Breaking down NFL slates

Thursday night saw the NFL and its broadcast partners release the new schedule for the upcoming season, with a lineup that will see both the Giants and Cowboys slated for the most primetime games, each with six. FOX Sports, home of Super Bowl LI, launches its 23rd season and a schedule of 102 games with America’s Game of the Week beginning Sept. 11 featuring a battle between the Giants/Cowboys at 4:25p. Other matchups for the franchise will include Cowboys/49ers in Week 4, Cowboys/Packers in Week 6, Cardinals/Panthers in Week 8 and Cowboys/Steelers in Week 10. The network’s traditional FOX NFL Thanksgiving Day game will pit the Redskins/Cowboys on Nov. 24 at 4:30p.

Meanwhile, NBC comes out with two primetime packages this season with both Sunday Night Football and its new Thursday Night Football lineup for an overall tally of 24 NFL games during the 2016 regular season. The action begins on Sept. 8 with a Super Bowl 50 rematch between the Panthers/Broncos followed by the Sunday Night Football opener on Sept. 11 pitting the Patriots/Cardinals. Overall, the lineup will see four NBC games each for Seahawks and Cowboys with three games apiece for Broncos, Patriots, Panthers, Packers, Steelers, Giants, and Chiefs. Other highlights will include a trip to Minnesota’s new U.S. Bank Stadium on Sept 18 with Packers/Vikings. Elsewhere, the Raiders host their first-ever NBC SNF game on Nov. 6, facing the Broncos.

As for Thursday Night Football, the package, complete with new partners NBC and Twitter and veterans CBS and NFL Network, will see 18 games on deck beginning Sept. 15 with Bills/Jets on CBS, simulcast on NFL Network and streamed on Twitter. CBS and NBC are each scheduled to broadcast five Thursday Night Football games, while NFL Network scheduled to televise an additional eight games — including two Saturday games and two Sunday games. Twitter will stream the 10 Thursday Night Football games broadcast by CBS and NBC. NBC’s rotation launches on Nov. 17 with Saints/Panthers and runs through Dec. 8.

CBS’s Sunday package of games kicks off on Sept. 11 with Browns/Eagles; Bengals/Jets; Bills/Ravens; Chargers/Chiefs; and Dolphins/Seahawks and includes matchups such as Bengals/Cowboys on Oct. 9, Patriots/Steelers on Oct. 23 and Colts/Packers on Nov. 6 in the 4:25p window with a Thanksgiving Day game lining up Vikings/Lions on Nov. 24.

Finally, ESPN’s MNF roster begins with a doubleheader on Sept. 12 spotlighting the Steelers/Redskins and Rams/49ers and continues from there with matchups that include the Monday Night in Mexico City game on Nov. 21 pitting the Texans/Raiders. Overall, eight teams have two appearances each on the slate: Panthers, Bears, Texans, Vikings, Giants, Jets, Eagles and Redskins. ESPN Deportes will once again offer a Spanish-language production of MNF games in 2016.

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