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Continuing with a tradition that dates all the way back to 2004, the defending Super Bowl champions will host the Thursday night regular-season opener. For the first time, however, the champs will play a division rival.
According to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, the Redskins will visit the New York Giants to start the season.
The game typically begins at 8:30 p.m. EDT, but likely will be moved to 7:00 p.m. EDT to avoid a conflict with the final night of the Republican National Convention, which will feature the formal nomination acceptance speech from Senator John McCain.
It’s the second time that the ‘Skins and the Giants will be involved in the Thursday night opener. New York hosted the first such game in 2002, against the 49ers. The next year, the Redskins played the Jets.
Beginning in 2004, the Super Bowl champs got the home game to start the season. That year the Colts visited the Pats. The next season, the Raiders traveled to New England. In 2006, the Steelers hosted the Dolphins. Last year, the Saints visited Indianapolis.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Notice how they picked the Washington Redskins before the Republican National Convention??
Though the Redskins are an easier opponent for the Giants than the more exciting match-ups, like the Cowboys, Eagles, Seahawks, or Ravens, and the league would certainly like to see the Giants win their first one. But a Washington win before McCain would give him the perfect “in” to his speech.
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March 26th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Because of ongoing construction of the Xanadu project and the new Jets/Giants stadium at the Meadowlands a significant amount of parking for Giants games is offsite parking leased from area businesses who only use their parking lots during regular business hours. As a result the Giants supposedly asked the league to not schedule any home Monday Night Football games until the new stadium opens in 2010. A Thursday night game with a 7 PM kickoff figures to be a parking nightmare as these offsite lots will still be in use by employees when Giants fans are arriving.
The 7 PM kickoff also sucks for people on the west coast where the kickoff will be at 4 PM. Are we expected to take the afternoon off work?
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March 26th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
can’t wait for this one…
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March 26th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Why start with the Redskins? The first game of the season is supposed to be one that everyone looks forward to, but this will be a snoozer!
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March 26th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Good, one less Redskin and Giants game to watch during the regular season. Seriously, I can’t stand watching these two teams in their ‘tard fights. They’re so boring.
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March 26th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Redskins? Yuck…guess I’ll wait until Sunday to turn on the NFL.
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March 26th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I will still go to bed after the game…Being lost in the NFL Network beats politics any day. Whoever wins will continue f***ing up this country.
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March 26th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
I love when the Schedule comes out. It gets me fired up for the new season. Please give the Bills a home MNF game. April 3 is the big day.And Hey Mike how about another mock draft. Just quiet your job and do this full time. Just do it.
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March 26th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Well, I am gonna buy some extra popcorn for that opening game.
I love them Thursday night NFL games to kick off the mayhem of NFL FOOTBALL.
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March 27th, 2008 at 12:32 am
“Colinito, a Cheerleader, says:
March 26th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Notice how they picked the Washington Redskins before the Republican National Convention??
Though the Redskins are an easier opponent for the Giants than the more exciting match-ups, like the Cowboys, Eagles, Seahawks, or Ravens, and the league would certainly like to see the Giants win their first one. But a Washington win before McCain would give him the perfect “in” to his speech. ”
Do you REALLY think the rest of the nation cares?
REALLY?
Some of these opening games have been as exciting as a baseball season opener in Japan.
The rest of the NFL nation only cares about their own home teams opening game.
But good for you, Giants and Redskin fans. The rest of the nation will be fast asleep on our couches long before McCain gives his speech.
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March 27th, 2008 at 12:58 am
I’m an unabashed Skins fan, and I relish the chance to see them play on TV (being on the Other Coast), but this doesn’t make much sense. I’ll face it: this isn’t a marquee match up.
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March 27th, 2008 at 5:25 am
You people make me laugh. Regardless of the matchup, it’s the first NFL game of the season that counts in the standings. You’ll watch it and you’ll like it.
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March 27th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Any combination of team in the NFC east is a good match-up. I think because the Giants/Cowboys game wasn’t picked is because last year the two teams opened the Sunday night schedule. Plus with the Ravens and Bengals having bad year last year that ruled them out. That left the Eagles, Redskins and Seahawks to open the season. Oh and the 49ers or Panthers but they didn’t have great years either.
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March 27th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
As a Giants fan it pains me to say this - The Skins will bring it and it will be a good game. It’s a rivalry to begin with, the Skins were playing great at the end of the season, Washington is finally being smart about free agents, and the Skins have won the Super Bowl after each Giants Super Bowl win. I think that particular streak will end this year, but the Skins will come out gunning for a team that is a rival, a divisional opponent, and the champs. Add on to that the game is on national TV. If Zorn can’t get his team fired up for that, he should be fired immediately. This will be a tough, hard fought game and if the Giants let up for a minute, they can easily lose this one. Let’s hope the new and improved mistake free Eli continues to play well and I hope to see the Giants give the Skins a healthy does of Ahmad Bradshaw. A little smash mouth football to kick off the season- nothing better!
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