Too early to set your DVRs? Not when it comes to the Patriots, the Manning brothers and other gridiron showdowns.
The return of Peyton Manning is among the many storylines lending intrigue to the upcoming NFL season.The 2012 NFL regular-season schedule was released on Tuesday, and it will feature more nationally televised prime-time games than ever. Kicking off with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys in a thriller on Sept. 5, 49 of the season's 256 match-ups (19.1 percent) are set to be under the lights.
Each one of the league's 32 teams gets at least one opportunity to play at night but not all of them shine as brightly on the marquee. Not that NBC, ESPN and the NFL Network need much help in the way of television ratings, but between the season opener and the playoffs, here are the dozen must-watch - or must-DVR - prime-time games on the '12 slate:
"It Sure Is Weird Seeing Peyton Manning In A Different Uniform"
When we last saw these teams in the 2011 AFC wild-card playoffs, it was Tim Tebow and the Broncos walking off with an upset victory over the then-reigning AFC champions - thanks to Tebow's game-winning 80-yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas in overtime.
The Steelers will be looking for revenge, only this time it will be Peyton Manning throwing to Thomas, and Eric Decker, and others. In Ben Roethlisberger, Manning steps right into the ring with a quarterback heavyweight who wears one more Super Bowl ring.
Game matchups aside, this is all about seeing Manning play as a Bronco for the first time after our eyes have been trained to see him horsepower the Indianapolis Colts. You'll get used to the glare, because Manning's Broncos are in prime time five times in all.
"Green Bay's First Two Games Are Packed With Quite A Punch"
The Packers host the San Francisco 49ers' physical defense in Week 1, and they get only four days to recover for their Black and Blue arch-rivals from the NFC North. Meanwhile, the Bears will come in after a home game against the NFL's worst team from a season ago, the Colts.
Cheeseheads will perceive this as the league being lactose intolerant, sticking their beloved Pack with a brutal short week of opening games. Rearmed with Brandon Marshall and a healthy Jay Cutler, we will find out early if the Bears now have enough passing pop to dethrone the reigning 15-1 division champs.
"We Meet At Midfield Again: Warm Handshake, Cold Shoulder?"
It won't even be autumn when this game is played, but as Niners fans know, there figures to be a bit of chill in San Francisco at that time of year. But when the coaching Jims meet again, will it be another icy reception as Harbaugh greets Schwartz?
The Lions ended their playoff drought last season, but their home loss to the 49ers cooled what could have been a lot bigger season after a 5-0 start. Far away from Ford Field this time, they'll lean on Calvin Johnson to earn his megamillions in burning a good Niners secondary. Last year, San Francisco kept Megatron out of the end zone after he started with nine touchdowns in those first five games.
"It's About Cam Time"
Newton had a thrilling ride as a rookie passer and runner for the Panthers, living up to his billing as the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 draft. Unfortunately, the league saw Carolina, which finished 6-10 last season, as not quite ready for prime time.
A duel with Eli Manning, the No. 1 overall pick in the '04 draft, is pretty nice way to bring Newton in front of a national audience. When they get their closeups, Cam will be smiling for the camera a lot more than Eli, but the real show will be their arms. It will be most fun seeing if the Giants' front-four pass rush can chase down Newton.
"Billy Wasn't The Hero, But He's Not The Goat, Either"
The Ravens were a Lee Evans touchdown catch away from getting to Super Bowl XLVI. They were a Billy Cundiff field goal away from at least pushing the AFC Championship game at New England into overtime. Instead, they lost a heartbreaker to the Patriots, wasting a good performance from quarterback Joe Flacco.
Baltimore keeps getting closer to the promised land that's eluded the franchise since 2000. Ray Lewis wants another ring, and the Ravens must make a statement here to prove they're finally the unquestioned team to beat in the conference. Last year, they threw off the Steelers monkey; now it's time slough off painful Pats memories.
"Because We Didn’t Hear Enough About These Two Teams In The Offseason"
The Saints have been marred by Bountygate and will be without their Super Bowl-winning head coach, Sean Payton, all season. As it stands, they've also got an unhappy Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Drew Brees, the good guy/great player who simply wants to be paid what he's worth to the city of New Orleans.
Speaking of the Saints winning a Super Bowl, they did it three seasons ago with a victory over Peyton Manning's Colts. So here we go again with Brees vs. Manning, only this time, we know Manning can't be intercepted by cornerback Tracy Porter, who's now his teammate in Denver.
"When The Eagles And Saints Keep Marching Down The Field"
When he was with the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick, playing on the fast tracks of the Georgia Dome and Superdome, used to drive the Saints batty. Now he faces a suspect New Orleans defense picking up the pieces from the Gregg Williams era.
This has the making of basketball on FieldTurf, and not just because former college hoopster Jimmy Graham will be ready to dunk all over the Eagles' defense. There's enough speed here on both teams, starting with Vick, to make this a battle of fast-break, big-play offenses. Early fantasy advice: Start every offensive player who's healthy for this one.
"But Seriously, These Teams Really Do Not Like Each Other"
The mood between these AFC North cutthroats could be described as "extreme dislike." Trash talking leads to hate, and hate leads to the dark side where everyone who plays in this matchup comes out with black eyes. The Steelers, with their two recent Super Bowl wins, had been used to being the division bully, but the Ravens knocked them around for a sweep last season. Although Flacco vs. Roethlisberger is nice, we prefer the naughty of the defenses hard at work.
"A Tim Tebow Thanksgiving With Very Special Guest Rex Ryan"
Wait, isn't Mark Sanchez the Jets' starting quarterback? You might want to check on that again before this game. By this time, don't be surprised if Tebow has earned his own replica float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's a good bet that Ryan won't be giving any thanks to the Patriots, and a better bet he won't pass up on seconds. Tom Brady once again will look to spoil the feast, as he tends to do when he plays the Jets.
"You Guys Won A Super Bowl? We Won A Super Bowl (Two)"
Before the Giants leapt past the Packers in Lambeau Field during the divisional playoffs, they played a Week 13 thriller at MetLife Stadium - which Green Bay won 38-35 to improve to 12-0 last season. It was Eli Manning, however, who ended up with his second Super Bowl ring, not Aaron Rodgers. With both teams locked and loaded to help keep the Lombardi Trophy in the NFC, this should be another sizzling warmup for the playoffs.
"We Swear We Didn't Forget About Dem Cowboys"
It can be argued by some biased fans in Texas that every Cowboys game should be a national event. Besides, good or bad, the cameras love following every in-game move of Jerry Jones and Tony Romo. It helps here that the slick Vick will be on the other side. Dallas has the talent to take this division back, and this will likely be a make-or-break game in terms of its playoff chances.
"We Have No Problems With Making Houston The AFC Favorite"
Speaking of Texas, the Texans are the team best prepared to make a run at the Super Bowl from the Lone Star State. They have the defense under that former Cowboys guy, Wade Phillips. They have the running game. They just need the quarterback, and simply getting back a healthy Matt Schaub will solve that problem.
The Patriots survived the AFC field last season, but Houston wasn’t far behind the trail blazed by New England and Baltimore. A win at Foxborough would likely be part of the equation in the Texans getting the best ticket to a conference title - a No. 1 seed.