New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - The NFL has announced its 17-week, 256-game regular-season schedule for 2009 and it will kick off on Thursday, September 10 when the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans, who posted an NFL-best 13-3 record last season.

Kickoff weekend also features 13 Sunday games, highlighted by the prime-time matchup featuring the Chicago Bears against the Green Bay Packers. Sunday's action also includes the NFC champion Arizona Cardinals, who will welcome the 49ers to the desert.

For the fourth straight season, the opening Monday night has a doubleheader with Buffalo visiting New England and Oakland hosting San Diego.

The Dallas Cowboys will christen their brand-new stadium in a nationally televised Sunday night contest against the division-rival New York Giants on September 20.

Byes begin on the season's fourth weekend, which also features a Sunday night clash between the three-time AFC West Division champion Chargers and Pittsburgh in the Steel City.

Thanksgiving features the traditional games hosted by Detroit and Dallas. The Lions will welcome the Green Bay Packers, while the Oakland Raiders visit the Cowboys. In a Turkey Day nightcap, the Denver Broncos will play host to the New York Giants.

Two more highlights in the schedule come in late October and early December when the NFL continues its international series of regular-season games. On October 25 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Patriots, while the NFL will venture north to Canada for a second consecutive season when the Bills host the New York Jets in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on December 3.

There is an intriguing matchup late in the regular season when Denver and former Eagle Brian Dawkins travel to the City of Brotherly Love two days after Christmas. The hard-hitting safety and seven-time Pro Bowl selection spent his previous 13 seasons with Philadelphia, the franchise that drafted him in 1996. Dawkins inked a lucrative contract with the Broncos in the offseason.

Wild card weekend is set for January 9-10, with the Divisional playoffs the following weekend. The AFC and NFC championship games will be played Sunday, January 24.

The final two contests of the season will be held at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida. On Sunday, January 31, the Pro Bowl will be played in advance of the Super Bowl for the first time as part of Super Bowl week festivities. Super Bowl XLIV is scheduled for February 7.