7:45 p.m. ET: That's it for the live blog. The official NFL schedule will be released at 8 p.m. ET. Just after the clock strikes eight, you'll be able to see the entire 2014 NFL schedule by clicking here.
7:26 p.m. ET: We now know what the second half of the Week 1 doubleheader will be on Monday night. The first game will be Giants at Lions. That will be followed by the customary West Coast game, which will be Chargers-Cardinals.
A late-night opener: Chargers will begin season Sept. 8 vs. Cardinals in Arizona. Second half to a MNF double-header.
— Michael Gehlken (@UTgehlken) April 23, 2014
7:24 p.m. ET: You can officially start planning your Thanksgiving. According to CBS Chicago, Eagles-Cowboys will be the other game on Turkey day. Earlier in the live blog, we mentioned 49ers-Seahawks and Bears-Lions.
Per source, Thanksgiving schedule is #Bears at Lions, #Eagles at #Cowboys, #Seahawks at #49ers. In that order.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) April 23, 2014
6:54 p.m. ET: It looks like the Saints schedule has been leaked. New Orleans will be playing primetime games against the Panthers, Ravens and Bears.
#Saints official schedule pic.twitter.com/JFfuqeWsWf
— MarkRH (@MarkRH) April 23, 2014
6:48 p.m. ET: Not only does Peyton Manning get a second crack at his old team in 2014, but he gets to do it on national television. According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, Manning and the Broncos will host the Colts in Week 1. Indianpolis beat the Broncos 39-33 in Indy last season.
Peyton Manning vs. Andrew Luck to open. Broncos-Colts on Sunday night, Sept 7. 4th yr in row Broncos open in primetime.
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) April 23, 2014
6:25 p.m. ET: Are you ready for Fail Mary Part II? Because it's official: The NFL season will open on Sept. 4 with the Packers traveling to Seattle, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein.
Just been told that the #Packers will open the season at #Seahawks in the kickoff opener.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) April 23, 2014
6:08 p.m. ET: Harry Teinowitz of 88.7-FM in Chicago, someone who nailed the Bears schedule last year, has a few nuggets on Chicago's 2014 schedule, like this one.
Bears will play at the Jets, MNF in week 3. Are you listening? @jhsthegame #Bears
— Harry Teinowitz (@HeyTweetHarry) April 23, 2014
According to Teinowitz, the Bears will play the Cowboys on Thursday night in Week 14 (Dec. 4). Chicago will open the 2014 season at home against Buffalo on Sept. 7.
6:05 p.m. ET: Ladies and gentleman, we have a leaked Lions schedule via the Detroit Free Press. The most interesting note: The Lions will reportedly host the Bears on Thanksgiving. Detroit had previously been expected to host an AFC team based on past scheduling.
Week 1: vs. NY Giants (MNF)
Week 2: at Carolina
Week 3: vs. Green Bay
Week 4: at NY Jets
Week 5: vs. Buffalo
Week 6: at Minnesota
Week 7: vs. New Orleans
Week 8: at Atlanta (London)
Week 9: Bye
Week 10: vs. Miami
Week 11: at Arizona
Week 12: at New England
Week 13: vs. Chicago (Thanskgiving)
Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay
Week 15: vs. Minnesota
Week 16: at Chicago
Week 17: at Green Bay
5:31 p.m. ET: Do you want to know when the 49ers will christen their new stadium?
Here you go.
RT @HeyTweetHarry Week 2, Bears open 49er stadium in SF! > I've heard the same: 49ers Week 1 at Dallas, Week 2 vs. Bears at Levi's Stadium.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) April 23, 2014
5:29 p.m. ET: Thanksgiving could get dangerous this year if this report from the ABC-affiliate in Green Bay is correct:
Other #Seahawks news. They will travel to San Fran for a thanksgiving night game. #49ers
— Pat Mayo-ABC (@patmayo) April 23, 2014
5:10 p.m. ET: Some news on where the Colts will open the season.
BREAKING:The #Colts will start the season on Sunday Night Football at Denver. 5 total prime time games including 2 on Monday Night Football.
— Tony Donohue (@TonyD1070) April 23, 2014
4:30 p.m. ET: Thanks to WFAN radio on New York, we know that the Giants reportedly will open their season vs. the Lions on Monday Night Football on Sept. 8. The team also will play on national TV four other times, including the Monday game Nov. 3 vs. the Colts.
New York, via the NY Post, will play the Thursday night game Sept. 25 vs. the Redskins, and the Giants also have two Sunday night appointments: Oct. 12 vs. the Eagles and Nov. 23 vs. the Cowboys.
Here's the rest of the schedule:
Week 1: Sept. 8, at Detroit
Week 2: Sept. 14, vs. Arizona
Week 3: Sept. 21, vs. Houston
Week 4: Sept. 25, at Washington
Week 5: Oct. 5, vs. Atlanta
Week 6: Oct. 12, vs. Philadelphia
Week 7: Oct. 19, at Dallas
Week 8: Bye
Week 9: Nov. 3, vs. Indianapolis
Week 10: Nov. 9, at Seattle
Week 11: Nov. 16, vs. San Francisco
Week 12: Nov. 23, vs. Dallas
Week 13: Nov. 30, at Jacksonville
Week 14: Dec. 7, at Tennessee
Week 15: Dec. 14, vs. Washington
Week 16: Dec. 21, at St. Louis
Week 17: Dec. 28, at Philadelphia
Or, if you're so inclined, you can here WFAN's Mike Francesa read it off by clicking here.
3:59 p.m. ET: No matter how complicated things have been made in trying to piece together an NFL schedule (Thursday night games, Sunday night games, trips to London, etc.), you can take solace in this. Former commissioner Bert Bell never had to worry about any of that.
Instead, he apparently made the schedule in the comforts of his own home where he used what looks like pieces of candy in determining who plays what where and when.
NFL schedule release day circa 1959 w/ Commish Bell at his kitchen table in Philly area pic.twitter.com/2ULphsMotN
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) April 23, 2014
2:40 p.m. ET: NFL.com reports that games can be flexed this year as early as Week 5. Previously, games couldn't be touched until Week 11.
Flex scheduling can now begin as early as Week 5 (via @NFL_ATL): http://t.co/kYQH1rOoWi
— NFL (@nfl) April 23, 2014
But there is a stipulation. As NFL.com explains ...
The NFL can't change the tentative Sunday Night Football game every week. The league may flex up to two games total into Sunday night between Weeks 5-10. The rest of the flexible schedule procedures from previous years remains intact. After Week 11, the NFL can flex any Sunday night game.
As before, only Sunday afternoon games are subject to being moved into the Sunday night window. Thursday, Saturday, and Monday games are not affected. Flex scheduling allows the league to handpick a game to be moved into the Sunday Night NBC window, avoiding lackluster matchups.
1:25 p.m. ET: On Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET, the league will release the 2014 NFL schedule. The release of the schedule comes along with multiple primetime release shows.
This is not atypical of the NFL schedule release. (Also not atypical: people complaining about the NFL making a big deal out of this. Those people need to get a life and, you know, not watch if they're that passionate.)
What's different about the schedule release this year is it's about a week later than it usually is. In April of 2013, the 2013 NFL Schedule came on the 18th of the month. Now it's the 23rd, which means the NBA and NHL playoffs are in full swing.
And wouldn't you know it, but the NFL finds itself going head-to-head in competition for eyeballs with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Those Mavericks, of course, are owned by Mark Cuban.
And Cuban, naturally, recently said the NFL is 10 years away from "implosion."
It's a brilliant play by the NFL, even if it's just coincidental. (The NFL will say it is. I won't believe them. You can do what you want.)
If the NFL schedule shows on NFL Network and ESPN outdraw the Mavericks playoff game, it's the beatdown of Cuban's life. If they don't, well, of course they didn't. One is a show about schedules and the other is a live playoff game.
We'll have all the updates -- how about some freaking LEAKS? -- news, info and whatnot throughout the day and evening here. Book mark the page and make sure to refresh early and often.
