The Sunday Night Football schedule is now out. As usual, it’s a blockbuster including the season opener on Thursday, September 4 with defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle hosting the Green Bay Packers in the Great Northwest.
Also included in the schedule is Indianapolis at Denver as Peyton Manning faces his former team at Mile Hile on Sunday, September 7. Week 2 has another fantastic matchup pitting the Chicago Bears at the San Francisco 49ers in the new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
NBC primetime darling the New England Patriots appear three times on the schedule in Week 5 (October 5) hosting Cincinnati, in Week 11 (November 16) at Indianapolis and in Week 14 (December 7) at San Diego.
NBC’s Thanksgiving Night game is a doozy with Seattle facing San Francisco.
Dallas is slated three times as well, in Week 4 (September 28) hosting New Orleans in Jerry World, in Week 12 (November 23) at the New Meadowlands against the New York Football Giants and in Week 15 (December 14) at the Linc in Philadelphia.
The flex will be in effect earlier this season. The NFL can start flexing games in Week 5, but only twice through Week 10. Then from Weeks 11 through 17, it’ll work the same way as it has since 2006.
Again, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya will be the crew that will work on the premier primetime NFL package.
And NBC will have a Wild Card Playoff game, a Divisional Playoff game as well as Super Bowl XLIX from Arizona.
Here’s how the games shape up on NBC this season.
2014 NBC “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
22 Game Slate Features 19 Primetime Regular Season Games and 3 Postseason Games including Super Bowl XLIX
NFL Season Begins on NBC Thursday, September 4 with NFL Kickoff 2014 Featuring Russell Wilson & Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks Hosting Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers
Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck Meet Again as Denver Broncos Host Indianapolis Colts in Opening Sunday Night Football Game on September 7
Seahawks visit 49ers in NFC Championship Game Rematch on Thanksgiving NightSTAMFORD, Conn. – April 23, 2014 – America’s No. 1 primetime television show gets “Back to Football” as NBC broadcasts 19 NFL games during the 2014 regular season, featuring: Russell Wilson and the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks hosting Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in NFL Kickoff 2014 on Thursday, September 4; Andrew Luck and Indianapolis visiting Peyton Manning and the AFC Champion Denver Broncos in the opening Sunday Night Football game on September 7; the San Francisco 49ers grand opening of Levi’s Stadium against the Chicago Bears on September 14; and NBC’s annual Thanksgiving night game, featuring a San Francisco rematch of the down-to-the wire NFC Championship Game between the NFC West rivals Seahawks and 49ers.
In addition to kicking off the 2014 NFL season, NBC will crown the Super Bowl XLIX champion in Arizona on Sunday, February 1, 2015. NBC will also broadcast a Divisional Playoff game on the weekend of January 10-11, and a Wild Card Playoff game on the January 3-4 weekend.
Highlights of the 2014 Sunday Night Football schedule:
- 19 primetime games, including the NFL’s opening game of the season, NFL Kickoff 2014 and NBC’s annual Thanksgiving night game;
- Every 2013 playoff team makes an appearance on Sunday Night Football; 16 of NBC’s 18 scheduled games involve at least one playoff team from last season; 9 of 18 include two playoff teams (Week 17 game TBD);
- Three games each for the Seahawks, Broncos, Patriots, 49ers, Packers, Cowboys;
- The 49ers host the Seahawks on NBC’s annual Thanksgiving night game. NBC will broadcast a Thanksgiving night game each season through 2022;
- Three matchups among bitter NFC East rivals: Giants-Eagles (Week 6), Cowboys-Giants (Week 12) and Cowboys-Eagles (Week 15);
- The 190th meeting between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers (Week 10 in Green Bay) – the most played matchup in NFL history;
- A pair of playoff rematches, including a rematch of the NFC Championship Game (Seahawks-49ers) on Thanksgiving, and a rematch of the AFC Divisional Playoffs (Colts-Patriots) in Indianapolis on November 16.
NBC TO BROADCAST 19 NFL GAMES IN 2014: As part of the agreement NBC signed with the NFL in December 2011, NBC, for the third straight season, will broadcast 19 regular-season games, including 17 regular-season Sunday Night Football games, NFL Kickoff 2014, and the annual Thanksgiving night game. NBC’s original Sunday Night Football agreement, which began in 2006, included 17 regular-season games. It was increased to 18 games in 2010.
SNF IS NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM ON TELEVISION: NBC’s Sunday Night Football averaged 21.7 million viewers in 2013, putting it on pace to rank as the No. 1 show for the entire primetime television season (September-May, based on Nielsen live plus same day data) for the third consecutive year. In addition, for the full TV season to date (through April 20), Sunday Night Football ranks as the No. 1 program across the key demographics of Adults 18-34, 18-49, 25-54, as well as Men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, and Women 18-34 and 18-49, based on Nielsen live plus same day data.
2014 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thurs. Sept. 4 NFL Kickoff Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks Sun. Sept. 7 Week 1 Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos Sun. Sept. 14 Week 2 Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers Sun. Sept. 21 Week 3 Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers Sun. Sept. 28 Week 4 New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys *Sun. Oct. 5 Week 5 Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots *Sun. Oct. 12 Week 6 New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles *Sun. Oct. 19 Week 7 San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos *Sun. Oct. 26 Week 8 Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints *Sun. Nov. 2 Week 9 Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers *Sun. Nov. 9 Week 10 Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers *Sun. Nov. 16 Week 11 New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts *Sun. Nov. 23 Week 12 Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants **Thurs. Nov. 27 Week 13 Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers *Sun. Nov. 30 Week 13 Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs *Sun. Dec. 7 Week 14 New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers *Sun. Dec. 14 Week 15 Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles *Sun. Dec. 21 Week 16 Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals *Sun. Dec. 28 Week 17 TBA *Flex Week
** Thanksgiving Night GameFollowing is a month-by-month look at the 2014 Sunday Night Football schedule:
SEPTEMBER
Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman and the Seattle Seahawks raise the banner for their Super Bowl XLVIII title prior to hosting Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers and the 2013 NFC North champion Green Bay Packers in NFL Kickoff 2014 on Thursday, September 4. Five-time MVP Peyton Manning and the AFC champion Denver Broncos close out NFL Kickoff Sunday on September 7 hosting Andrew Luck and the defending AFC South winner Indianapolis Colts. On September 14, the San Francisco 49ers open Levi’s Stadium against the Chicago Bears. Sunday Night Football’s first interconference matchup is September 21 as Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers visit Cam Newton and the defending NFC South champion Carolina Panthers. SNF wraps up its opening month as Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints visit Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys on September 28.
OCTOBER
Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals, aiming to make their fourth consecutive playoff appearance, visit Tom Brady and the five-time defending AFC East champion New England Patriots on October 5. SNF’s first matchup of NFC East rivals comes in Week 6, as Eli Manning and the New York Giants visit LeSean McCoy and the defending division champion Philadelphia Eagles on October 12. Colin Kaepernick faces Peyton Manning for the first time on October 19 as the 49ers visit the Broncos. Prolific passers and former Super Bowl MVPs Rodgers and Brees face off on October 26 when the Packers visit the Saints.
NOVEMBER
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco and the Ravens visit bitter divisional rival Pittsburgh on November 2 continuing a closely-contested AFC North rivalry in which the last five games have been decided by a field goal or less. On November 9, SNF features the NFL-record 190th edition of the storied Bears-Packers matchup from Lambeau Field. The Bears and Packers have combined to win the past four NFC North titles. In an AFC Divisional Playoff rematch, quarterbacks Brady and Luck meet again as the Patriots visit the Colts on November 16. SNF closes November with three games in eight days beginning with a classic NFC East rivalry as the Dallas Cowboys visit the New York Giants on November 23. On Thanksgiving night (November 27), the Seattle Seahawks visit the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of the thrilling 2013 NFC Championship Game. AFC West rivals Denver and Kansas City, who combined for 24 regular season victories last season, conclude the month on November 30 at Arrowhead Stadium.
DECEMBER
The San Diego Chargers and Philip Rivers, who passed for 4,000+ yards in five of the past six seasons, host the Patriots on December 7. The Cowboys visit the Eagles on December 14 in a rematch of last season’s “win-and-in” Week 17 SNF matchup (a 24-22 Philadelphia win), which was the most-watched primetime game of 2013 (27.4 million viewers). The Arizona Cardinals, the last team to defeat the Seahawks before last season’s Super Bowl run (17-10 on Dec. 22, 2013) and the winners of 10 games in the ultra-competitive NFC West, host Seattle on December 21. For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to December 28. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot.
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: For the first time, flexible scheduling may be applied in Weeks 5-10. During that period, flexible scheduling can be used in no more than two weeks by shifting a Sunday afternoon game into primetime and moving the Sunday night game to an afternoon start time.
“Flexible scheduling” will be used in Weeks 11-17 as it has been in recent years. In Weeks 11-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights. A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to December 28. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football schedule is next.
