The NFL season will kick off with a rematch of one of the most famous games in NFL history.
As part of Wednesday's NFL schedule release, we learned that the Green Bay Packers will open the season in Seattle to face the Seahawks. The Sept. 4 game will be the first trip for Aaron Rodgers and company to the great Northwest since the "Fail Mary" play helped define the 2012 season.
It's a delicious way to start the season. The NFL schedule makers had a lot of great options from which to choose. They could have sent the Denver Broncos or San Francisco 49ers to Seattle, but we love the choice of Green Bay. It matches the league's best player (sorry, Peyton Manning) against the best defense we've seen in years. Plus, we'll get the Niners and Seahawks facing off in another high-profile matchup later in the season on Thanksgiving night.
In previous years, the NFL sometimes didn't choose the best possible matchups for the opener, perhaps theorizing that everyone is watching that game anyhow. We love the fact that they are swinging for the fences now.
The rest of the Week 1 primetime schedule includes Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts heading to Denver for the first Sunday night game. It's an early test of AFC supremacy and a chance for the Broncos to show they've put the Super Bowl loss behind them.
"Monday Night Football" kicks off with a doubleheader: The Detroit Lions host the New York Giants before the San Diego Chargers head to Arizona to face the Cardinals.
Now we only have four months and change to over-analyze all the matchups.
The "Around The League Podcast" NFL Schedule Extravaganza will change the way you look at everything.