Sunday Night Football showed its mass appeal last year as it finished as the most-watched TV program in America in 2013, attracting an average of 21.5 million viewers a week. This year, it promises to be even bigger with a fine selection of NFL games that will surely whet the appetites of football fans all over the world.
You can check out the complete Sunday Night Football schedule below along with our picks for the top five Sunday night games for the season. While you’re at it, you can check out our round-up of the Monday Night Football schedule and our compilation of experts’ picks for the 2014-2015 season as kick off draws ever closer.
Line: Indianapolis Colts (+7) at Denver Broncos (-7); total: 56.0 – view all NFL lines
[sc:NFL240banner ]What better way to start the Sunday Night Football season than to see Peyton Manning clash once again with his former team, the Indianapolis Colts? The last time these two teams faced each other, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck got the better of Manning as he led Indianapolis to a 39-33 win over the Denver Broncos.
This time, though, Denver has home field edge and Manning will be looking to start the season on the right note, especially with last February’s Super Bowl defeat still lingering in their minds. The Colts, however, have won their last five meetings with the Broncos. Interestingly though, Manning was the Colts’ quarterback in four of those games.
You can read a full preview of this first SNF of the season here.
Writer’s Prediction
Manning will lead the Broncos (-7) to a convincing win over the Colts.
Week 8 – Green Bay Packers @ New Orleans Saints (October 26, 8:30 PM ET)
Anytime two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks meet on the football field, you know fireworks are going to erupt and that is certainly the case in this matchup as Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers face off in this titanic showdown.
Brees recorded his third-consecutive 5,000+ passing yard season last year as he led the Saints to the divisional playoffs where they lost to eventual champions Seattle Seahawks. Rodgers, on the other hand, will be eager to make up for lost time after he missed almost half of the season last year with a collarbone injury.
The Packers hold a 3-2 edge in their last five meetings with the Saints with all five games going over the total.
Writer’s Prediction
New Orleans emerges victorious in this battle of former Super Bowl champions.
Week 11 – New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts (November 16, 8:30 PM ET)
Two top AFC teams renew their rivalry in Week 11 as Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots square off with the Indianapolis Colts. Brady has seen his passing production dip in the past two seasons but he is still undoubtedly the leader of a New England team that is hell-bent on winning their fourth Super Bowl title.
Meanwhile, Andrew Luck has proven to be a worthy successor to Peyton Manning, guiding the Colts to their first-ever playoff victory in the post-Manning era last year. He masterminded a magnificent 28-point comeback against the Chiefs in the wildcard playoffs to secure a tight 45-44 win but will be eager to avenge the playoff humiliation they suffered against the Patriots the very next round.
The Colts have lost their last four games against the Pats with all four going over the total.
Writer’s Prediction
The Pats will continue their dominance and extend their winning streak against the Colts to five.
Week 12 – Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants (November 23, 8:30 PM ET)
One of football’s most storied rivalries takes center stage in Week 12 as the Dallas Cowboys travel to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants. Both teams have struggled in recent years though with the Cowboys missing the playoffs the last four years while the Giants have failed to make the postseason since winning the Super Bowl back in 2011.
The Cowboys own a 3-2 edge in their last five trips to New York. The Giants, however, are 6-4 in their last ten meetings with the Cowboys. Also, eight of those games went over the total which could mean a high-scoring affair could be in the offing once again.
A critical NFC West showdown is on the horizon in Week 16 as the reigning Super Bowl champions take on the Arizona Cardinals. Last season, the Seahawks, behind their brilliant defense, won it all as they easily dispatched the hapless Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
This year, with their defense almost intact, the Seahawks are favored at +600 to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy. It will certainly not be easy though in a tough NFC West division that featured three teams with at least 10 wins in the regular season last year. One of those teams was the Cardinals who despite finishing with a 10-6 slate failed to make the postseason last year.
In their last ten games in Arizona, the Cardinals enjoy a 7-3 advantage over the Seahawks. Nine out of those ten games went over the total.
Writer’s Prediction
The Seahawks’ experience will shine through as they will outclass the Cardinals.
