The National Football League officially announced its 2008 schedule on Tuesday. The Chiefs schedule features five games against four teams that qualified for the 2007 playoffs, including a season opener at the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots on September 7th. The Chiefs will also play two games against AFC West champion San Diego, while hosting NFC South winner Tampa Bay and AFC Wild Card qualifier Tennessee.
The Chiefs will open the regular season on the road for the second straight season with their trip to New England. Kansas City will then face the AFC West rival Oakland Raiders for the home opener at Arrowhead on September 14th. After traveling to Atlanta in Week Three for the first time since the 2000 season finale, the Chiefs return home to play Denver on September 28th.
October opens with Kansas City’s first regular season visit to Carolina since ’97 before the Chiefs enjoy their bye week on October 12th. Tennessee will be at Arrowhead Stadium on October 19th before the Chiefs travel to the N.Y. Jets for the second straight season.
Tampa Bay will make its first trip to Arrowhead since ’86 with a November 2nd appointment in Kansas City. That game will break the second-longest current streak an NFL team has gone without traveling to an opponent. The Chiefs will travel to the defending AFC West champion San Diego Chargers on November 9th and also host the Chargers on December 14th. Kansas City will enjoy back-to-back home contests against New Orleans and Buffalo prior to embarking on an AFC West road swing through Oakland and Denver. Those two away games coincide with the dates that Arrowhead Stadium is hosting both the Kansas vs. Missouri college football game on November 30th and the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship Game on December 7th.
The Miami Dolphins come to Kansas City for the first time since in 2002 on December 21st before the Chiefs close out their regular season slate with a trip to Cincinnati on December 28th. The Chiefs have hosted the Bengals in three straight seasons, but will visit Cincinnati for the first time since 2003.
PRESEASON
Thurs.-Mon., Aug. 7-11 at Chicago Bears
Thurs.-Mon., Aug. 14-18 ARIZONA CARDINALS
Thurs.-Mon., Aug. 21-25 at Miami Dolphins
Thurs., Aug. 28 ST. LOUIS RAMS 7 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
Sun., Sept. 7 at New England Patriots
Sun., Sept. 14 OAKLAND RAIDERS
Sun., Sept. 21 at Atlanta Falcons
Sun., Sept. 28 DENVER BRONCOS
Sun., Oct. 5 at Carolina Panthers
Sun., Oct. 12 BYE
Sun., Oct. 19 TENNESSEE TITANS
Sun., Oct. 26 at New York Jets
Sun., Nov. 2 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Sun, Nov. 9 at San Diego Chargers
Sun., Nov. 16 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Sun., Nov. 23 BUFFALO BILLS
Sun., Nov. 30 at Oakland Raiders
Sun., Dec. 7 at Denver Broncos
Sun., Dec. 14 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Sun., Dec. 21 MIAMI DOLPHINS
Sun., Dec. 28 at Cincinnati Bengals
