2014 NFL Schedule: League Releases Official Regular-Season Slate

Patrick ClarkeApr 23, 2014

After opening 2014 with a bang in Super Bowl XLVIII, the reigning NFL champion Seattle Seahawks will celebrate their triumph by kicking off the 2014 regular season inside a raucous CenturyLink Field on Sept. 4 against the Green Bay Packers.

But there's plenty more to look forward to after opening night. With free agency and the 2014 NFL draft shaking up the league, the 2014 season promises to feature a plethora of thrilling matchups, big surprises and countless storylines.

NFL.com has provided a complete team-by-team look at the regular-season schedule:

TOP NEWS

Date	Event
Sept. 4	Regular-Season Opener
Sept. 7-8	Regular-Season Kickoff Weekend
Dec. 28	Regular Season Concludes
Jan. 3	NFL Playoffs Begin
Feb. 1	Super Bowl XLIX

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Division to Watch: NFC West

Marcio Jose Sanchez

While rivalries exist all across the NFL landscape, the NFC West features not only the best rivalry in football at the moment, but also is one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL, as Bleacher Report's Ryan McCrystal pointed out on Twitter:

The Seahawks and 49ers met three times last season, including the NFC Championship Game. Seattle won big at home in Week 2, but the trash-talking and animosity carried over into the Week 14 showdown in San Francisco, where the Niners won on a Phil Dawson field goal with 26 seconds left to even the regular-season series.

January's NFC title game was the best installment by far, though, as the two contenders went back and forth en route to a 23-17 Seahawks win.

They'll face off for the first time on Thanksgiving night in the 49ers new home Levi Stadium. They'll tangle again on Dec. 14.

In 2013, three NFC West teams finished with 10 or more wins (Seahawks, 49ers and Cardinals) and the four division rivals combined to win 42 games and boast an overall scoring differential of plus-359.

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 29: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals is tackled by free safety Eric Reid #35 of the San Francisco 49ers after a reception during the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on December 29, 2013 in

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

With Arizona and St. Louis both bolstering their rosters with key pieces in free agency and looking to add talent through the 2014 NFL draft, the NFC West promises to be every bit as hotly contested as it was a year ago.

Most Anticipated Matchup: Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 24: Wide receiver Golden Tate #81 of the Seattle Seahawks makes a catch in the end zone to defeat the Green Bay Packers on a controversial call by the officials at CenturyLink Field on September 24, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. (

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

While there will be no shortage of juicy matchups for NFL fans to sink their teeth into this coming fall, one showdown in particular is guaranteed to have our undivided attention: Packers vs. Seahawks.

Not only is this game a clash between two NFC heavyweights, but it's also a rematch of 2012's unforgettable "Fail Mary" game, when replacement referees made a controversial call at the horn, awarding the Seahawks a victory few outside of the Emerald City believe they deserved.

Prior to the two teams' preseason meeting in August 2013, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll discussed the controversial play, per SI.com's Doug Farrar:

"
Well, it was a nice play and all that. I think that it’s just a statement that over years and years and years, stuff happens and it doesn’t always work out exactly the way you see it when you look at it the second or third time. It’s been happening for years. It’s just unfortunate for their side that they came out on the short end of that deal. It shows you the human aspect of the game, and it shows the replacement human aspect of the game. When [Easley] looked on the ground, he saw that both [players] had the ball, so he called it a touchdown. I don’t know what another official would have called. Another official might have caught the push. That was legit.
"

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had a much shorter response, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky: "I don’t need to think about it; I’m always reminded of it."

You can bet the Packers are still bitter about that Week 3 loss, one that wound up costing them a first-round bye in the 2013 NFL playoffs a few months later.

It's been nearly two years since that head-scratching finish, but there will surely be a playoff atmosphere inside CenturyLink Field for this meeting, which could serve as a postseason preview.