After the free agency frenzy and the 2014 NFL Draft, teams around the league are already gearing up for their late July training camps. That means for football fans around the nation, the NFL season is just around the corner.
The NFL has announced its 17-week, 256-game schedule for the 2014 season. The defending Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks (+500 to retain the crown) open their campaign and the whole NFL season by hosting the Green Bay Packers on September 4 in a Thursday night showdown.
It’s going to be an amazing season. Read on for everything you need to know about the 2014 NFL season schedule, and check out our complete 2014 NFL futures odds to get into the action with some informed season-long wagers.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]How Does the NFL Schedule Work?
[sc:NFL240banner ]The first question on most football fans’ minds when it comes to the schedule is how it’s made. And it’s actually straightforward. Under the league’s formula, every team in the NFL plays 16 regular season games as follows:
- Home and away against its three divisional opponents (a total of six games).
- The four teams from one other division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (a total of four games).
- The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (a total of four games).
- Two intra-conference games based on the prior year’s standings (a total of two games). These games match a first-place team for example with the first place teams in the two same conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The same format goes with the second, third and fourth-placed teams.
After determining the opponents for every team in the league, the difficult part of the process kicks in and that is when to schedule these games. Broadcasting NFL games is big business and the broadcast networks want to make sure they get the marquee games that will drive strong viewership.
The NFL season opens its calendar on the Thursday after Labor Day with the annual Kickoff Game. This game features the defending Super Bowl champions and this year the Seahawks will have the privilege of hosting the Green Bay Packers to open their season and their title defense.
The remainder of the league plays their opening games the following Sunday and Monday.
Sunday Night Football Schedule
Once again, Sunday Night Football this year is packed with marquee games that will whet the viewers’ appetite.
Their opening broadcast is a big one as the Indianapolis Colts travel to Denver to face the Broncos and their former star quarterback Peyton Manning on September 7. The last time these two teams met, Andrew Luck outplayed Manning as the Colts defeated the Broncos 39-33 in Indianapolis. This time, Denver has the home field edge and Manning will look to put one over his former team.
Another enticing showdown is in the cards on October 19 as last year’s conference finalists San Francisco and Denver collide in an interconference showdown.
And in Week 12, the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants resume their rivalry on the national stage as Tony Romo and Eli Manning battle once again with both of these teams eager to return to the playoffs after disappointing exits last season.
The rest of the schedule for Sunday Night Football is as follows: (all games at 8:30 PM ET)
September 7 – Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos
September 14 – Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers
September 21 – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Carolina Panthers
September 28 – New Orleans Saints @ Dallas Cowboys
October 5 – Cincinnati Bengals @ New England Patriots
October 12 – New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
October 19 – San Francisco 49ers @ Denver Broncos
October 26 – Green Bay Packers @ New Orleans Saints
November 2 – Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
November 9 – Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
November 16 – New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts
November 23 – Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
November 30 – Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
December 7 – New England Patriots @ San Diego Chargers
December 14 – Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
December 21 – Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
Monday Night Football Schedule
ESPN’s Monday Night Football was the most watched show on US cable television last year and will be again this year as the network has a package that will entertain football fans all over.
The opening salvo for Monday Night Football this year is a double header, starting with the Detroit Lions playing host to the New York Giants with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and the rest of the Giants’ free agent acquisitions eager to prove that the money spent on them was worthwhile.
Afterwards, the San Diego Chargers travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals with Philip Rivers hoping to emulate his 2013 season where he posted MVP-like numbers and lead the Chargers back to the playoffs. Arizona, on the other hand, will hope to build on their good performance last season which saw them finish 10-6 SU but outside the playoffs in the tough NFC West.
Other notable games are the Week 5 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins as young quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III face off, as well as the big match between 2013 division-winning Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers.
The rest of the schedule for Monday Night Football is as follows: (all games at 8:30 PM ET except for the doubleheader on September 8)
September 8 – New York Giants @ Detroit Lions (7:10 PM ET)
San Diego Chargers @ Arizona Cardinals (10:20 ET)
September 15 – Philadelphia Eagles @ Indianapolis Colts
September 22 – Chicago Bears @ New York Jets
September 29 – New England Patriots @ Kansas City Chiefs
October 6 – Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Redskins
October 13 – San Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams
October 20 – Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers
October 27 – Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys
November 3 – Indianapolis Colts @ New York Giants
November 10 – Carolina Panthers @ Philadelphia Eagles
November 17 – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans
November 24 – Baltimore Ravens @ New Orleans Saints
December 1 – Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets
December 8 – Atlanta Falcons @ Green Bay Packers
December 15 – New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears
December 22 – Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
Thursday Night Football Schedule
The league is also betting on the emergence of Thursday Night Football and that it will match the quality that Sunday Night Football provides. CBS has acquired the rights to air some of these games and some of the marquee games that they will show involve the Week 4 showdown between the Giants and the Redskins and a Week 7 faceoff between the Patriots and the Jets.
The rest of the schedule for Thursday Night Football is as follows: (all games at 8:25 PM ET)
September 11 – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens
September 18 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
September 25 – New York Giants @ Washington Redskins
October 2 – Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
October 9 – Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans
October 16 – New York Jets @ New England Patriots
October 23 – San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos
October 30 – New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers
November 6 – Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals
November 13 – Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins
November 20 – Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders
December 4 – Dallas Cowboys @ Chicago Bears
December 11 – Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams
December 18 – Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Mark your calendars. September 4 is the date when the NFL fever starts buzzing once again. Create a betting account now and see if you can pick who will reign supreme in the football wars.
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