With the 2005-2006 NFL schedule being released recently, it's time to look at what's in store for us. It's too tough to go through and talk about every potentially great game, so I'll give my opinion on every Monday Night Football game, the opening game of the season, the Thanksgiving games, the Christmas games, and the last game of the season. Although the Colts, Patriots, Eagles and Falcons seem to have the most prime-time games, some teams were able to get a well-deserved appearance.

Week 1
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 - OAKLAND AT NEW ENGLAND, 9:00
A great way to kick off the season allows the Super Bowl champions to take on the Oakland Raiders. This makes the second straight year that the Patriots will have played in the first game of the season. Last year, they beat the Colts in a close game. The Raiders weren't too good last year, but the additions of LaMont Jordan and Randy Moss make them a dangerous team since no one knows how well Moss will do in Raider Nation. It'll be tough for the Raiders to beat the Patriots though, especially on their home field.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 - PHILADELPHIA AT ATLANTA, 9:00
Our first Monday Night game of the year brings us a re-match of the NFC Championship game. It'll be a great chance to see if the McNabb to Owens combination stays hot for another year, but the biggest question will be on the Falcons side. Will Michael Vick be able to throw the football? Until he is able to do that successfully, it'll be hard for the Falcons to win the big one.

Week 2
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 - WASHINGTON AT DALLAS, 9:00
This has always been a nice rivalry, and it will be displayed on Monday Night. Bill Parcells will take on Joe Gibbs in a battle of classic coaches. The Cowboys have acquired Drew Bledsoe this season and may finally be able to have a spark on offense to win some more games. The Redskins have had a good defense, but their offense needs to get going this year.

Week 3
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 - KANSAS CITY AT DENVER, 9:00
Week three follows up with another good division rivalry. The Chiefs could be a dangerous team this year after adding several defensive players. The Chiefs finished the season strong last year without a good defense and without Priest Holmes, and they are looking to make an impact. The Broncos just need to worry about possibly facing Peyton Manning in the playoffs again.

Week 4
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3 - GREEN BAY AT CAROLINA, 9:00
This may be Brett Favre's last season, so this will be the last year to see Favre make some Monday Night highlights. It may be tough to do on the road against a Carolina team that nearly made the playoffs last season despite having massive injuries.

Week 5
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10 - PITTSBURGH AT SAN DIEGO, 9:00
The Steelers and Chargers could be two of the AFC's top teams, and it will be a playoff matchup that we didn't get to see last year. Ben Roethlisberger will have to show that he's no longer a rookie - if that's possible after not losing a regular season game last year. Drew Brees will also have to showcase that he can continue the best year of his career.

Week 6
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17 - ST LOUIS AT INDIANAPOLIS, 9:00
This will be the first of three Indianapolis Monday Nighters this season. Both teams will have explosive offenses, and this could be one of the seasons highest scoring games. The Rams have made efforts at improving their defensive unit, but it seems that only one team has been able to stop Peyton Manning(I think we know which team that is).

Week 7
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24 - NY JETS AT ATLANTA, 9:00
Michael Vick returns to Monday Night again, this time against Pennington and the Jets. If the Jets can provide more consistent offense, they could be one of the elite teams in the league. If Vick hasn't become a better passer by this time in the season, it'll be the second time he looked bad on a nationally televised Monday game.

Week 8
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31 - BALTIMORE AT PITTSBURGH, 9:00
Boo. This will be the second straight season the Steelers play on Halloween. Last year, they were able to end the Patriots long winning streak. This year, they go against the scary Ravens defense featuring Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. With the addition of Derrick Mason, the Ravens hope to have a better passing game this season.

Week 9
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7 - INDIANAPOLIS AT NEW ENGLAND, 9:00
This is the game I'm looking forward to the most this season. It'll be time to see what the true reason behind Manning not beating New England is. Is it Bellicheck? Was it Romeo Crennel? Or is it simply Peyton Manning beating himself?

Week 10
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14 - DALLAS AT PHILADELPHIA, 9:00
This will be a huge division game for the Cowboys going up against McNabb and the Eagles. Not much else I can say about this game...

Week 11
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21 - MINNESOTA AT GREEN BAY, 9:00
This is another great game. Not only did both teams play three great games last season, but they played heart thrilling games until the end. It could be one of Favre's biggest games as well, since a win over the Vikings could determine whether Favre will lead the Packers to the playoffs.

Week 12
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24 - ATLANTA AT DETROIT, 12:30
It's Thanksgiving time, and I'm sure Detroit fans aren't too happy to see that they're playing Atlanta. The nation could be watching Vick run wild over Detroit, or perhaps see Detroit pull the upset and stop Vick. Only time will tell.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24 - DENVER AT DALLAS, 4:15
Denver will be the lone AFC team playing on Thanksgiving. Dallas should be pumped, making things tough for the Broncos.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28 - PITTSBURGH AT INDIANAPOLIS, 9:00
I thought that this would be the AFC Championship game last year, but I was wrong. I wanted to see this game so bad last year, but I'll have to wait until week 11 to see it this year. Not too many teams could beat the Steelers defense last year, and I would love to see Peyton Manning pick apart this talented group.

Week 13
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5 - SEATTLE AT PHILADELPHIA, 9:00
If you're the Seahawks, all your hoping for is that Seattle has learned how to catch the football this year. When the receivers finally start making catches, the Seahawks can establish themselves as a threat. At this time of the season, Owens may have enough touchdowns to see Andy Reid in a body suit(no way Reid would accept that bet again).

Week 14
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12 - NEW ORLEANS AT ATLANTA, 9:00
Year after year the Saints have been inconsistent. Last year, they finally showed some consistency at the end of the season. They were a Rams loss away from being in the playoff in fact. That earns them a Monday Night game against the Falcons. At this time of the season, the Saints hope to be competing for the division title.

Week 15
MONDAY, DECEMBER 19 - GREEN BAY AT BALTIMORE, 9:00
This could be Favre's last Monday Night game of his career, and he may need some magic in this one. On the road against the Ravens defense is tough for anyone. If anyone can pull it off though, it would be Brett Favre.

Week 16
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 - CHICAGO AT GREEN BAY, 5:00
Favre will get yet another nationally televised game, this time on Christmas day. The Bears played the Packers tough last season and hope to have added the tools they need to be a better offensive team.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 - MINNESOTA AT BALTIMORE, 8:30
The Vikings could be fighting for their playoff lives, hoping that the Packers lost the earlier game. Likewise, the Ravens will likely be fighting for their playoff chances this late in the season.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26 - NEW ENGLAND AT NY JETS, 9:00
Although the Patriots seem to own their division now, the Jets gave them a run for their money last year. If the Patriots lose an extra game this season, the Jets could be eyeing the division title in this game.

Week 17
SUNDAY, JANUARY 1 - ST LOUIS AT DALLAS, 8:30
This is just a regular ESPN game, but it's the last game of the NFL season. The Rams could be competing for the playoffs, but I think the Cowboys will be fighting for pride at this time of the season.

It should be a great NFL season. There are so many great games that I've talked about, but there are also so many that I couldn't get to. It feels weird talking about these games when they are still months away, but I'll just have to be patient. September 8th - Oakland and New England; mark your calendars.

-Chris Pokorny