After the college basketball season came to an unceremonious end on Sunday, many sports fans throughout the state needed something to lift their spirits.

For some, thinking about the Packers' 2009 season is just the ticket.

The National Football League announced some marquee games during league meetings Monday in Dana Point, Calif. Among those are the Packers' season opener  -- a prime-time Sunday Night Football game against rival Chicago Sept. 13 at Lambeau Field -- and a Thanksgiving Day game Nov. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit.

The season opener will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on NBC and marks the first time the Packers have opened their season on Sunday night. (The team has played four Monday night openers and won them all, including a 24-19 victory over Minnesota last year).

The Packers have played in 32 Thanksgiving Day games, including 18 against Detroit. The division rivals played for 13 consecutive seasons on Thanksgiving, from 1951-63, before the league began rotating the Lions' Thanksgiving opponents.

The Packers most recently played in Detroit on Thanksgiving in 2007, a 37-26 Packers victory.

NFL officials expect to release the remainder of the schedule in April.