2012 : Similar to the situation in 2008 , the NFL was faced with the prospect of having to compete with a national political convention , this time the Democratic National Convention . Instead of moving the kickoff to 7:00 p.m. like in 2008 , or even opening up the season on a Thursday like in past years , the league instead decided to move the 2012 Kickoff Game one day earlier to Wednesday , September 5 . The New York Giants , winner of Super Bowl XLVI , hosted their rivals , the Dallas Cowboys
Democratic National Convention
2012 Democratic National Convention
NFL Kickoff Game