Prime Time Openers: Saints-Colts, Giants-Cowboys

ESPN will televise the unveiling of the NFL schedule next month (yes, ESPN actually paid the NFL for the rights to the announcement), but Peter King of SI.com reports today that the two opening-weekend NBC prime time games will be the New Orleans Saints vs. the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, Sept. 6 and the New York Giants vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 9.

The Thursday opener usually goes to the defending champions, so it's no surprise that the Colts are hosting. It is a bit of a surprise that the Saints are the opponent, though. Because the Saints are an NFC team, that's a game that would usually go to Fox, and Fox can't be happy that one of its two opportunities to show Peyton Manning has just been given to NBC.

Cowboys-Giants is a good rivalry between two teams coming off playoff seasons, but it's not a huge game in terms of the 2007 expectations for either team. It is, however, a sign of just how marketable the NFL thinks the Manning family is: Although the NFL can't give us another Manning vs. Manning opener, it is giving us both Manning brothers in prime time to start the season.