The league made the 2015 schedule public Tuesday evening, but we were reading about some of the bigger matchups well before the 8 p.m. ET release.
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— The Thursday night regular-season opener will pit the defending champion Patriots against the six-time Super Bowl champion Steelers.
— The NFC East will be on display in NBC’s Sunday Night Football opener when the Giants head to Arlington to face the Cowboys in Week 1.
— Week 2 could bring yet another classic between the Seahawks and Packers. The NFC rivals will meet on Sunday Night Football.
— The Packers will host the Bears on Thanksgiving night (Thursday, Nov. 26). This will mark the first time Green Bay has hosted a Thanksgiving game since 1923, when the Packers beat the Hammond Pros, 19-0. It will also be the first Thanksgiving game played at Lambeau Field.
The Packers reportedly will retire Brett Favre’s No. 4 that night.
— The Panthers will make their Thankgiving debut when they travel to Texas to take on the Cowboys and former defensive end Greg Hardy.
— The NFL is certainly anticipating Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota going No. 1 and No. 2 in the NFL Draft. Why else would it schedule a Week 1 matchup between the Titans and Buccaneers?
— Here’s another fun Week 1 matchup: The Broncos will host the Ravens.
— The Bears and new coach John Fox will host the Broncos (Fox’s former employer) in Week 11, according to ESPN Chicago’s Jeff Dickerson.
