NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The National Football League opens its 91st season Thursday with a rematch of one of the most exciting games of last season, Minnesota vs. New Orleans.

The defending champion Saints will host the Vikings to begin a season that will conclude Feb. 6 with the playing of Super Bowl XLV in the new home of the Dallas Cowboys.

New Orleans and Minnesota met in the Superdome Jan. 24 in the NFC Championship contest, the Saints winning thanks to Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime. Minnesota turned the ball over five times and suffered the setback despite managing more than twice as many first downs and almost twice as many yards as the Saints.

New Orleans went on to defeat Indianapolis for its first Super Bowl title.

Thursday's game will again feature quarterbacks Drew Brees and Brett Favre, who will turn 41 in October.

Brees led the No. 1 offense in the NFL last year, completing 70.6 percent of his passes for 4,388 yards. Favre had one of the best seasons of his two decade career, completing 4,202 yards worth of passes for 33 touchdowns (one less than Brees).

Indianapolis will begin its 2010 season Sunday in Houston. Sam Bradford, drafted with the No. 1 pick this year by the St. Louis Rams, will make his NFL quarterbacking debut at home against Arizona.

Tennessee, which missed the playoffs despite winning eight of its last 10 games a year ago, will be at home against Oakland. Pittsburgh, which missed the post-season after winning the Super Bowl the year before, will host Atlanta.

The first Sunday night game will send Dallas to Washington, where Donovan McNabb will make his first start for the Redskins and Mike Shanahan will make his coaching debut for the team.

Two games will be played on Monday night -- Baltimore at the New York Jets and San Diego at Kansas City.