(Mike Roemer/AP)PHOENIX — The NFL, as part of its celebration of its 100th season, is breaking from the recent tradition of having the defending Super Bowl champion host the opening night game. The league announced Monday that the Chicago Bears will host the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 5 in the opening game of the 2019 season. The Thursday night game is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. Eastern time and is set to be televised by NBC. That’s when the league began to have the Super Bowl champ host the Thursday night opener. The league said that the New England Patriots, coming off a Super Bowl win in February over the Los Angeles Rams, will host the season’s first Sunday night game Sept. 8.

Source: Washington Post March 25, 2019 20:37 UTC