins, Eagles, Cowboys).
• A rematch of last year’s highest rated NFL regular season game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, which earned a 20.1. The Colts will also meet the Bears and Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
• Three appearances from the Super Bowl champion Giants (Redskins, Eagles, Cowboys).
• Six games involving the Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli, winners and MVPs of the last two Super Bowls. Eli and the Giants will open NBC’s schedule on Thursday, Sept. 4, while Peyton and the Colts will play in the first Sunday Night Football contest on Sept. 7.
• Three appearances by the Patriots including a rematch against LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers, the team they eliminated the last two years in the playoffs. They also will play the Colts and Seahawks.
• Three games involving the Cowboys all against conference rivals (Packers, Redskins, Giants).
• A meeting between two of the NFL’s most historic franchises as the Cowboys visit the Green Bay Packers and Lambeau Field.
• Four matchups among bitter NFC East rivals (Redskins-Giants; Giants-Eagles; Giants-Cowboys; Cowboys-Redskins).
• A rematch of last year’s memorable playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
• The first “NBC Sunday Night Football” visit to Cleveland as the Browns host their archrival the Steelers.

"Looking at this schedule and all of the great stories that will unfold, I can't wait for the start of the season, and to build on the success of the last two years," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. “In the first two seasons of 'NBC Sunday Night Football,' we created a new destination to reach viewers and changed what was 36 years of traditional viewing habits on Sunday and Monday nights. The NFL remains one of the most valuable properties in all of television. "

As evidence of the continuing shift in consumer behavior, last season “Sunday Night Football won 11 Sunday nights, up from nine in 2006. In just two years, there is now a five million viewer difference, 43 percent, between Sunday and Monday nights. Sunday Night Football was the No. 5 rated primetime show last year.

NBC’s 2008 NFL schedule, with a complete breakdown of the matchups from NBC’s John Madden and Cris Collinsworth:

(“NBC Sunday Night Football” kickoff, 8:15 p.m. ET preceded by “Football Night in America,” 7 p.m. ET)

Thursday, Sept. 4 – Washington Redskins at New York Giants*

Sunday, Sept. 7 – Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts

Sunday, Sept. 14 – Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

Sunday, Sept. 21 – Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers

Sunday, Sept. 28 – Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears

Sunday, Oct. 5 – Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Sunday, Oct. 12 – New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers

Sunday, Oct. 19 – Seattle Seahawks at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sunday, Oct. 26 – No game scheduled due to World Series Game 4 (FNIA airs 7-8 p.m.)

Sunday, Nov. 2 – New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts

Sunday, Nov. 9 – New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday, Nov. 16 – Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (Flex Week, Teams Subject to Change)

Sunday, Nov. 23 – Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers (Flex Week, Teams Subject to Change)

Sunday, Nov. 30 – Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (Flex Week, Teams Subject to Change)

Sunday, Dec. 7 – New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks (Flex Week, Teams Subject to Change)

Sunday, Dec. 14 – New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (Flex Week, Teams Subject to Change)

Sunday, Dec. 21 – San Diego at Tampa Bay (Flex Week, Teams Subject to Change)

Sunday, Dec. 28 – (Flex Week, Teams TBA)

*7 p.m. ET start due to Republican National Convention

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