Dean Michaels

The NFL regular season returns this week and it's time to get "Back to Football"

That means the next five months will be packed with the sizzle and suspense that comes only with the National Football League.

America's favorite sport roars back into action Wednesday night (NBC, 8:30 PM ET) in the first game of NFL Kickoff 2012 Weekend.

This year's contest features the Super Bowl champion New York Giants hosting the division rival Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.

Everybody is ready for the unique unpredictability of the NFL. And every team enters the new season with hope.

Last year, nearly 67 percent of the games were within one score (eight points or fewer) in the fourth quarter. And for the 16th consecutive year, at least five teams made the playoffs after missing out the year before.

The 2012 season promises more of the same. It's time to get "Back to Football!"

Some NFL teams have excelled in openers. Here is a sampling of notable active NFL Kickoff streaks:

The Super Bowl XLVI champion NEW YORK GIANTS, who host Dallas in the spotlight Kickoff 2012 game on Wednesday night, have 49 wins in openers, the third-most in NFL history, and 49 victories in home openers, tied with Detroit and Green Bay for the second-most in league annals. The Giants, who travel to Carolina in Week 3, have 48 wins in road openers, the second-most in NFL history, and New York's 48-34-5 (.585) mark in road openers is the third-best in the league.

The DALLAS COWBOYS own a 34-17-1 (.663) record on Kickoff Weekend, the top mark in the NFL, including wins in a record 17 consecutive openers from 1965-81. The Cowboys, who open the season at the New York Giants in the first game of the 2012 season, have the league's best record in road openers at 32-20 (.615).

The GREEN BAY PACKERS, who host San Francisco in Week 1, have 52 wins on Kickoff Weekend, tied with Chicago for the most in league history. Green Bay has won its first regular-season game in each of the past five seasons, the second-longest active streak in the league. The Packers have 49 wins in home openers, tied with Detroit and the New York Giants for the second-most in NFL annals. Green Bay's five consecutive wins in home openers tie Washington for the longest such active streak in the NFC. Green Bay travels to Seattle in Week 3 and has 53 wins in road openers, the most in league history. The Packers are 53-36-2 (.596) in road openers, the second-best mark in the NFL, and have won six consecutive road openers, the longest active streak in the league.

The CHICAGO BEARS, who host Indianapolis on Kickoff Weekend, have 63 wins in home openers, the most in NFL history. The Bears boast a .716 winning percentage (63-25-4) in home openers, the top mark among NFC teams. Chicago has 52 wins on Kickoff Weekend, tied with Green Bay for the most in league history. The Bears, who visit Green Bay in Week 2, have 43 wins in road openers, the third-most in NFL annals.

The PITTSBURGH STEELERS, who travel to Denver on Sunday Night Football to kick off the season, have won 40 openers, the most among AFC teams. The Steelers have won eight of their past nine openers. Pittsburgh, which hosts the New York Jets in Week 2, has won nine consecutive home openers, the second-longest active streak in the league.

The DENVER BRONCOS, who host Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football to begin the season, own a .625 winning percentage (32-19-1) on Kickoff Weekend, the third-best mark in the NFL. Denver is 38-13-1 (.745) all-time in home openers, the best such winning percentage in the NFL.

The NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS have won 15 of their past 17 home openers and boast a perfect 10-0 record at Gillette Stadium, the longest active winning streak in home openers. The Patriots host Arizona in Week 2 and aim for their 11th consecutive win in a home opener. New England opens the season at Tennessee and the Patriots have won eight consecutive games on Kickoff Weekend, the longest active streak.

The JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS, who begin the season at Minnesota, are 11-6 (.647) on Kickoff Weekend, the second-best mark in the NFL.

The BALTIMORE RAVENS, who host Cincinnati on Monday Night Football to start the year, have won six consecutive home openers, the third-longest active streak in the NFL. Baltimore has won four consecutive games on Kickoff Weekend, the third-longest active streak in the league.

The INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, who open the 2012 campaign at Chicago, have 34 victories on Kickoff Weekend, the second most in the AFC.

The OAKLAND RAIDERS, who host San Diego on Monday Night Football on Kickoff Weekend, boast a .702 winning percentage (36-15-1) in home openers, which ranks third in the NFL.

The ARIZONA CARDINALS host Seattle on Kickoff Weekend, just the fifth time in the past 25 years the club has started the year at home. The Cardinals open the season at home in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1986-87.

The NEW YORK JETS open the season at home against Buffalo, marking just the 15th time in the past 53 openers the Jets have started the year at home.

HOME SWEET HOME: The DETROIT LIONS, who host St. Louis on Kickoff Weekend, have 49 wins in home openers, tied for the second-most in NFL history with Green Bay and the New York Giants … the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, who open the season at home against Atlanta, have won 15 of their past 23 home openers … the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS, who host Tennessee in Week 2, have won 12 of their past 19 openers at home … the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, who host Detroit in Week 2, have won 14 of their past 19 home openers … and the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, who host Dallas in Week 2, have won eight of their past nine home openers.

HEAD COACHES: Washington's MIKE SHANAHAN is 14-4 (.778) on Kickoff Weekend and his 14 wins are the most among active head coaches … in addition to Shanahan, three coaches -- BILL BELICHICK (11-6; .647) of New England, TOM COUGHLIN (10-6; .625) of the New York Giants and JEFF FISHER (10-6; .625) of St. Louis -- have won at least 10 Kickoff Weekend games and own an opening weekend winning percentage above .600 … brothers JOHN HARBAUGH (4-0) of the Ravens and JIM HARBAUGH (1-0) of the 49ers are the only active coaches with perfect records on Kickoff Weekend … and with five consecutive victories on Kickoff Weekend, Green Bay's MIKE MC CARTHY owns a .833 winning percentage in openers (5-1) to rank first among active head coaches (minimum five games).

As the 2012 NFL season kicks off, it comes packed with changes, quests and questions:

Can The Super Bowl Champion Giants Repeat?

It's tough. It's happened only eight times since the first Super Bowl in 1967. But the Giants are up for the challenge. "There's no doubt in my mind that we can repeat," says Giants linebacker MATHIAS KIWANUKA. New York also aims to become the fifth franchise to win three Super Bowls in a six-season span. "I feel the sky's the limit for this organization and team," says Giants wide receiver HAKEEM NICKS. "I feel like we can be at this level for a long time."

Milestones On The Horizon

Records are made to be broken … So what records will be set this year? Some milestones that can be reached this season: Denver QB PEYTON MANNING can become the first quarterback with 12 4,000-yard seasons and needs 22 passing TDs and 286 completions to move into second place all-time … New Orleans QB DREW BREES (43 games) needs to throw a TD pass in each of his next five games to surpass Johnny Unitas (47) for the most consecutive games with a passing TD … St. Louis RB STEVEN JACKSON needs 1,000 rush yards to become the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons … San Francisco WR RANDY MOSS is tied for second in NFL history with 153 receiving TDs and can move into sole possession of second … Atlanta TE TONY GONZALEZ needs 50 receptions to join Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history with 15 50-catch seasons … Green Bay CB CHARLES WOODSON needs one interception-return TD (11) to tie Rod Woodson (12) for the most all-time … And Chicago's DEVIN HESTER needs one return TD (18) to tie Deion Sanders (19) for the most in NFL history.

New Coaches/Players in New Places

There are seven new head coaches that were hired to lead their teams in 2012 -- DENNIS ALLEN in Oakland, ROMEO CRENNEL in Kansas City (interim for three games in 2011), JEFF FISHER in St. Louis, MIKE MULARKEY in Jacksonville, CHUCK PAGANO in Indianapolis, JOE PHILBIN in Miami and GREG SCHIANO in Tampa Bay. … And there are a lot of well-known players with new teams, including PEYTON MANNING with the Broncos; MARIO WILLIAMS & MARK ANDERSON with the Bills; BRANDON MARSHALL, MICHAEL BUSH & JASON CAMPBELL with the Bears; VINCENT JACKSON, CARL NICKS & DALLAS CLARK with the Buccaneers; MATT FLYNN & BRAYLON EDWARDS with the Seahawks; RANDY MOSS with the 49ers; TIM TEBOW &

LA RON LANDRY with the Jets; ASANTE SAMUEL with the Falcons; BEN GRUBBS & CURTIS LOFTON with the Saints; BRANDON CARR & KYLE ORTON with the Cowboys; DE MECO RYANS with the Eagles; and JEFF SATURDAY & CEDRIC BENSON with the Packers.

On-The-Field Trends in 2011

Scoring at a 46-year high … comebacks galore … passing soared … running backs impressed … young players made their mark … and surprise teams continued to emerge.

A record 11,356 points were scored, with games averaging 44.4 points, the highest average in 46 seasons (46.1 in 1965) … 2011 marked the first season in NFL history in which three different teams scored at least 500 points (Green Bay, 560; New Orleans, 547; New England, 513) … The league-wide passer rating (84.3) and TD-INT ratio (1.472:1) were both all-time bests … Games averaged an all-time high 693.7 total net yards per game and 459.4 net passing yards per game … There were 121 individual 300-yard passing games, the most in any season in NFL history, and a record number of individual 400-yard passing performances (18) … Three quarterbacks reached the 5,000-yard mark, more than the previous combined total in NFL history … A record three quarterbacks threw at least 40 touchdown passes; no other season in NFL history had more than one QB with 40+ TD passes...There were 18 games in which a team overcame a deficit of at least 14 points to win, the most in NFL history. And 11 times a team overcame a 17+ point deficit to win, also a single-season record. There were six games in which a team trailing by 20+ points rallied to win, the most all-time. The DETROIT LIONS became the first team in NFL history to win consecutive games in which the team trailed by at least 20 points in each contest … There were seven new division winners, the most such clubs since realignment in 2002 … Six teams made the playoffs that were not in the previous postseason, marking the 16th consecutive season in which at least five teams accomplished the feat … The HOUSTON TEXANS (AFC South) and DENVER BRONCOS (AFC West) rebounded to win their divisions after last-place finishes in 2010, marking the NFL-record ninth consecutive season a team went from "worst-to-first" in its division … And a record-tying six teams won at least 12 games.

New Rules

There are several new rules in 2012 with the primary focus on enhancing player safety.

Unnecessary roughness: Existing unnecessary roughness rules have been adjusted to expand protections for defensive players with regard to crackback blocks. All players who are protected from crackback blocks will now be considered defenseless players. In addition to contact below the waist, it will be illegal to forcibly block these players in the head or neck area or make forcible contact with the crown or forehead hairline part of the helmet to any part of body. All unnecessary roughness violations will result in a 15-yard penalty. Protections for the recipients of blindside blocks have also been clarified. Prior to 2012, a blindside block occurred when the blocker was moving towards his own end line and approached his opponent from behind or from the side. Beginning this season, the definition has been expanded to include situations in which a blocker is moving parallel with his own end line.

Instant replay: Only a replay official can initiate a review of certain turnovers, providing more flexibility to coaches in the use of their challenges while maintaining a healthy game pace. This applies if a play results in an interception, if a fumble or backward pass is recovered by an opponent or goes out of bounds through the end zone, or if a muffed scrimmage kick is recovered by the kicking team (successful onside kick).

Too many men in the formation: In the interest of competitive fairness, penalties for too many men in the formation have been changed to dead-ball fouls from live-ball infractions that did not prevent the snap. If a 12th player is not in the formation, game officials will permit the snap and the penalty will be enforced after the play. Violations of this rule result in five-yard penalties.

Overtime procedures for the preseason and regular season were also adjusted to be in line with the modified sudden-death system that has been in use for the playoffs the past two seasons.

There will also be points of emphasis on several existing rules this season (although the rules themselves have not changed). All rules that encourage player safety will continue to be strictly enforced, including unnecessary roughness fouls resulting from blows to the head by offensive and defensive linemen during close line play, horse-collar tackles, roughing the passer and hits on defenseless receivers. The focus will be on eliminating these tactics from the game.

Officials will also be instructed to pay close attention to situations in which a runner declares himself down by falling to the ground or kneeling and making no effort to advance the ball, thereby ending the play. A runner who goes to the ground untouched will be considered to have declared himself down if he does not make an immediate attempt to advance. If a runner makes an immediate effort to advance the ball, play will be allowed to continue.

The International NFL

For the sixth consecutive year, the NFL will play a regular-season overseas game in the United Kingdom when the St. Louis Rams face the New England Patriots at London's Wembley Stadium on October 28. Closer to home, the Buffalo Bills will host the Seattle Seahawks on December 16 in Toronto at the Rogers Centre.

NFL 2012 Week - Back to NFL Football!