National Football League Kickoff game

The NFL Kickoff game logo used for 2016; the year is updated annually, with the new NFL Shield logo being used for the first time in 2009. In 2015, an alternate black and gold version of the logo was used.

The National Football League Kickoff game, along with related festivities, marks the official start of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the season is usually scheduled for the Thursday following Labor Day and hosted by the previous season's Super Bowl champions. However, in 2012, the game was moved to Wednesday to prevent conflicts with the acceptance speech of the Democratic National Convention.[1] The remainder of the league plays their opening weekend games the following Sunday and Monday.

The Kickoff Game was introduced in the 2002 season. From 2004 onward, the defending Super Bowl champion has played in the kickoff game every year, and hosted the game in all but one year (2013 being the lone exception, in which the champion played on the road because of a stadium conflict).[2]

History

The Kickoff Game was introduced in the 2002 season, under the leadership of then-NFL marketing executive John Collins and then-NFL Senior Vice President of Special Events Jim Steeg. It was conceived as an effort to boost economic recovery in the New York and Washington areas in the wake of 9/11. It was considered a success, increasing NFL sponsorships by $1.9 billion over the next 14 months.[3]

ESPN televised the first game. In order to do so, ESPN eliminated its traditional late-October Thursday night game (held the weekend of Games 1 and 2 of the World Series), and replaced it with the opening night kickoff game. Because of the success of the first game, the rights to televise both the Kickoff Game and the pregame concert were transferred immediately after the season to ABC as part of their Monday Night Football package. In 2006, NBC acquired the television rights to the Kickoff Game as part of their Sunday Night Football package.

The concept of the NFL champion playing in an opening game was not altogether new, however. From 1934 to 1976, the first game of the pre-season was the Chicago All-Star Game, an exhibition match featuring the previous season's NFL champions against an all-rookie team of college all-stars held annually in Soldier Field in Chicago.

After the merger of the NFL with the All-America Football Conference in 1949, the opening game of the 1950 NFL season was a Saturday night showcase game between the NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles and the AAFC champion Cleveland Browns. Billed as the "The World Series of Pro Football" the game matched the 4-time champion Browns against the 2-time champion Eagles and with an attendance of 71,000 was one of the largest pro football crowds to that date.

With the advent of Monday Night Football in 1970 it became common for the Super Bowl champion to appear in a "showcase" game the first weekend of the season. This was the case in 1978–1979, 1983, 1987–1988, 1990–1993, 1996–2000, and 2002–2003.

Defending Super Bowl champions are 11–2 in the Kickoff Game. The New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens are the two only defending Super Bowl champions to have lost. The Giants are also the only home team to have lost in the Kickoff Game twice - once in the very first edition of the contest, when the defending Super Bowl winner was not yet a regular participant, and again in 2012.

Selected details

2003: The game's popularity and success saw it move to ABC as part of the Monday Night Football package. In order for the kickoff game to fit into the schedule, ABC dropped the Monday Night Football game held in the last week of the NFL season. This game had become increasingly unpopular because it often lacked playoff significance, and because it was not desired that a team playing on Monday night in week 17 might have to play a playoff game the following Saturday. In return, ESPN (which, like ABC, is owned by Disney) received a week 17 Saturday night game. While defending Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay were not selected for the Thursday night game, they did play a nationally-televised game at Philadelphia four nights later on MNF. Instead, the Washington Redskins defeated the New York Jets 16-13.

2004: The tradition began that the kickoff game would be hosted by the defending Super Bowl champions. After the "wardrobe malfunction" incident at Super Bowl XXXVIII, the NFL initially canceled future plans for concerts in conjunction with the NFL Kickoff game.[4] Later in the year, however, the decision was reversed, and instead a 10-second broadcast delay was put in place.[5]

2006: With the change in television contracts, the Kickoff Game was moved to NBC, who held the rights to Sunday Night Football. The game opposite the first weekend of World Series games was once again removed to compensate. (The Monday night game at the end of the season, however, was not revived. Instead, after an impromptu experiment in 2005, a Monday night doubleheader was scheduled for the same weekend as the kickoff game.)

2008: The league and NBC agreed to move up the opening kickoff of the kickoff game, to 7:00 p.m., in order for coverage of the Republican National Convention to not compete with the game. That game featured the Redskins and Giants. The game was also be the first to be carried by Internet television in the United States, as did all Sunday Night Football games in the 2008 season.[6]

2010: The Saints, winners of Super Bowl XLIV, hosted the kickoff game at the Superdome against the Vikings, a rematch of the previous season's NFC Championship Game. There was consideration of a match-up against the Steelers (to create a contest between the last two Super Bowl champions) but it did not come to fruition due to various logistical reasons.[7]

2011: The Packers hosted the 2011 Kickoff Game after winning Super Bowl XLV. They defeated the New Orleans Saints, a match-up of the winners of the two previous Super Bowls, the first time this has occurred. The Saints are only the second team to have played in two consecutive kickoff games, and the first to do so not by winning two consecutive Super Bowls. In the third quarter, the Packers' Randall Cobb returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown, tying the NFL record for the longest such return.

2012: Similar to the situation in 2008, the NFL was faced with the prospect of having to compete with the Democratic National Convention. Instead of moving the kickoff to 7:00 p.m. like in 2008, or even opening up the season on a Thursday like in past years, the league instead decided to move the 2012 Kickoff Game one day earlier to Wednesday, September 5. The New York Giants, winner of Super Bowl XLVI, hosted their rivals, the Dallas Cowboys.[8]

2013: After winning Super Bowl XLVII, the Baltimore Ravens were originally slated to host the 2013 Kickoff Game on September 5. However, due to a scheduling conflict with the Baltimore Orioles, whose stadium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, shares parking with the Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens instead played on the road against the Denver Broncos.[9] The 2013 Kickoff game was a rematch of the previous season's AFC Divisional Playoff game. During this game, Peyton Manning became one of only six players to have thrown seven touchdowns in a single game. He added to this feat by doing it without throwing an interception, something that has only been done once before by Y.A. Tittle during the 1962 NFL season. The Ravens also had the most points scored against them in franchise history. They also suffered the biggest margin of defeat by a defending Super Bowl champion on opening day in NFL history.

2015: The New England Patriots, after winning Super Bowl XLIX, hosted the 2015 Kickoff Game on September 10 at Gillette Stadium, with the Pittsburgh Steelers as their opponent. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was originally not going to play due to his four-game suspension as a result of his involvement in the Deflategate scandal, but a court threw out the suspension on September 3, 2015 and ordered the league to let him play.[10] It also marked the first time NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did not attend a Kickoff Game, stating that he did not want to be a distraction.

2016: The Denver Broncos hosted the 2016 Kickoff Game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High against the Carolina Panthers on September 8, in a Super Bowl 50 rematch. (As the Republican and Democratic conventions were both scheduled for July 2016, there will be no scheduling conflict with them as there was in 2008 and 2012, nor are there conflicts with any other sports team in Denver that night.) The Broncos debuted Trevor Siemian as their new starting quarterback after both quarterbacks who started games in 2015 left the team; Peyton Manning (who played the entirety of Super Bowl 50) retired and Brock Osweiler left as a free agent.

Results

Season Date Visitors Score Home Score Location Network
2002*September 5San Francisco 49ers 16 New York Giants 13 Giants StadiumESPN
2003*September 4New York Jets13Washington Redskins16FedEx FieldABC
2004September 9Indianapolis Colts24New England Patriots27Gillette StadiumABC
2005September 8Oakland Raiders 20 New England Patriots30Gillette StadiumABC
2006September 7Miami Dolphins17Pittsburgh Steelers 28Heinz FieldNBC
2007September 6New Orleans Saints10Indianapolis Colts41RCA DomeNBC
2008September 4Washington Redskins7New York Giants16Giants StadiumNBC
2009September 10Tennessee Titans10Pittsburgh Steelers13Heinz FieldNBC
2010September 9Minnesota Vikings9New Orleans Saints14Louisiana SuperdomeNBC
2011September 8New Orleans Saints34Green Bay Packers42Lambeau FieldNBC
2012**September 5Dallas Cowboys24New York Giants17MetLife StadiumNBC
2013+September 5Baltimore Ravens27Denver Broncos49Sports Authority Field at Mile HighNBC
2014September 4Green Bay Packers16Seattle Seahawks36CenturyLink FieldNBC
2015September 10Pittsburgh Steelers 21 New England Patriots 28 Gillette StadiumNBC
2016September 8 Carolina Panthers 20 Denver Broncos 21 Sports Authority Field at Mile High NBC

Winning team and score labeled in bold.

* – Game was not yet hosted by the defending Super Bowl champions.
** – Game played on a Wednesday instead of the usual Thursday.
+ - Defending Super Bowl champions played on road due to scheduling conflict with MLB.

Overtime Result

Standings

Team GP W L T Pct. PF PA
New England Patriots33001.0008565
Denver Broncos22001.0007047
Dallas Cowboys11001.0002417
Seattle Seahawks11001.0003616
San Francisco 49ers11001.0001613
Pittsburgh Steelers3210.6676255
Indianapolis Colts2110.5006537
Green Bay Packers2110.5005870
Washington Redskins2110.5002329
New Orleans Saints3120.3335892
New York Giants3120.3334647
Baltimore Ravens1010.0002749
Carolina Panthers1010.0002021
Miami Dolphins1010.0001728
Minnesota Vikings1010.000914
New York Jets1010.0001316
Oakland Raiders1010.0002030
Tennessee Titans1010.0001013

Pre-game concerts

Britney Spears performs on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., September 4, 2003

Television ratings

Year Network Household Rating/share Viewers (live plus same day) Ref.
2002ESPN7.6 10.8 million [25]
2003ABC12.9/22 19.2 million [25]
2004ABC11.4/20 16.9 million [25]
2005ABC11.7/21 18.0 million [25]
2006NBC12.6/21 19.2 million [25]
2007NBC11.5/20 17.8 million [25]
2008 NBC 8.6/15 13.5 million [25]
2009 NBC 12.8/22 20.9 million [25]
2010 NBC 16.5/28 27.5 million [25]
2011NBC 16.0 27.2 million [25]
2012NBC14.7 23.9 million [25]
2013NBC14.9 25.1 million [25]
2014NBC15.5 26.9 million [25]
2015NBC16.2 27.4 million [25]
2016NBC14.6/27 25.2 million [26]

References

  1. "NFL season-opener to be held Wednesday, Sept. 5". National Football League. February 28, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  2. Maske, Mike (March 22, 2013). "Ravens to play NFL's season-opening game on the road". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  3. Bloomberg: "NHL Borrows From NFL as It Pursues Bigger TV Contract"
  4. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/7158058
  5. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/quickie?date=040908
  6. Sunday Night Football to be streamed LIVE. NBCSports.com. 28 July 2008.
  7. Bouchette, Ed (March 19, 2010). "Rooney: Steelers won't open in New Orleans". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  8. "Giants to host NFC East rival Cowboys in 2012 season opener". NFL.com. 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  9. McIntyre, Brian (April 18, 2013). "Broncos, Ravens to kick off NFL's 2013 regular season". Retrieved April 18, 2013.
  10. Orr, Conor (September 3, 2015). "Judge nullifies Tom Brady's four-game suspension". National Football League. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  11. (1) "Message concerning passage of Senate amendment to HR2691, 108th United States Congress". National Coalition to Save Our Mall Inc. 2003-09-24. Archived from the original on 2012-12-29. Retrieved 2012-12-29. External link in |publisher= (help)
    (2) "Sec. 145" (PDF). Public Law 108-108: Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 (pdf). Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 2003-11-10. pp. 117 Stat. 1280 – 117 Stat. 1281. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  12. "Thousands pack Downtown to start NFL in style". IndyStar.com. 2007-09-07. Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  13. National Football League (2008-08-12). "Keith Urban and Usher to headline NFL's Kickoff celebration from NYC". NFL.com. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  14. National Football League (2009-09-10). "Kickoff Concert - Tim Mcgraw and The Black Eyed Peas Concert". NFL.com. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  15. "Dave Matthews, Taylor Swift to Play at NFL Kickoff Concert". WGRZ.com. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  16. "Party in the works for NFL Kickoff at Lambeau Field". WFRV-TV. 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  17. "NFL Kickoff concert preps underway". WLUK-TV. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  18. Hiestand, Michael (September 7, 2011). "Obama speech shifts NBC NFL pregame". USA Today. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  19. "'NFL Kickoff 2011 presented by EA Sports' to celebrate Packers". National Football League. August 30, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  20. "NFL legends participating in pregame". Fox 11. September 7, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  21. Chase, Chris (2013-09-06). "Ryan Seacrest and the NFL did their best to ruin opening night". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  22. "'2014 NFL Kickoff presented by Xbox' to start NFL Season". National Football League. August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  23. "Kick the season off right in San Francisco". National Football League. August 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  24. NFL Communications: NFL Kickoff 2016 Press Release. Retrieved on 15 August 2016.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "NFL Kickoff Finals: Patriots Generate Near-Record Rating For Opener". SportsMediaWatch. 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  26. "NBC's "NFL Kickoff" Game Tops 25 Million Viewers For Fourth Consecutive Year". NBC Sports Pressbox. 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
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