Denver Opens New Stadium Against Giants

For the fourth consecutive season, the Denver Broncos will open on “Monday Night Football,” this time for the first regular-season game in their new stadium.

Denver will play host to the NFC champion New York Giants on Sept. 10 at the new Invesco Field at Mile High. The Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, who open at home Sept. 9 against Chicago, will play NFC runner-up Minnesota in Baltimore the following Monday night.

As usual, the best teams from last season got the most prime-time slots--the Ravens and Giants each are on “Monday Night Football” three times.

Baltimore’s last appearance, against Tampa Bay, is actually on Saturday, Dec. 29 because Monday night is New Year’s Eve.

Tennessee at Oakland on Dec. 22 is also considered a Monday night game so as not to conflict with Christmas.

St. Louis and Tennessee, the Super Bowl teams from two seasons ago, are the only others with three Monday night games.

*

Former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman is joining Fox Sports as a game analyst, filling Matt Millen’s slot on the network’s No. 2 NFL announcing team, the Associated Press reported. . . . New Orleans Saint owner Tom Benson, 73, who underwent bypass surgery last week, was readmitted to the hospital because of an increased heart rate.

Cornerback Todd Lyght, formerly of the Rams, has signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions. . . . Michael Smith, a linebacker who played for Cleveland Coach Butch Davis in college at Miami, signed a two-year contract with the Browns. . . . The Washington Redskins signed punter Bryan Barker, who had spent the past six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

*

NFL SCHEDULES, D12