NFL brings season’s greetings

Christmas in September has arrived, with the NFL finally kicking off its regular season this weekend, along with a full slate of college football, U.S. Open tennis and baseball playoff races.

Four NFL games will be shown locally Sunday, starting with two 10 a.m. showdowns between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears on Fox (5) and the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on CBS (8). The Denver Broncos do battle with the Baltimore Ravens in the afternoon game (1:25 p.m., CBS (8)) and the New York Giants will take on the Dallas Cowboys on "Sunday Night Football" (5:20 p.m., NBC (3)).

Whet your appetite for the NFL by watching the U.S. Open women's and men's semifinals today and three matchups of top-25 college football teams Saturday, along with UNLV hosting No. 13 UCLA and its true freshman phenom quarterback, Josh Rosen, in Rebels coach Tony Sanchez's first home game at Sam Boyd Stadium (7:30 p.m., CBSSN (333)).

TODAY

Tennis, U.S. Open, women's semifinals (8 a.m., ESPN (30)) and men's semifinals (2 p.m., ESPN (30)): After being rained out Thursday, Serena Williams continues her seemingly destined march to a Grand Slam against unseeded Roberta Vinci of Italy. In the men's semis, Roger Federer meets Swiss countryman Stan Wawrinka as he continues his quest for a record 18th Grand Slam title and his first since 2012. Federer, 34, is 16-3 vs. two-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka. The other men's semifinal pits world No. 1 Novak Djokovic against defending champion Marin Cilic.

BEST OF REST: Football: Utah State at No. 24 Utah (6 p.m., ESPN2 (31)); MLB: Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels (7 p.m., FSW (49)).

SATURDAY

No. 5 Oregon at No. 7 Michigan State (5:05 p.m., ABC (13)): Spartans senior quarterback Connor Cook will try to avenge last season's loss to the Ducks, who won 46-27 in Oregon to help fuel their run to the College Football Playoff. With Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota off to the NFL, Oregon's fate rests largely in the hands of quarterback Vernon Adams, a transfer from Eastern Washington, which passed at will against the Ducks in the season opener.

BEST OF REST: Football: No. 19 Oklahoma at No. 23 Tennessee (3 p.m., ESPN (30)), No. 22 Arizona at UNR (4 p.m., CBSSN (333)), No. 14 Louisiana State at No. 25 Mississippi State (6:15 p.m., ESPN (30)), No. 13 UCLA at UNLV (7:30 p.m., CBSSN (333)); Tennis: U.S. Open, women's final (noon, ESPN (30)).

SUNDAY

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (5:20 p.m., NBC (3)): Break out the crownies and lame jokes as "Arts and Craftsy" Tony Romo leads the Cowboys against "Bad Comedian" Eli Manning and the Giants. Dallas, which has won four straight in the rivalry, is looking to become the first team in 11 seasons to repeat as NFC East champions while New York is trying to avoid a third straight losing season. Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. are ready to rock, but New York will be without WR Victor Cruz and DE Jason Pierre-Paul and Dallas' running back committee is a question mark.

BEST OF REST: MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees (10 a.m., TBS (7)); NFL: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (10 a.m., Fox (5)), Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans (10 a.m., CBS (8)), Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos (1:25 p.m., CBS (8)); Tennis: U.S. Open, men's final (1 p.m., ESPN (30)).

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him: @tdewey33