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 Super Bowl champion New England hosts the 2015 NFL Kickoff game on
Thursday, Sept. 10, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of five
prime-time games for the Patriots announced Tuesday by the league in
the grand unveiling of the entire regular-season schedule in a
made-for-TV event.
The Patriots have appetizing duels with the Dallas Cowboys and
Indianapolis Colts -- who will soon forget the short-lived high from
the flat-lined Deflategate AFC Championship Game "controversy" in
January? -- and they visit the Houston Texans, where former Bill
Belichick assistant and Tom Brady mentor Bill O'Brien hopes to piece
together a playoff team using spare parts discarded by the Patriots.
Namely, those are former Brady backups Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett,
and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel.
That is not to mention two dates with old pal Rex Ryan, who
relocated his New York address but stayed in the AFC East as coach
of the Buffalo Bills after a being dumped by the New York Jets.
The Super Bowl runner-up Seattle Seahawks make trips to Green Bay
and Dallas in addition to Baltimore and Cincinnati, two of the top
teams in the up-for-grabs AFC North.
So in honor of the Seahawks, let's eschew the obvious -- like the
Ryan return to Met Life Stadium with a division rival -- and turn
the page to 2015 with a look at a dozen games to watch in 2015:
12. Titans at Buccaneers, Sept. 13
Until their general managers prove us wrong next Thursday, this
could be a matchup of the NFL's worst teams in 2014, and the top two
picks in the 2015 draft -- Jameis Winston of the Buccaneers and
Marcus Mariota of the Titans. Throw out the theories about rookies
and learning curves thanks to recent first-year fireballs like
Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III (hey, it has been
awhile, but he was great as a rookie).
11. Bears at Packers, Nov. 26
It is the prime-time dessert to the triple-layer NFL feast on
Thanksgiving Day, and the hook could well be the halftime show,
where 17-year quarterback Brett Favre will have another day in the
Lambeau Field spotlight with a jersey retirement ceremony more
overdue than Jay Cutler cashing in on his vast potential. Cutler, by
the way, has been a pinata for the Packers -- his passer rating in
the matchup is below 50 -- including two more lopsided losses in
2014.
10. Steelers at Ravens, Dec. 27
Still one of the most entertaining grudge matches in the NFL, the
Steelers were dismissed from the postseason by the Ravens 30-17 at
Heinz Field in January when All-Pro RB Le'Veon Bell couldn't play
because of injury. Both teams scored 20-point wins at home in the
two regular-season meetings in 2014, a departure from the series
norm that snapped a five-game streak of games decided by no more
than three points.
9. Patriots at Colts, Oct. 18
Brady and Luck airing it out should be the storyline, but the
barrage of punch lines in the buildup to this one will be rich
entertainment in its own right. The Patriots waylaid the Colts in
the AFC title game. Will the fiery Brady, never one to pass on
making a statement on the field, overdo the personal PSI this time
around? We'll take the over.
8. Broncos at Bears, Nov. 22
Peyton Manning and the Broncos get reacquainted with old pals John
Fox and Adam Gase, now coach and offensive coordinator of the
Chicago Bears, respectively, and Denver fans get to see exactly what
they are missing in that duo and Cutler. Fox was unceremoniously
bounced by VP John Elway after winning four division titles in four
seasons, but the rebuild in Chicago is significant.
7. Eagles at Cowboys, Nov. 8
Welcome back, DeMarco Murray. The Cowboys (read: owner and named
cardholder Jerry Jones) were atypically restrained when invited into
a bidding war for the 2014 Offensive Player of the Year in free
agency, and, voila, Murray found $40 million in Philadelphia to be
part of a lethal running game in combination with former Chargers
first-round pick Ryan Mathews. In the past two seasons, this
late-season game decided the NFC East title.
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6. 49ers at Seahawks, Nov. 22
Sorry, Michael Crabtree is gone, but Richard Sherman and the
Seahawks are sure to have something to say about the leftovers in
San Francisco. Also departed: rugged 49ers running back Frank Gore
and Pete Carroll's longtime nemesis Jim Harbaugh, now and again a
Michigan man. Under Jim Tomsula, we can see rough waters on the
horizon, but nothing cures a rebuild like downing the cock of the
walk in the Hawks' noisy nest.
5. Bills at Eagles, Dec. 13
Mad scientist or not? Chip Kelly can prove a thing or two to
naysayers this season, and the Eagles coach turned 2014 rushing
champion LeSean McCoy into persona non grata by dealing him to the
Bills, then filling his spot with two stud backs. McCoy is going to
get the ball a lot in a meat-grinder offense that couldn't be more
opposite of Kelly's, and the diametrically opposed schemes only
sweeten a game swimming in subplots.
4. Rams at Seahawks, Dec. 27
If there is a better defense on paper in the NFL, we can't find it.
Will the Rams, 8 1/2x11 stalwarts, also be the backyard bully when
covering 100 yards on the road against Wilson and Marshawn Lynch?
The biggest question for St. Louis is where plays and points come
from on the other side of the ball.
3. Patriots at Cowboys, Oct. 11
A potential Super Bowl XLIX matchup lost when Dez Bryant's grab at
the Green Bay goal line in January was ruled a drop upon replay
review features talent galore and arguably the top head-to-head
matchup in terms of pure popularity -- marketing, ratings, rabidity
of fan base -- headlined by the quarterback matchup of Brady vs.
Tony Romo.
2. Packers at Broncos, Nov. 1
The media guide will claim new play-callers for each team in 2015,
but neither quarterback needs help steering his offense. Manning and
Aaron Rodgers, perennial MVP candidates with combined annual
earnings north of $35 million, get a chance to stack up against one
another, a chance Rodgers asked for publicly upon accepting the 2014
NFL Most Valuable Player award.
1. Seahawks at Packers, Sept. 20
Brandon Bostick isn't around for retribution (recall he botched the
onside kick amid the Seahawks' improbable fourth-quarter rally to
victory in January), but the Packers finally get the Seahawks back
in Lambeau Field after a bitter string of defeats including the 2014
NFC Championship Game, the "Fail Mary" loss remembered for
replacement officials' role in the outcome and a complete drubbing
in the 2014 NFL Kickoff (36-16).
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