The 2014 Season will start with Seattle Vs. ...

[darken65]

San Francisco is the choice. It's easier to sell than Denver after that blowout, and don't give me Green Bay. They're not good enough to open the season.

I doubt that SF will face the 'Hawks in the first game....this will be a later game that is pumped up IMO.

 

[JDM]

I doubt that SF will face the 'Hawks in the first game....this will be a later game that is pumped up IMO.

First and last games of the season.

 

[darken65]

First and last games of the season.

Anything is possible for the end of the season games as well as the beginning...I doubt the latter in this case.

 

[WizardHawk]

It's very unlikely to be SF.

The league likes to switch who gets home/away first in rivalry match ups and it is SF's turn to get home first this next season. Yes, it is more about those games where one has a heck of a home field difference early in the season vs late, but Seattle played SF home late in '12 and early in '13 and it's been like that for some time.

I'm not saying it is impossible as the league can throw out whatever it wants to get the match up it desires, but I still think it isn't the most likely.

It should be GB.

 

[Clayton]

It'll be Green Bay or San Fran

They have to build Denver hype back up again.

I'm leaning towards the Niners because the Fail Mary is a black eye on the NFL

 

[WizardHawk]

But they can use that black eye to generate interest and never under estimate the leagues ability to use even bad stuff on them to make money.

 

[cwood]

"No chance whatsoever" seems a bit silly to me, they are the 3rd best team playing Seattle at home after the 9ers and Broncos.

May be a joke to you, but it certainly isn't to those whose opinion will actually affect whether it happens.

Arizona is better than Green Bay? Haha ok.

 

[Clayton]

But they can use that black eye to generate interest and never under estimate the leagues ability to use even bad stuff on them to make money.

NFL protects the shield. Fail Mary will be a hype point whenever that game is played on a Sunday Night but it won't get the opening game treatment.

All I care is that the Rams aren't playing at Seattle to end the season. We get that almost every year

 

[WizardHawk]

NFL protects the shield. Fail Mary will be a hype point whenever that game is played on a Sunday Night but it won't get the opening game treatment.

All I care is that the Rams aren't playing at Seattle to end the season. We get that almost every year

But they need a half way decent team to warm up on for the post season.

 

[Clayton]

But they need a half way decent team to warm up on for the post season.

And that just it: Seattle is going to be limiting the miles Harvin and Lynch throughout the season so they can get the prepped for the end of it. Teams are going to want to play Seattle in Weeks 3-15.

I'm also not sure Bradford and Jake Long can make it through a whole season healthy but thats another topic

 

[JDM]

Arizona is better than Green Bay? Haha ok.

Yes, although neither is all that good.

 

[JDM]

It'll be Green Bay or San Fran

They have to build Denver hype back up again.

I'm leaning towards the Niners because the Fail Mary is a black eye on the NFL

It shouldn't be. The call was correct.

 

[cwood]

Yes, although neither is all that good.

Both are better than your crappy Patriots, though.

 

[Brees#1]

Arizona could also be an interesting choice as they only team to beat the Seahawks at home in recent memory?

...especially if playoff expansion is still a hot topic

Its not going to be Arizona as Seattle, like every team is given a maximum of three games for NBC. That leaves SF, Denver, and Green Bay. I feel since SF has gone to Seattle last two years that the next one will be in SF, so its narrowed down to Denver and Green Bay. I don't think NBC is turning down the ref bowl for gmen or a hot Nick Foles. Besides the eagles will already have bigger fish matchups with Andrew Luck and the two division rivalries that have gotten annual national attention and only because eagles were bad in 12 that didnt happen last year but no question NBC is gonna jump back on that bandwagon. Gmen have their annual primetime tradition with cowboys additionally and also Luck going to giants will probably be bigger than Seattle. Green Bay makes more sense to me as there hasnt been an interconference season opener since 2007.

 

[Doublejive]

Most likely the Niner's then they can milk the rivalry for week's months, etc and have a primetime slot later in the season.

 

[Brees#1]

true that

I hope that the NFL follows the same scheduling format as last year though. The division games towards the end of the year were pretty intense and much more meaningful

Um.....................
40 division games were in the first half last year. Thats less than half of the 96 total in a season. I don't think they purposely delayed the division games until later in the season. Usually a second matchup is played in the second half unless the division game is that unimportant enough to play again in first half(bengals-browns 12 and pats-jets 13).

 

[Wolvie]

Um.....................
40 division games were in the first half last year. Thats less than half of the 96 total in a season. I don't think they purposely delayed the division games until later in the season. Usually a second matchup is played in the second half unless the division game is that unimportant enough to play again in first half(bengals-browns 12 and pats-jets 13).

Goodell purposely back-loaded the schedule with practically nothing but division games. He came out and said that is what he intended. Week 17 was nothing but divisional games...

 

[Brees#1]

Goodell purposely back-loaded the schedule with practically nothing but division games. He came out and said that is what he intended. Week 17 was nothing but divisional games...

Week 17 have been division games every year since 2009, it was the colts and saints resting starters that led to NFL making that decision. Also something about a fine if team rested starters not sure.

 

[Brees#1]

Goodell likes throwing in a twist every offseason to throw off my schedule week by week predictions/estimations.