NFL Network 2007 games schedule announced

NFL Network announced its eight-game regular-season schedule airing in the “Run to the Playoffs” national primetime package. All eight games -- five on Thursdays and three on Saturdays -- will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET. NFL Network’s schedule features teams which combined for five playoff berths and three division titles in 2006.

Among the highlights:

* Super Bowl XLI MVP Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts visit the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 22, to kick off the NFL Network slate. Manning and Falcons quarterback Michael Vick were both No. 1 overall draft choices.

* The storied Green Bay-Dallas rivalry continues on Thursday, Nov. 29 -- just one month before the 40th Anniversary of the historic “Ice Bowl” (won by Green Bay 21-17 on Dec. 31, 1967).

* The defending NFC champion Chicago Bears visit the Washington Redskins on Thursday, Dec. 6. Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs has won eight of his 11 career games against the Bears.

* A rematch of thrilling Super Bowls XVI and XXIII as Cincinnati visits San Francisco on Saturday, Dec. 15. Carson Palmer of the Bengals and Alex Smith of the 49ers meet in NFL Network’s second matchup of No. 1 overall drafted quarterbacks.

* Pro Bowlers Steven Jackson of the Rams and Willie Parker of the Steelers -- the NFL’s fifth- and sixth-ranked rushers in 2006 -- will take the field when Pittsburgh visits St. Louis on Thursday, Dec. 20.

* The schedule wraps up on Saturday, Dec. 29, as New England travels to New York to face the Giants. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick won two Super Bowl rings as defensive coordinator with the Giants. New England quarterback Tom Brady has never lost at Giants Stadium (6-0 vs. Jets).

NFL Network games will also be carried on free, over-the-air television in the city of the visiting team and in the city where the game is played if it is sold out 72 hours in advance of kickoff.

NFL Network 2007 Game Schedule

Week 12: Thursday, November 22 at 8:15 p.m. ET (Live)
Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons (Thanksgiving)

Week 13: Thursday, November 29 at 8:15 p.m. ET (Live)
Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys

Week 14: Thursday, December 6 at 8:15 p.m. ET (Live)
Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins

Week 15: Thursday, December 13 at 8:15 p.m. ET (Live)
Denver Broncos at Houston Texans

Week 15: Saturday, December 15 at 8:15 p.m. ET (Live)
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers

Week 16: Thursday, December 20 at 8:15 p.m. ET (Live)
Pittsburgh Steelers at St. Louis Rams

Week 16: Saturday, December 22 at 8:15 p.m. ET (Live)
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers

Week 17: Saturday, December 29 at 8:15 p.m. ET (Live)
New England Patriots at New York Giants

Bryant Gumbel (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst) will call the games on NFL Network. Collinsworth earned a Sports Emmy nomination as “Outstanding Event Analyst” for his work on NFL Network games in 2006.

Each NFL Network telecast will feature a live, two-hour pregame show from the host city, providing a unique feel for the atmosphere surrounding the event. In addition, a one-hour postgame show will wrap-up the action with interviews, highlights and press conferences.

The pregame show for NFL Network’s inaugural game on Thanksgiving night will be shortened to avoid conflict with the Jets-Cowboys game on CBS.

NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the first television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football.