NBC's Sunday Night Football schedule features a lot of divisional matchups

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

NBC's Sunday Night Football, the No. 1 rated show on primetime television, will feature many of the matchups you'd expect in 2014 -- intense, divisional rivalry games.

Here's a look at the schedule, remembering that several games could be "flexed" late in the season.

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 Game

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 190thmeeting 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 December2011,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 Footballagreement, 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.