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FOR USE AS DESIRED
PRESEASON NATIONAL TV
SCHEDULE FEATURES It kicks off with an American Bowl in Japan…immediately follows with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game…and showcases every 2004 playoff team. Those are among the highlights of an 11-game national television preseason schedule that was announced today by the NFL, along with the complete list of 2005 preseason matchups. Before Kickoff 2005 Weekend, NFL fans will get a preseason national TV glimpse of the Super Bowl XXXIX teams – the champion New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles – a rematch of a 2004 playoff game, and a lineup of 10 games that features at least one 2004 playoff team in every game. Showing that preseason counts, seven of last season’s 12 playoff clubs had .500 or better records in the preseason. The preseason begins on Saturday, August 6 when the American Bowl returns to Tokyo, Japan for a city-record 12th time with two 2004 division champions and two of the NFL’s most exciting quarterbacks. That day on ESPN and ESPN2, the Atlanta Falcons, with “Mr. Excitement” himself – quarterback MICHAEL VICK – will take on the Indianapolis Colts led by QB PEYTON MANNING, who last year set the NFL season record for touchdown passes with 49. Two nights later, it is on to Canton, Ohio, birthplace of the NFL, for the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. On Monday night, August 8 on ABC, the Chicago Bears will face the Miami Dolphins, who the day before will see one of their greatest players, quarterback DAN MARINO, inducted into the Hall of Fame. Marino had held the season TD pass record for 20 years (48 in 1984) before the Colts’ Manning topped it last year. The first full preseason weekend showcases two national TV games between 2004 playoff teams. On Thursday night, August 11 (ESPN), it will be “Mr. Comeback” against a QB who has decided to come back for his 15th NFL season. It’s the San Diego Chargers, led by quarterback DREW BREES -- voted the 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year -- at the Green Bay Packers with QB BRETT FAVRE. The three-time NFL MVP last week told the Pack that he would play this year and perhaps beyond. “I love this game,” said Favre, who in 2005 can surpass 50,000 yards and 400 TDs. On Monday night, August 15, it will be a “Keystone State” matchup featuring championship game teams. On ESPN, the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles will travel west to meet the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were defeated in last season’s AFC Championship Game by the team which eventually topped the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, New England. In Week 2, those Patriots – who in 2005 will seek a record fourth Super Bowl crown in five years -- will kick off the national TV action on Thursday, August 18 when they host the New Orleans Saints on FOX. The next night, two ’04 playoff teams collide on CBS as the Minnesota Vikings visit the New York Jets. On Monday night on ABC, a playoff team which has just signed its quarterback (MATT HASSELBECK) to a multi-year contract -- the Seattle Seahawks -- will host a club that has just signed a playoff-experienced QB (DREW BLEDSOE) -- the Dallas Cowboys. Bledsoe starred for Washington State as an undergrad. Week 3 will present four national TV games, the most of the preseason. On Thursday night on ESPN, Vick and the Falcons will be hosted by a team boasting another of the league’s exciting young quarterbacks – the Jacksonville Jaguars and QB BYRON LEFTWICH. The next night, the Steelers will visit the Washington Redskins on FOX, matching two of the top three NFL defenses of ’04. On Saturday, a 2004 AFC Wild Card game rematch takes place when Indianapolis visits the Denver Broncos on CBS. The preseason national TV schedule concludes on Monday night (ABC) in Detroit (site of this season’s Super Bowl) when two of the league’s impressive young running backs square off -- STEVEN JACKSON of the St. Louis Rams and KEVIN JONES of the Lions. 2005 NFL PRESEASON NATIONAL
TELEVISION SCHEDULE
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DATE |
GAME |
NETWORK (TIME) |
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Saturday, August 6 |
American Bowl, Tokyo, Japan: Atlanta vs. Indianapolis |
ESPN2 (5:00 AM) |
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ESPN (6:00 PM, Re-air) |
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Monday, August 8 |
Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio: Chicago vs. Miami |
ABC (8:00 PM) |
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Preseason Week 1 (August 11-15) |
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Thursday, August 11 |
San Diego at Green Bay |
ESPN (8:00 PM) |
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Monday, August 15 |
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh |
ESPN (8:00PM) |
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Preseason Week 2 (August 18-22) |
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Thursday, August 18 |
New Orleans at New England |
FOX (8:00 PM) |
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Friday, August 19 |
Minnesota at New York Jets |
CBS (8:00 PM) |
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Monday, August 22 |
Dallas at Seattle |
ABC (8:00 PM) |
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Preseason Week 3 (August 25-29) |
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Thursday, August 25 |
Atlanta at Jacksonville |
ESPN (8:00 PM) |
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Friday, August 26 |
Pittsburgh at Washington |
FOX (8:00 PM) |
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Saturday, August 27 |
Indianapolis at Denver |
CBS (8:00 PM) |
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Monday, August 29 |
St. Louis at Detroit |
ABC (8:00 PM) |
2005 PRESEASON WEEK-BY-WEEK SCHEDULE
Chicago vs. Miami (ABC)
WEEK 1 – AUGUST 11 – 15
San Diego at Green Bay (ESPN, 8/11)
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (ESPN, 8/15)
Baltimore at Atlanta
Kansas City at Minnesota
Chicago at St. Louis
Dallas at Arizona
Denver at Houston
Detroit at New York Jets
Seattle at New Orleans
Miami at Jacksonville
New York Giants at Cleveland
New England at Cincinnati
Oakland at San Francisco
Buffalo at Indianapolis
Tampa Bay at Tennessee
Washington at Carolina
WEEK 2 – AUGUST 18-22
New Orleans at New England (FOX, 8/18)
Minnesota at New York Jets (CBS, 8/19)
Dallas at Seattle (ABC, 8/22)
Arizona at Kansas City
Philadelphia at Baltimore
Carolina at New York Giants
Chicago at Indianapolis
Cincinnati at Washington
Cleveland at Detroit
Green Bay at Buffalo
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay
Miami at Pittsburgh
Oakland at Houston
St. Louis at San Diego
San Francisco at Denver
Tennessee at Atlanta
Atlanta at Jacksonville (ESPN, 8/25)
Pittsburgh at Washington (FOX, 8/26)
Indianapolis at Denver (CBS, 8/27)
St. Louis at Detroit (ABC, 8/29)
Arizona at Oakland
Baltimore at New Orleans
Buffalo at Chicago
Cincinnati at Philadelphia
New England at Green Bay
Houston at Dallas
Carolina at Cleveland
New York Jets at New York Giants
San Diego at Minnesota
Seattle at Kansas City
Tampa Bay at Miami
Tennessee at San Francisco
Atlanta at Miami
Cleveland at Chicago
Denver at Arizona
Detroit at Buffalo
Green Bay at Tennessee
Houston at Tampa Bay
Indianapolis at Cincinnati
Jacksonville at Dallas
Kansas City at St. Louis
Minnesota at Seattle
New Orleans at Oakland
New York Giants at New England
New York Jets at Philadelphia
Pittsburgh at Carolina
San Francisco at San Diego
Washington at Baltimore
2005 PRESEASON TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULE
AFC
at Indianapolis vs Chicago (HOF) at Cincinnati Detroit
Green Bay at Jacksonville New Orleans (FOX) Minnesota (CBS)
at Chicago at Pittsburgh at Green Bay at New York Giants
Detroit Tampa Bay New York Giants at Philadelphia
Atlanta
at Atlanta New England New York Giants Philadelphia (ESPN)
Philadelphia at Washington at Detroit Miami
at New Orleans at Philadelphia Carolina at Washington (FOX)
Washington Indianapolis at Chicago at Carolina
Denver vs Atlanta (Tokyo) Miami Tampa Bay
Oakland Buffalo at Tampa Bay at Atlanta
at Dallas Chicago Atlanta (ESPN) at San Francisco
at Tampa Bay at Denver (CBS) at Dallas Green Bay
at Cincinnati
at Houston at Minnesota at San Francisco at Green Bay (ESPN)
San Francisco Arizona at Houston St. Louis
Indianapolis (CBS) Seattle Arizona at Minnesota
at Arizona at St. Louis New Orleans San Francisco
NFC
at Arizona at Cleveland at Pittsburgh (ESPN) at Carolina
at Seattle (ABC) Carolina at Baltimore Cincinnati
Houston New York Jets Cincinnati Pittsburgh (FOX)
Jacksonville at New England New York Jets at Baltimore
vs Miami (HOF) at New York Jets San Diego (ESPN) Kansas City
at St. Louis Cleveland at Buffalo at New York Jets (CBS)
at Indianapolis St. Louis (ABC) New England San Diego
Buffalo at Buffalo at Tennessee at Seattle
Cleveland
vs Indianapolis (Tokyo) Washington Seattle at Tennessee
Baltimore at NY Giants at New England (FOX) Jacksonville
Tennessee at Cleveland Baltimore at Miami
at Jacksonville (ESPN) Pittsburgh at Oakland Houston
at Miami
Dallas Chicago Oakland at New Orleans
at Kansas City at San Diego at Denver Dallas (ABC)
at Oakland at Detroit (ABC) Tennessee at Kansas City
Denver Kansas City at San Diego Minnesota