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CBS Sports marks 49th year of NFL coverage as network announces 2008 "NFL on CBS" broadcast schedule
AFC Champion New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers to appear nine times; Indianapolis Colts, along with Cleveland Browns to appear 10 times; while Denver and Jacksonville slated for 11 appearances
The NFL on CBS schedule includes international games in London and Toronto
Traditional AFC rivalries, key AFC-NFC match-ups and Thanksgiving Day game highlight CBS Television Network's NFL schedule
The CBS Television Network, marking its 49th year of coverage of the NFL, will broadcast a total of 106 games during its 17 weeks of regular-season coverage of the NFL's American Football Conference. The regular-season schedule is followed by a full post-season slate including an AFC Wild Card playoff game on January 4, 2009, two divisional playoff games on January 10 and January 11 and the AFC Championship Game on January 18.
► New England, Pittsburgh and San Diego slated for nine appearances; Indianapolis and Cleveleand will make 10
The AFC Champion New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers will appear nine times each on "The NFL on CBS", while the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns will make 10 appearances; the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars 11 times each; the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders 12 times; the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills 13 times each; and the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs 14 times each.
► Opening kick-off
"The NFL on CBS" kicks off Week 1 with singleheader coverage on Sunday, Sept. 7 (noon-4 p.m., ET) beginning with "The NFL Today," the Network's pre-game studio show.
The day's NFL action is highlighted by New England hosting Kansas City and Cincinnati taking on the Baltimore Ravens. Other regional action that day on "The NFL on CBS" includes Jacksonville-Tennessee, Houston-Pittsburgh and the New York Jets-Miami, live on the CBS Television Network.
► Nine CBS doubleheader weekends
The network's 2008 broadcast schedule, which includes nine doubleheader weekends, features several of last year's powerhouse teams in the AFC and key AFC-NFC match-ups including Indianapolis-Green Bay (10/19); Indianapolis-Pittsburgh (11/9); Pittsburgh-Philadelphia (9/21); Pittsburgh-New England (11/30); a Super Bowl XXXV rematch of Baltimore-N.Y. Giants (11/16); Cleveland-Washington (10/19); Jacksonville-Chicago (12/7); Denver-San Diego (12/28); Indianapolis-Minnesota (9/14); Cincinnati-N.Y. Giants (9/21); Cincinnati-Dallas (10/5); New England-San Francisco (10/5); San Diego-Pittsburgh (11/16); Tennessee-Chicago (11/9); Baltimore-Indianapolis (10/12); Houston-Green Bay (12/7); Buffalo-St. Louis (9/28); Kansas City-Carolina (10/5); Oakland-New Orleans (10/12); Denver-Carolina (12/14) and N.Y. Jets-Seattle (12/21).
► All the world's a stage
In Week 8, "The NFL on CBS" travels across the Atlantic Ocean to cover the San Diego Chargers-New Orleans Saints (10/26) game live from London, England.
And in Week 14, "The NFL on CBS" crosses the Canadian border to broadcast Miami-Buffalo (12/7) live from Toronto, Ontario.
► AFC divisional rivalries
Along with near-weekly divisional battles in the AFC Western Division between San Diego, Denver, Kansas City and Oakland, other AFC games highlighted include interdivision rivalries in the North including Pittsburgh-Cincinnati (10/19); Pittsburgh-Baltimore (12/14); and the "Battle of Ohio" with Cleveland-Cincinnati (9/28), and in the South Division with Tennessee-Indianapolis (12/28) and Tennessee-Jacksonville (11/16).
► Thanksgiving Day game
Thanksgiving Day (11/27) will feature the Tennessee Titans at Detroit Lions.
► Preseason
CBS Sports' NFL pre-season schedule begins Friday, Aug. 22 (8 p.m., ET) live in prime time with the Houston Texans taking on the Dallas Cowboys. The Network's second pre-season game sees the Pittsburgh Steelers visiting the Minnesota Vikings live in prime time on Saturday, Aug. 23 (8 p.m., ET) on the CBS Television Network.
Jim Nantz and Phil Simms are the lead announce team for the network's coverage of the NFL.
"The NFL Today," CBS Sports' NFL pre-game, halftime and post-game studio show, begins on Sunday, Sept. 7 (noon-1 p.m., ET) with host James Brown, along with analysts Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher.
Sean McManus is President, CBS News and Sports, Tony Petitti is Executive Vice President and Executive Producer, CBS Sports. McManus and Petitti serve as executive producers of CBS Sports' coverage of the NFL.
Following is the complete 2008 CBS Sports NFL broadcast schedule.
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2008 CBS SPORTS NFL BROADCAST SCHEDULE (all times ET)
WEEK 1 -- SUNDAY, SEPT. 7
Cincinnati @ Baltimore -- 1:00
N.Y. Jets @ Miami -- 1:00
Kansas City @ New England -- 1:00
Houston @ Pittsburgh -- 1:00
Jacksonville @ Tennessee -- 1:00
WEEK 2 -- SUNDAY, SEPT. 14 -- CBS DBHDR
Tennessee @ Cincinnati -- 1:00
Buffalo @ Jacksonville -- 1:00
Oakland @ Kansas City -- 1:00
Indianapolis @ Minnesota -- 1:00
New England @ N.Y. Jets -- 4:15
San Diego @ Denver -- 4:15
Miami @ Arizona -- 4:15
Baltimore @ Houston -- 4:15
WEEK 3 -- SUNDAY, SEPT. 21 -- CBS DBHDR
Kansas City @ Atlanta -- 1:00
Oakland @ Buffalo -- 1:00
Cincinnati @ N.Y. Giants -- 1:00
Miami @ New England -- 1:00
Houston @ Tennessee -- 1:00
Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia -- 4:15
Cleveland @ Baltimore -- 4:15
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis -- 4:15
WEEK 4 -- SUNDAY, SEPT. 28
Cleveland @ Cincinnati -- 1:00
Houston @ Jacksonville -- 1:00
Denver @ Kansas City -- 1:00
San Diego @ Oakland -- 4:05
Buffalo @ St. Louis -- 4:05
WEEK 5 -- SUNDAY, OCT. 5 -- CBS DBHDR
Tennessee @ Baltimore -- 1:00
Kansas City @ Carolina -- 1:00
Indianapolis @ Houston -- 1:00
San Diego @ Miami -- 1:00
Cincinnati @ Dallas -- 4:15
New England @ San Francisco -- 4:15
Buffalo @ Arizona -- 4:15
WEEK 6 -- SUNDAY, OCT. 12
Miami @ Houston -- 1:00
Baltimore @ Indianapolis -- 1:00
Cincinnati @ N.Y. Jets -- 1:00
Oakland @ New Orleans -- 1:00
Jacksonville @ Denver -- 4:05
WEEK 7 -- SUNDAY, OCT. 19 -- CBS DBHDR
San Diego @ Buffalo -- 1:00
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati -- 1:00
Tennessee @ Kansas City -- 1:00
Baltimore @ Miami -- 1:00
Indianapolis @ Green Bay -- 4:15
Cleveland @ Washington -- 4:15
N.Y. Jets @ Oakland -- 4:15
WEEK 8 -- SUNDAY, OCT. 26
San Diego @ New Orleans (London) -- 1:00
Oakland @ Baltimore -- 1:00
Buffalo @ Miami -- 1:00
Kansas City @ N.Y. Jets -- 1:00
Cleveland @ Jacksonville -- 4:05
WEEK 9 -- SUNDAY, NOV. 2
N.Y. Jets @ Buffalo -- 1:00
Jacksonville @ Cincinnati -- 1:00
Baltimore @ Cleveland -- 1:00
Houston @ Minnesota -- 1:00
Miami @ Denver -- 4:05
WEEK 10 -- SUNDAY, NOV. 9 -- CBS DBHDR
Tennessee @ Chicago -- 1:00
Jacksonville @ Detroit -- 1:00
Cincinnati @ Houston -- 1:00
Buffalo @ New England -- 1:00
Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh -- 4:15
Kansas City @ San Diego -- 4:15
WEEK 11 -- SUNDAY, NOV. 16 -- CBS DBHDR
Denver @ Atlanta -- 1:00
Houston @ Indianapolis -- 1:00
Tennessee @ Jacksonville -- 1:00
Oakland @ Miami -- 1:00
Baltimore @ N.Y. Giants -- 1:00
San Diego @ Pittsburgh -- 4:15
WEEK 12 -- SUNDAY, NOV. 23
Houston @ Cleveland -- 1:00
Buffalo @ Kansas City -- 1:00
New England @ Miami -- 1:00
N.Y. Jets @ Tennessee -- 1:00
Oakland @ Denver -- 4:05
WEEK 13 -- THURSDAY, NOV. 27 THANKSGIVING DAY
Tennessee @ Detroit -- 12:30
SUNDAY, NOV. 30 -- CBS DBHDR
Indianapolis @ Cleveland -- 1:00
Baltimore @ Cincinnati -- 1:00
Denver @ N.Y. Jets -- 1:00
Miami @ St. Louis -- 1:00
Pittsburgh @ New England -- 4:15
Kansas City @ Oakland -- 4:15
WEEK 14 -- SUNDAY, DEC. 7
Jacksonville @ Chicago -- 1:00
Houston @ Green Bay -- 1:00
Cincinnati @ Indianapolis -- 1:00
Cleveland @ Tennessee -- 1:00
Kansas City @ Denver -- 4:05
N.Y. Jets @ San Francisco -- 4:05
Miami @ Buffalo (Toronto) -- 4:05
WEEK 15 -- SUNDAY, DEC. 14 -- CBS DBHDR
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore -- 1:00
Denver @ Carolina -- 1:00
Tennessee @ Houston -- 1:00
San Diego @ Kansas City -- 1:00
Buffalo @ N.Y. Jets -- 1:00
New England @ Oakland -- 4:15
WEEK 16 -- SUNDAY, DEC. 21
Cincinnati @ Cleveland -- 1:00
Miami @ Kansas City -- 1:00
Pittsburgh @ Tennessee -- 1:00
N.Y. Jets @ Seattle -- 4:05
Houston @ Oakland -- 4:05
Buffalo @ Denver -- 4:05
WEEK 17 -- SUNDAY, DEC. 28 -- CBS DBHDR
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh -- 1:00
Tennessee @ Indianapolis -- 1:00
New England @ Buffalo -- 1:00
Jacksonville @ Baltimore -- 1:00
Kansas City @ Cincinnati -- 1:00
Miami @ N.Y. Jets -- 1:00
Oakland @ Tampa Bay -- 1:00
Denver @ San Diego -- 4:15
AFC WILD CARD PLAYOFF GAME -- SUNDAY, JAN. 4
AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS -- SATURDAY, JAN. 10 & SUNDAY, JAN. 11
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP - SUNDAY, JAN. 18
