2015 NFL schedule release: Game you're most excited to watch?

The NFL released the entire schedule for the 2015 season on Tuesday night, and there's certainly plenty to be excited about: from the Kickoff Game to the Thanksgiving triple-header to a loaded prime-time slate.

Oh, and did we mention the revenge games?

Yes, your football calendar is set. Now it's time to mark the most highly anticipated date. Which game are you looking forward to the most?

The showdown I can't wait to see (hopefully in person) is the Week 2 NFC Championship Game rematch between the Seahawks and Packers on Sunday Night Football -- with this installment being played at Lambeau Field.

I've witnessed these two teams locking horns three times in Seattle since 2012, beginning with the Fail Mary game that led to my becoming a meme ( you can Google it), and I've watched the Packers walk away crestfallen on each occasion. Last January, with Aaron Rodgers hobbled by a painful calf injury, I was blown away by the Packers' collective excellence, execution and resolve during the game's first 55 minutes. Then, while standing on the Green Bay sideline, I had an up-close-and-personal view of an epic implosion, as Mike McCarthy's team melted down and squandered a Super Bowl trip. I live with a pair of Packers fans (my sons), so I know how desperate they are to wash away the stain of Brandon Bostick's unconscionable onside-kick misplay, Morgan Burnett's "No Mas" interception-return slide, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix's cement-footed two-point-conversion stare and the rest of the debacle, if only for one night.

I have a feeling these two teams will meet again in the 2015 postseason, so this contest might have a lot to do with determining where THAT rematch is played. Typically, I'd automatically say Patriots at Broncos (Week 12), because there is no way to know how many more Brady-Manning clashes we'll get and I'm convinced that we still don't appreciate them enough. But instead, I'll pick Packers at Broncos a few weeks earlier (Week 8).

It's no accident that game is scheduled for that Sunday night -- it will probably go up against Game 5 of the World Series. And it should be an epic, with arguably the best quarterback in the game today (in the middle of his prime) facing one of the greatest of all time (as he nears the end). Oh, and here's a random note: Peyton Manning could be on pace to break Brett Favre's all-time passing-yardage record in that game. A nice bit of symmetry there.

Perhaps most critically, this game will give each team a good barometer for how it will match up against the other conference's elite as the focus on the playoffs starts to build. There are many games on the 2015 schedule to be pumped about. In fact, I just put together a list of 15 that I really like for NFL.com, as well as a prime-time primer. If Le'Veon Bell didn't have that suspension looming, the NFL Kickoff Game would be a prime candidate. And I always enjoy the division game on Thanksgiving night, although it's difficult to get too giddy over the Bears this season.

To me, Patriots at Cowboys is the best matchup on the 2015 sked. These two clubs rarely meet (once every four years), feature an outstanding quarterback matchup of contrasting styles and are the two most hated organizations in the league (for whatever reason). Man, I can't wait for the Bears-Packers bout on Thanksgiving night! A traditional rivalry, a packed house at Lambeau Field and the Packers reportedly retiring Brett Favre's jersey. That's going to be fantastic.

But wait! There's more ...

Aaron Rodgers is going to be so sick of the Favre hoopla that he's going to shred the 
Bears' D for 500 yards and five touchdowns. Gonna have to fend off the food coma until after this one! 

This is a really hard question to answer, I'll tell you that. As appealing as Dallas-Philadelphia is, I have to go with the Seattle-Green Bay rematch in Week 2. Last season's NFC title contest is probably one of the best games I've ever watched, especially with regard to all of the little things that wound up impacting the final outcome. And I'm sure the Packers have been looking forward to this one since the moment they lost out on a trip to Super Bowl XLIX. People will tell you, We only play one game at a time, but that's a bunch of baloney.

Lambeau Field can be a tough place to play, and Aaron Rodgers should be fully healthy this time. It's still early, of course, but I like the Packers to get some revenge at home. New England at Denver. There are a number of great storylines accompanying this game. Is this the last meeting between the two Hall of Fame QBs? How will Gary Kubiak cater his offense to Peyton Manning's strengths? How will Manning adapt to Kubiak's offense? (Denver has a lot of offensive firepower, so these two men should figure it out.) Wade Phillips will bring a new defensive approach to the Broncos' defense. Phillips had trouble stopping New England when he was in Houston -- will it be any different in Denver? And how will New England's overhauled secondary be playing by that point in the season?

Finally, as reigning Super Bowl champ, New England is obviously the team to beat in the AFC. The Broncos thought they were going back to the Super Bowl, but they had a very disappointing end to last season. Consequently, John Elway brought in a new coaching staff. This is the team Elway and Co. made those changes to beat. Can they do it? Andrew Luck and Cam Newton are my two favorite quarterbacks to watch. They finally play against each other in Week 8 -- on Monday Night Football, no less -- five years after finishing first (Newton) and second (Luck) in the Heisman Trophy voting.

We have rarely seen NFL quarterbacks with the size, arm strength and running ability of these two. It's as if Randall Cunningham was drafted No. 1 overall, and then a better version of him went No. 1 overall the next season. Luck is ahead of Newton in his NFL progress overall, but it would not surprise me if Newton takes a big step in his fifth season. We might only get this matchup every four years, so it's one to savor.