ESPN Search

Breakdown: It gets real in a hurry for the Minnesota Vikings, who open the season with consecutive NFC North games -- on the road. They'll play at the Detroit Lions in Week 1 and at the Chicago Bears in Week 2, the first time the NFL has asked them t...

Breakdown: The Packers' 2013 schedule has a familiar ring. They open with the San Francisco 49ers for the second consecutive season, a quirk that also affords a rematch with the team that knocked them from the 2012 playoffs. They'll play the Detroit ...

Breakdown: The Detroit Lions' 4-12 season last year apparently has reduced their national appeal. Their schedule includes only one prime-time game, a home date on "Monday Night Football" in Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens. Frankly, with the n...

Breakdown: New coach Marc Trestman will benefit from a relatively rare start to the schedule: two consecutive home games. The Chicago Bears haven't received that gift from the schedule makers since 1999. Overall, however, Trestman's first month on...

We're Black and Blue All Over: Although the Minnesota Vikings' and Green Bay Packers' weekly routines have moved up one day because of a Saturday night kickoff, their formal injury reports remain on the usual NFL schedule. As a result, Packers coa...

Breakdown: The Minnesota Vikings' schedule reflects low expectations for their 2012 season. They'll have one prime-time game, a Thursday night matchup in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and 13 of their other 15 games are scheduled for the ea...

Breakdown: The NFL gave the Chicago Bears the maximum allowable number of prime-time games. Amazingly, all five will come in the first 10 games of the season. (Full schedule here.) They include a Week 2 trip to the Green Bay Packers (Thursday nigh...

Breakdown: The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl two years ago and were 15-1 last season, but believe it or not, 2012 will mark the first year they have had five prime-time games in one regular season. They'll host the Chicago Bears (Thursday n...

Breakdown: A 2011 playoff appearance, along with the quarterback-receiver combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, was enough to earn the Detroit Lions four prime-time games and a total of five nationally televised games. The Lions will...

As we await the 7 p.m. ET release of the NFL schedule, I can't think of anything better to do than gather by the computer and discuss the state of the NFC North. We can hit the draft and the apparent demise of the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill. We c...

Just a quick note so you can call in sick -- I mean, set your Tuesday work schedule -- now. Tuesday is officially a national holiday. The NFL will release its full 2012 schedule beginning at 7 p.m. ET. ESPN will have a three-hour special until 10 ...

We're kinda sorta expecting to see the NFL schedule released sometime early next week, unless of course it isn't. It's probably a safe assumption, though. It will give the NFL a focal point next week before draft hysteria hits during the week of Apri...

Breakdown: If the Minnesota Vikings open the season with a rookie quarterback, he'll at least have the comfort of playing two of his first three games at home. The Vikings would open the season at the San Diego Chargers, but then they would return fo...

Breakdown: The Packers would have four prime-time games, including three on NBC's Sunday Night Football and one on ESPN's Monday night Football, along with a fifth national time slot against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Further, five other ...

Breakdown: Figures. The NFL gave the Detroit Lions their first prime-time game in five years, a Week 5 game at Ford Field against the Chicago Bears. But piled in front is a difficult first opening quarter of the season. Put it this way: The Lions wou...

Breakdown: The first thing I noticed was the imbalance of home games. Last season there was heightened discussion of the Solider Field grass, and the Bears' steadfast refusal to convert to artificial turf. I'm sure it's only a coincidence that the B...