The NFL schedule is out with a new package and some tweaks in tow. The new Thursday Night Football package on CBS Sports and NFL Network will kick off on Sept. 11 with Steelers/Ravens. Games are also set to include Bucs/Falcons on Sept. 18; Giants/Redskins on Sept. 25; Vikings/Packers on Oct. 2; Colts/Texans on Oct. 9; Jets/Patriots on Oct. 16; Chargers/Broncos on Oct. 23 and wraps up the pairing on Dec. 20 with a doubleheader featuring Chargers/49ers and Eagles/Redskins. NFL Network goes solo starting Oct. 30 with Saints/Panthers.
Sunday Night Football on NBC will see 19 regular season games starting Sept. 3 with NFL Kickoff 2014 pitting the Packers/Seahawks. Sept. 7 will then feature Colts/Broncos in the opening SNF game, followed by Bears/49ers on Sept. 14. NBC’s annual Thanksgiving night game will see a Seahawks/49ers matchup on Nov. 27. Overall, the slate will include three games each for the Seahawks, Broncos, Patriots, 49ers, Packers, Cowboys. In addition, the league will now be able to flex games to Sunday nights for NBC Sports as early as Week 5 for the first time, instead of starting at Week 11, with the option to flex a total of two games between Weeks 5 and 10.
Monday Night Football opens with a doubleheader on ESPN on Sept. 8 pitting the Giants/Lions at 7p and Chargers/Cardinals at 10:15p. Teams making multiple appearances include the Bears, Colts, Giants, Jets, Saints, Eagles, Steelers and Redskins. Week 2 will see the Eagles/Colts with the regular season concluding on Dec. 22 with Broncos/Bengals.
In addition to the NBC game, Thanksgiving will also feature Bears/Lions at 12:30p on CBS while FOX features Eagles/Cowboys at 4:30p.
The opening week doubleheader begins on FOX this season, and will include the 49ers/Cowboys at 4:25p. In addition, in a move designed to create more balance the television schedule, the NFL has also approved select games to be flexed between CBS and FOX. In addition to the AFC package of games, for the first time ever, The NFL on CBS’s broadcast schedule features typically NFC-packaged games that include Thanksgiving’s Bears/Lions matchup as well as Redskins/49ers on Nov. 23 and Panthers/Ravens on Sept. 28.
