NFL Schedule Release: Five Games that Are Appointment Viewing
The NFL schedule release is something that gets mocked every year. The league doesn’t do themselves any favors, teasing an announcement of the announcement of the unveiling of precisely when opponents who we already knew were playing each other will do so. NFL Network makes a big dog and pony show out of it. Even though we’re paying attention to them, because the NFL is crack, they sure could’ve been less coy and dramatic about it in the lead-up.
While most of this is of little immediate consequence, it is cool to learn what games are on Thanksgiving, what’s opening the season, and your favorite team’s schedule, for the purpose of starting to plan road trips. Aside from the obvious – Panthers @ Broncos opens the season as a Super Bowl rematch, Colts and Steelers play the Thanksgiving primetime game – these are a few match-ups and dates you won’t want to miss:
PANTHERS @ SEAHAWKS – December 4th SNF
Seattle kind of had a down year last year, and they lost to Carolina in the divisional round. Russell Wilson vs. Cam Newton is a marquee quarterback matchup, and they’re interesting foils not just in how they play but how they carry themselves and are perceived.
PATRIOTS @ 49ERS – November 20th
This is a way to shoehorn Chip Kelly into the conversation, and the Patriots are the 49ers’ most interesting opponents. The whole Kelly experiment fascinates me. San Francisco’s front office hubristically ran off Jim Harbaugh two years ago. Chip probably could’ve kept his job for at least another year with a similar body of work if he didn’t grind everyone’s gears.
On the New England side, can they really be good for the infinity-eth year in the row? They’re missing a first round pick, but no matter who they lose they can just replenish with black magic. (They went 11-5 with Matt Cassel, but we’ll see whether they can transition from Tom Brady when that time comes.) So long as Gronk and Brady have functional knees, you just have to assume the Pats win the AFC East until they demonstrate otherwise.
COLTS @ TEXANS – October 16th SNF
JJ Watt is the face of the league in the non-quarterback division, Andrew Luck and the Colts need to mount a comeback this season. This matchup will likely have AFC South implications. Will the division be better than the garbage disposal it was last season?
BEARS @ PACKERS – October 20th (Thursday night)
Jay Cutler went into Lambeau and won on the night Brett Favre and Bart Starr were honored on the field, which was an unfathomable thing to have happen to me in the rain. The Bears appeared to be on an upward trajectory last season, but they still feel like they’re at least a year away. Will the Packers offense regain its form with Jordy Nelson back?
BUCCANEERS @ PANTHERS – October 10th MNF
Tampa Bay sure would like Jameis Winston to make a leap this year. Can new coach Dirk Koetter get that out of him? This is the type of game where if they won it on national television it would announce that they have arrived. Cam Newton, whether you love or hate him, will remain very compelling to watch whenever there’s the chance this season.