East Rutherford, N.J. -- The 89th National Football League season begins Thursday with the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants playing host to Washington.
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It will be the first of the 256 regular-season and 10 playoff games and that will lead to the playing of Super Bowl XLIII Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
New York won an NFL-record 10 consecutive road games last year and finished off an unlikely playoff run by handing New England its lone loss of the season in the Super Bowl.
Washington also made the playoffs and split its regular-season tilts with the Giants.
The opening weekend of the season continues Sunday with 13 games -- including New England's home contest with Kansas City. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did not appear in any of the exhibition games because of an injured foot.
Former Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre, having decided he was not yet ready to retire, will lead the New York Jets when they open the season in Miami.
The first Sunday night game of the year will find Chicago at Indianapolis in a rematch of Super Bowl XLI.
Two games will be played Monday night -- Minnesota visiting Green Bay and Denver traveling to Oakland.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International.
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