2008 NFL Schedule is Released

With the release of the NFL schedule yesterday, football fans finally have something to talk about other than Pac-Man Jones and mock drafts. Let’s take a quick look at some of the more interesting games on the horizon.

NFL - 2008 SCHEDULE

On September 4th, the defending Superbowl champion New York Giants will host the Washington Redskins to open the NFL season. The Giants will also take on the Browns on Monday night (October 13th) and square off against the Eagles (Nov. 9th) and Cowboys (Dec. 14th) on NBC‘s Sunday night game.

The Cowboys only have one Monday night game this year, while the Cleveland Browns have three. I know the Browns had a great offense last year, but the schedule makers seem to be overcompensating a bit much. Still, Browns’ fans have to be tickled pink.

Mark down September 14th on your calendar, as that’s the day that the New England Patriots travel to the Meadowlands to take on the Jets. This is their first time back since the videotaping scandal, and we can once again watch the head coaches from both teams pretend not to hate one another.

The opening Monday night game of the year will take place in Lambeau Field, as the Favre-less Packers take on the Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson. Later that night, Al Davis and Mike Shanahan will be full of love for one another, as the Broncos and Raiders will butt heads (and Javon Walker immediately gets a crack at his old team).

December 7th will go down in NFL history as the first league game to be played in Canada. More specifically, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins will meet in the city of Toronto.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

So who has the toughest schedule? Well, based on their opponents’ 2007 performance, that dubious honor goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last season, their 2008 opponents went a combined 153-103. They get the Patriots and Eagles on the road, plus the Cowboys, Chargers, Colts and Giants at home.

The Colts aren’t far behind, as they have the second hardest strength of schedule with opponents finishing 152-104 in 2007.

Patriot haters will be disgusted to know that the boys up in New England have the easiest strength of schedule, as their opponents combined for a 99-157 record last year. But it’s not all wine and roses, as the team will have to make a couple of back-to-back West Coast road trips (San Francisco and San Diego, Seattle and Oakland). This will force Belichick to either fly his team across the country twice in one week or stay put on the West Coast between games.

BET WITH BODOG

Wow! With the draft only a couple of weeks away, it’s starting to feel like football season is just around the corner. This year, why not make Bodog your sportsbook of choice? You won’t find more generous odds or better customer service, and they even accept bettors from the United States.

Give them a try. You’ll be glad you did.

For more NFL odds, take a look at the following:

Will Gene Upshaw Be Fired - Bodog Odds

Is Brett Favre Really Retired? - Bodog Odds

2008 NFL Schedule is Released