Rams Are Ready for Prime Time

The Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams, the last two Super Bowl winners, will play Sept. 4 in the first Monday night game of the 2000 NFL season.

That game in St. Louis and a Sunday night game in Buffalo between the Bills and the Tennessee Titans highlight the first weekend of the NFL season.

That second game is a reprise of the “Music City Miracle” in the first round of last season’s playoffs, won by the Titans on a late lateral and kickoff return.

The Rams’ opening game will be their first Monday night appearance since 1991.

The NFL was hurt last year by poor prime-time matchups late in the season because of the demise of several traditional powers. The league wants to ensure that won’t happen again. For the 2001 season, it is considering leaving some Monday nights open late in the year so it can show games with the most interest.

Another note of the volatility of the schedule. San Francisco, which fell to 4-12 last season, does not have a prime-time game for the first time since 1981.

* NFL SCHEDULE, PAGE 10