It’s not a Super Bowl rematch, but the teams which will open the year on Sunday Night Football were only a game away.
The Patriots will open the season on SNF at the Cardinals, kicking off a strong slate of games on NBC.
Both teams lost in conference championship games last year, and nothing has happened this offseason to dampen expectations for either team.
It’ll also give Chandler Jones a chance to catch up with the team that traded him away, as the pass-rusher was shipped to Arizona for a second-round pick and offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper earlier this offseason.
Of course, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won’t necessarily mind the chance to go to the desert, as the last time he was there, he led his team to a Super Bowl title over the Seahawks.
The Patriots will also play those Seahawks on Nov. 13 on NBC.
While the prime time schedule contains many of the usual suspects, the Raiders actually get to host a SNF game for the first time, playing the Broncos on Nov. 6.
Here’s a look at the complete Sunday Night schedule:
Sept. 11 Patriots at Cardinals
Sept. 18 Packers at Vikings
Sept. 25 Bears at Cowboys
Oct. 2 - Chiefs at Steelers
Oct. 9 - Giants at Packers
Oct. 16 - Colts at Texans
Oct. 23 - Seahawks at Cardinals
Oct. 30 - Eagles at Cowboys
Nov. 6 - Broncos at Raiders
Nov. 13 - Seahawks at Patriots
Nov. 20 - Packers at Washington
Nov. 27 - Patriots at Jets
Dec. 4 - Panthers at Seahawks
Dec. 11 - Cowboys at Giants
Dec. 18 - Steelers at Bengals
Dec. 25 - Broncos at Chiefs
Jan. 1 TBD
