Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins will play five games in primetime this season, starting with the 2013 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 9 on ESPN.
Here is the list of all the primetime games scheduled for the 2013 NFL season.
Commentary to follow… Actually, I’ll get the back-patting out of the way early: I called the Ravens/Broncos opener on September 5, and I called the Washington Redskins getting five primetime games this season, up from just one last year.
And here are the games:
Thursday, September 5 – Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Sunday, September 8 – New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, September 9 – Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins – 7:10 PM ET – ESPN
Monday, September 9 – Houston Texans @ San Diego Chargers – 10:20 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, September 12 – New York Jets @ New England Patriots – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, September 15 – San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, September 16 – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, September 19 – Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, September 22 – Chicago Bears @ Pittsburgh Steelers – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, September 23 – Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, September 26 – San Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, September 29 – New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcoms – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, September 30 – Miami Dolphins @ New Orleans Saints – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, October 3 – Buffalo Bills @ Cleveland Browns – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, October 6 – Houston Texans @ San Francisco 49ers – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, October 7 – New York Jets @ Atlanta Falcons – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, October 10 – New York Giants @ Chicago Bears – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, October 13 – Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, October 14 – Indianapolis Colts @ San Diego Chargers – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, October 17 – Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, October 20 – Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, October 21 – Minnesota Vikings @ New York Giants – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, October 24 – Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, October 27 – Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, October 28 – Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, October 31 – Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, November 3 – Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, November 4 – Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, November 7 – Washington Redskins @ Minnesota Vikings – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, November 10 – Dallas Cowboys @ New Orleans Saints – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, November 11 – Miami Dolphins @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, November 14 –Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, November 17 – Green Bay Packers @ New York Giants – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, November 18 – New England Patriots @ Carolina Panthers – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, November 21 – New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, November 24 – Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, November 25 – San Francisco 49ers @ Washington Redskins – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens – 8:20 PM ET – NBC
Sunday, December 1 – New York Giants @ Washington Redskins – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, December 2 – New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, December 5 – Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, December 8 – Atlanta Falcons @ Green Bay Packers – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, December 9 – Dallas Cowboys @ Chicago Bears – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Thursday, December 12 – San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos – 8:25 PM ET – NFL Network
Sunday, December 15 – Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, December 16 – Baltimore Ravens @ Detroit Lions – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Sunday, December 22 – New England Patriots @ Baltimore Ravens – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
Monday, December 23 – Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers – 8:40 PM ET – ESPN
Sunday, December 29 – [Teams to be determined following Week 16] – 8:30 PM ET – NBC
TEAMS WITH FIVE PRIMETIME GAMES: Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins.
TEAMS WITH FOUR PRIMETIME GAMES: Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks.
TEAMS WITH THREE PRIMETIME GAMES: Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers.
TEAMS WITH TWO PRIMETIME GAMES: Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
TEAMS WITH ONE PRIMETIME GAME: Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans.
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OBSERVATIONS: So, let me get this straight: The Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl, yet the runner-up gets one more primetime game in the ensuing season than the World Champions? Explain that to me.
Also, explain to me how the NFL didn’t greenlight the Denver Broncos going to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. This was a given when the AFC opponents for the Cowboys were released at the top of the year. Or so I thought. Now, it’s going to be a chance to pass out with tryptophan in between another Packers/Lions matinee and the Ravens hosting another Thanksgiving night game, this time against the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
I wonder if Peyton Manning not getting a Thanksgiving date with Tony Romo was a byproduct of the Broncos actually hosting the NFL kickoff game.
Predictably, the Eagles/Chiefs game with Andy Reid bringing a new squad into Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia is an NFL Network Thursday night affair.
Predictably, that’s the Chiefs’ lone primetime game. The Jaguars’ sole primetime tilt in 2013 is also on NFLN, as was the case last year. Ditto for the Browns and the Bills, who actually play each other on an NFLN game; the Bills and the Dolphins killed two birds with one Thursday night primetime stone last season.
Thr Dolphins improve from one primetime game last year to three this year. Same with the Vikings. The Colts go from one primetime game last season to four this season. And I’ve already told you about the Redskins’ maxing out at five games, up from one last year.
Further proof NBC loves the NFC East: The Cowboys and Giants open the “Sunday Night Football” 2013 campaign. The Cowboys will appear on “SNF” three times this year, as will the Giants. Two of the Redskins’ five night contests are on NBC; two of them will air on ESPN. Eagles? Nowhere to be found on NBC’s initial schedule. Of course, the latter half of the season allows flex scheduling, so if the Eagles are actually a good team, they’ll likely see more than just the two games (down from five last year() they’ve been scheduled this year. In other words: the Cowboys/Eagles game that was not flexed out late last season might be the last time in awhile you’ll hear Al Michaels working an Eagles game.
And for the first time in recent memory, there are no Saturday games scheduled. The Bay City Rollers will now have to find alternate ways to be preoccupied this year.
