After the Super Bowl, a Big Couple of Firsts for the NFL

It's off to Sin City for the Super Bowl, then the Land of Drizzle for the first week of the NFL's next season. Fox News reports that the Philadelphia Eagles are heading to Brazil for a Week 1 game, against a still-to-be-announced competitor, the league's first game ever in South America. The Sept. 6 matchup, set to take place at Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena, will mark another big occasional for the NFL: It's the first time in more than a half-century that the league has hosted an opening weekend game on a Friday night.

That game took place on Sept. 18, 1970, between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. The Brazil game will take place a day after the season opener. "This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement, per the NFL. "Playing on Friday night of Week 1 is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions." The AP notes that five games during the upcoming regular season will be played abroad, with the Bears, Vikings, and Jaguars headed to the UK, and the Panthers playing in Germany. (More NFL stories.)