Even with the NFL being one of the most unpredictable sporting leagues out there, the release of the regular season schedule each year always garnishes plenty of attention, and for good reason.  Though the schedule won’t provide a fan with a fail-proof blueprint to how many wins his/her team will end up with, there are still plenty of premier matchups that NFL fans are certainly going to circle on their calendar.  As with every year, the NFL has front-loaded the schedule with big-time matchups that will have fans itching to get the season underway.

The NFL season starts off with a rematch of the NFC Championship game between the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, which was one of the most watched events of the postseason.  Though Vikings quarterback Brett Favre hasn’t committed to returning for 2010, all signs point to his re-joining the team for another run at the Super Bowl.  Played on Thur., Sept. 9 on NBC, the matchup will certainly get the season started with some high-flying offense and big names – a combination that will get fans right back into the swing of football.  It’s also certainly a matchup that will easily sell <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(’/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.stubhub.com/nfl-tickets/”>NFL tickets</a>.

As expected, the Saints and Vikings will also be featured in plenty of primetime games.  The Saints will play in five primetime matchups, including several Sunday night matchups and a few Monday Night Football games that will be highly anticipated.  With the Atlanta Falcons looking to have a rebound season, the Dec. 27 matchup in Atlanta between the Saints and Falcons will almost certainly have big-time playoff implications.

The NFL also made a noteworthy effort to improve the quality of games on Thanksgiving.  In years past, the matchups have been very lopsided, though this shouldn’t be the case this year.  Though the New England/Detroit game could very likely be a blow out, Dallas will get a big test at home against the Saints.  2009 AFC North champ Cincinnati will also travel to New York to take on the Jets, who are expected to make another push towards the playoffs after a bevy of big moves in the offseason.

Other teams getting a myriad of primetime games include the Indianapolis Colts, the Patriots, the Cowboys and the Packers, with the theme clearly being high-octane offense.  With quarterback Aaron Rodgers set to move to the elite level of quarterbacks in 2010, the Packers will be an interesting team to watch all season long, and the NFL has certainly taken notice.  AFC West champ San Diego also received five primetime games for the season, aided by their overall talent and ability to put up points in bunches.

On the other end of the spectrum lie teams like the Buffalo Bills and the Oakland Raiders, two teams that do not have one scheduled game in primetime.  Though this could change late in the season once flex scheduling comes into play, neither team is expected to be in playoff contention and have offenses in shambles.  Other teams with no scheduled primetime games include the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – all teams expected to be in rebuilding mode at least through the 2010 season.

Though the schedule is mainly a tease for NFL fans itching to get the season underway, there are certainly some trends worthy of taking into consideration.  Once again the NFL has made it clear that the most interesting teams with the most firepower will get the sought-after primetime matchups, while at the same time making the other teams earn their right to play on the national stage.