FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) – The New England Patriots begin their quest for a fourth Super Bowl title in five years by hosting the Oakland Raiders in the NFL’s Sept. 8 season kickoff.

The NFL’s 2005 schedule was released Wednesday and has New England facing both its opponents from last season’s AFC playoffs and its 2004 Super Bowl opponent, the Carolina Panthers. The Patriots will not play 2005 Super Bowl rival Philadelphia during the regular season, however.

New England plays at Pittsburgh in Week 3 in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game. The Patriots host Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in a Monday Night Football game on Nov. 7, a rematch of New England’s second-round playoff victory last January.

The Patriots will appear in at least five nationally televised games, including the Raiders game being broadcast by ABC from Gillette Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 8.

It will be Oakland’s first visit to Foxboro since the “Snow Bowl” game in the 2001 divisional playoffs, when the Patriots’ 16-13 overtime win was highlighted by the infamous “tuck rule” call that led the NFL to review its policy for what separates a fumble from an incomplete pass.

Other prime-time appearances include an ESPN-televised game at home against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct. 30, and a Monday night game at the New York Jets on Dec. 26.

New England plays at Carolina in Week 2. The Patriots have a bye in Week 7.

Nine of the Patriots’ 16 regular-season games will be against teams that finished the 2004 season with at least nine wins, and four are against defending division champions.

AP-ES-04-13-05 1453EDT