Almost two years after the infamous "Fail Mary," the Green Bay Packers will get their chance to spoil the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl celebration. The two will kick off the 2014 NFL season in the Pacific Northwest Sept. 4 on NBC.
The league announced its full schedule Wednesday night on the NFL Network.
Peyton Manning will face his former team for the second time since leaving, as the AFC Champion Denver Broncos will host Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in the Sunday Night Football opener on Sept. 7. The next night, ESPN airs its customary Monday Night Football doubleheader with the New York Giants at Detroit Lions followed by the San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals.
In a first, Thanksgiving Day will feature an all-NFC slate, with each game featuring an inter-divisional matchup.
The three-game slate is highlighted by an NFC Championship Game rematch as the Seahawks will travel to their NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers and their new Levi's Stadium in primetime on NBC (the 49ers open up their new Santa Clara digs on SNF against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 14). The Lions and Dallas Cowboys make their annual Turkey Day appearances with the Lions hosting the Bears in the early game on CBS and the Cowboys welcoming the rival Philadelphia Eagles on Fox.
With CBS airing eight Thursday Night Football games (which will be simulcast on NFL Network), the NFL made sure to put some marquee matchups on their slate. CBS' first TNF broadcast will be Sept. 11 between division rivals Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. CBS' slate also features appearances from the Packers, Broncos, New England Patriots and both New York teams.
CBS will air seven early-season games on Thursday and split a late-season doubleheader with NFL Network on Saturday, Dec. 20. The two games that day are the Eagles vs Washington Redskins and the Chargers vs 49ers. NFL Network's first sole TNF game will be the New Orleans Saints at the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 30.
As part of the NFL's new rights deals with its TV partners, flex scheduling will start much earlier than in the past, beginning in week 5 as opposed to week 11 in previous years. The new flex scheduling also allows for games to move between Fox and CBS.
