In what has become a recent tradition, the Super Bowl winner hosts the opening game three days before the full schedule begins.

"The Colts are the Super Bowl champions and New Orleans obviously was a terrific story on and off the field for the league," commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday at the NFL meetings. "We felt it's a great game to highlight during the 2007 season."

Also, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, is from New Orleans, and Manning was beaten out for the All-Pro quarterback spot by Saints QB Drew Brees last season.

The two national games for the full opening day of Sept. 9 will feature NFC champion Chicago at AFC West winner San Diego at 4:15 p.m. EDT, and the New York Giants at Dallas, both 2006 playoff teams, in the night game at 8:15 EDT.

As the league did a year ago, it scheduled a Monday night doubleheader to open the season. Baltimore will be at Cincinnati in the 7 p.m. EDT game, followed by Arizona at San Francisco at 10:15 p.m. EDT.

On Thanksgiving, Detroit's traditional home game will be against Green Bay at 12:30 p.m. EST. That will be followed by the New York Jets at Dallas at 4:15 p.m. EST.

The night game on Thanksgiving will have the Colts at Atlanta at 8:15 p.m., the first of the NFL Network's eight telecasts for late in the season.

Previously, the league scheduled the Miami Dolphins to host the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 28. It will be the NFL's first regular-season game outside North America.