The New England Patriots will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season debut of Sunday Night Football on Sept. 8, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
The NFL had already selected the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers to open the 2019 regular-season schedule on Thursday, Sept. 5.
In recent years, the league had reserved the Patriots-Steelers rivalry for the latter portion of the schedule, with playoff positions typically up for grabs in those matchups.
The Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, and Cleveland Browns were also reportedly considered for the Week 1 tilt versus the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.
New England is expected to be featured in four other prime-time games in 2019.
New England has five primetime games:
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 17, 2019
- Sept 8 vs Pitt
-Oct 10 vs Giants (Thursday)
-Oct 21 at Jets (MNF)
-Nov. 3 at Baltimore
-Dec. 1 at Houston
The NFL will unveil the entire schedule for all 32 teams Wednesday evening.
