Redskins, Giants open 2008 NFL season

The National Football League has released its opening week schedule and the Super Bowl champion New York Giants will start the with a Sept. 4th game against the Washington Redskins.

It is the fifth consecutive season the Super Bowl champion will open on Thursday night ahead of the rest of the league.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Super Bowl champion New York Giants will open the 2008 NFL schedule with a Thursday, Sept. 4 game against the Washington Redskins.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking at the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., said the game would start at 7 p.m. EDT, Sept. 4 and will be televised by NBC. The kickoff was moved forward 90 minutes from its usual start time because the Republican National Convention will be going on at that time.

It is the fifth consecutive season the Super Bowl champion will open on Thursday night ahead of the rest of the league.

Goodell said the Sept. 7 Sunday night game the first week of the NFL regular season has the Chicago Bears traveling to play the Indianapolis Colts. That will be the first regular-season game in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium.

There will again be an ESPN doubleheader on the first Monday night -- Sept. 8 -- of the season with Minnesota playing at Green Bay at 7 p.m. EDT and the Denver Broncos playing at Oakland at 10:15 p.m.