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Originally Published: April 15, 2008

NFC East gets plenty of prime-time love

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By John Clayton
ESPN.com
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Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesTony Romo and the Cowboys will be seen in prime time a league-high five times in 2008.

Led by the Cowboys and the Eagles, the NFC East will play at night a league-best 17 games. Five of the 12 divisional matchups will be on prime time. The Giants have four night games. The Redskins have three.

The battle by the networks for the prime-time games is intense. All networks want the best games with the best teams. How much they are coveted is an indication of how experts rate the team.

For example, the networks stayed away from having the Lions, Falcons, Rams, Dolphins and Chiefs in their prime-time schedules, indicating those teams might not be good this season. The lightest division for prime-time games was the NFC West. The Seahawks have Sunday night games against the Bucs and Patriots. The 49ers play the Cardinals on Monday night on Nov. 10 and have a Thursday night game against the Eagles on Nov. 27.

That's it, only four NFC West appearances in prime time.

One of the problems this year is that two of the best teams -- New England and San Diego -- have nine combined games against teams who finished last season with .500 records or better. To get five prime-time appearances for the Patriots, the NFL Network grabbed a Thursday game against the Jets on Nov. 13. Although the Chargers have only four games against winning teams, the NFL Network grabbed a Thursday night game against the Raiders on Dec. 4 in order to have five prime-time Charger games.

Overall, the schedule is pretty fair. There is a nice balance of divisional games at the beginning and end of the season. The Bears are the only team to get the dreaded three-game road trip, playing the Packers, Rams and Vikings on the road from Nov. 16 through Nov. 30.

Here's the best, top to bottom.

1. New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts (Nov. 2)

This is still the most anticipated game of the season, and the marquee aspect of this series won't change until one of these teams doesn't win its division. The Patriots ended a three-game losing streak against the Colts last year with a 24-20 victory during the regular season. This will be the sixth straight season in which the teams have met during the regular season. The Patriots are 3-2 during those regular-season meetings, but what has been weird has been the location of the games. From 2004 to 2006, the regular-season games were held in New England. This will be the third consecutive regular-season meeting in Indianapolis.

2. New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers (Oct. 12)

It's pretty clear the biggest obstacle the Chargers must overcome is the Patriots. Two years ago, the Chargers finished 14-2 but lost their home, first-round playoff game to the Patriots, 24-21. Thereafter, Marty Schottenheimer lost his job as head coach. Norv Turner took over last year, but the Patriots again stood in the way, defeating the Chargers in the AFC Championship Game, 21-12. The Chargers get them at home this year, and a win could help their chance to meet the Pats in San Diego during the playoffs.

3. Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers (Nov. 23)

The Chargers have the Colts' number, and have won the past three meetings between the teams. The Chargers won a late-season game in 2005 after the Colts had clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Last November, the Chargers held off a late Peyton Manning rally to beat a banged-up Colts team, 23-21, in San Diego.

The Chargers' statement victory came in last season's playoffs, when they defeated the Colts, 28-24, at the RCA Dome. The Chargers have a physical, 3-4 defense that gives Manning and the Colts' offensive line problems. The Chargers' running attack and quarterback Philip Rivers have had success against the Colts' defense. A rivalry is building.

4. Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers (Sept. 21)

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers proved he could play in the NFL when he came off the bench to fill in for an injured Brett Favre in one of the most interesting Thursday night games of last season. The game was played in Dallas, and even though the Cowboys won (37-27), Rodgers won over many fans in his brief performance.

Now Rodgers has to see if he's good enough to beat the Cowboys as the Packers' starting quarterback. Even though reporters won't let Favre retire in peace because they keep asking him hypothetical questions about coming back, the Packers are now Rodgers' team. The question with Rodgers will be whether the Packers' offense will be as high-scoring without Favre.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts (Sept. 21)

The Jaguars must feel as though they are the Toronto Blue Jays of the NFL. The Blue Jays play in the American League East and have to concede the top two spots annually to the Red Sox and Yankees, two higher-profile teams that outspend them. The problem for the Jaguars isn't money -- it's Peyton Manning, who has won five of the past six games against the Jaguars.

Since the Colts joined the AFC South in 2002, Manning is 9-3 against the Jaguars. Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio and the organization have put money and resources behind starting quarterback David Garrard. This year, they have to see if Garrard can keep up with Manning on the scoreboard. Garrard's new $60 million contract at least puts him in Manning's tax bracket.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns (Sept. 14)

On paper, the Browns are making an argument that they finally have passed the Steelers as the top team in the AFC North. Last season, the Browns matched the Steelers with 10 regular-season wins but missed the playoffs because they had lost two games to Pittsburgh and lost other tiebreakers for a wild-card spot.

The key for the Browns is finally beating Pittsburgh on the field. The Steelers have dominated this series, winning the past nine games against the Browns. Since 1994, the Steelers are 21-3 against the Browns, including two playoff victories.

7. New England Patriots-New York Jets (Sept. 14 and Nov. 13)
The Bill Belichick-Eric Mangini rivalry only gets better. Last season opened with Spygate. The Jets caught a Patriots videographer taping signals during the first half of the opening game and turned them in. The Patriots lost a first-round pick, and Belichick was fined $500,000. Things could get interesting at the draft. The Jets select sixth, the Patriots seventh. Will the Jets keep Darren McFadden from the Patriots by taking him at No. 6 if he's available, or will linebacker Vernon Gholston end up in New York, preventing him from falling to New England? The Mangini-Belichick intrigue is the only thing going in this one-sided series. The Patriots have won nine of the past 10 games against the Jets.

8. New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys (Nov. 2 and Dec. 14)

We could have included all games within the NFC East. All four teams are playoff contenders. The Eagles will be better now that Donovan McNabb is entering his second season after major knee reconstruction. Jason Campbell looks like a winning quarterback with the Redskins. While the Cowboys might be the most talented team in the division (13 Pro Bowlers and possible addition of Pacman Jones), the Giants went to the Super Bowl and pulled one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history. The Cowboys won last year's regular-season meetings, 45-35 and 31-20, but that's before QB Eli Manning found his rhythm for New York.

9. Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers (Sept. 21)

The most interesting assistant coaching move of the offseason was the Lions' firing of Mike Martz as offensive coordinator. Detroit felt Martz didn't run the ball enough, so it will go to a run-oriented offense under the direction of new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto. The 49ers, who had a good running attack in 2006 with Frank Gore, desperately need to get QB Alex Smith going. They think Martz is the answer. This game will be a barometer as to which team made the right move. Both head coaches are on the hot seat.

10. Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 20)

The Ravens are a veteran defense and have a lot of old guys with long memories. They may want to make Dallas' Terrell Owens pay for his rejection of a trade to Baltimore in 2004. Of course, the other question is how many of these older guys -- Owens included -- will be healthy enough in Week 16 to play. If the Cowboys have clinched a playoff berth, will Owens even play?

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.