LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The National Football League announced its 2014 regular season schedule tonight, and the Washington Redskins’ schedule features three prime-time games, including back-to-back nationally televised evening contests at FedExField in Weeks 4-5.
Head Coach Jay Gruden and his 2014 Redskins will open the season on the road as they face the Houston Texans for a 1 p.m. game on Sept. 7 to be aired on FOX. The following week, Washington will make its FedExField debut as the Redskins welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 1 p.m. contest on CBS on Sept. 14. The back-to-back games against AFC South opponents in the first two weeks will mark the first time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger that the Redskins will have opened a season with two consecutive games against AFC squads.
The Redskins will make their much anticipated visit to Philadelphia the following week on Sept. 21 when the teams square off on FOX at 1 p.m. The Redskins will make a short turnaround the following week as they return home to host the New York Giants on CBS’s Thursday Night Football at 8:25 p.m. on Sept. 25. Ten days later, Washington will host another prime-time game on Oct. 6 when they face the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at FedExField on ESPN’s Monday Night Football at 8:30 p.m.
In Week 6, the Redskins will attempt to extend an eight-game series winning streak against the Arizona Cardinals – the team’s longest active streak against one opponent – during a 1 p.m. road game airing on FOX on Oct. 12. The following week, Washington will face its third AFC South opponent of the season, hosting the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. on CBS.
The Redskins will renew their rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys in front of a national audience in Week 8 when the teams meet at AT&T Stadium for a prime-time affair on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Oct. 27. A week later, Washington will make its first of two stadium debuts scheduled for this season when the Redskins make their first appearance at TCF Bank Stadium to face the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. on Nov. 2 on FOX.
After a Week 10 bye, the Redskins will return to action on Nov. 16, as FOX will air a 1 p.m. contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It will mark the first time since 2009 the Redskins will face an opponent outside of the NFC East following a bye week. In Week 11, Washington will make its inaugural trip to Levi’s Stadium for a 4:25 p.m. tilt with the San Francisco 49ers cross-flexed on CBS on Nov. 23.
On Nov. 30, the Redskins will wrap up their AFC slate with a 1 p.m. game against the Indianapolis Colts set to air on FOX. The game is expected to feature quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck, both of whom were selected among the top two picks of the 2012 NFL Draft. It would be the first matchup of starting quarterbacks selected Nos. 1 and 2 overall in a single draft since Peyton Manning (No.1, 1998) and Ryan Leaf (No. 2, 1998) started against one another on Oct. 4, 1998.
Washington will open December in Week 13 on Dec. 7 when FOX airs the Redskins’ 1 p.m. contest against the St. Louis Rams. The following week, the Redskins will embark upon a three-game stretch of NFC East opponents to close the season, as Washington will play its final road game of the regular season on Dec. 14 against the New York Giants on FOX.
FedExField will host the Redskins’ final two games of the season, beginning with a Saturday tilt on Dec. 20 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Game time, which is still to be determined, will be set for either a 4:30 p.m. kickoff on NFL Network or an 8:15 p.m. kickoff on CBS. Washington will close the 2014 regular season at home against the Dallas Cowboys on FOX on Dec. 28. The Redskins are 4-2 in regular season finales against Dallas since the adoption of the 16-game schedule in 1978.
Redskins fans interested in attending 2014 Redskins home games at FedExField are encouraged to visit www.Redskins.com/Tickets, where they can join the season ticket waitlist and request premium seating information. Fans who sign up for the season ticket waitlist will be entered to win an autographed Robert Griffin III football and a grand prize of a pair of 2014 Redskins season tickets.
For the first time, flexible scheduling may be applied in Weeks 5-10. During that period, flexible scheduling can be used in no more than two weeks by shifting a Sunday afternoon game into prime-time and moving the Sunday night game to an afternoon start time. Also, for the first time, a select number of games are being “cross-flexed,” moving between CBS and FOX to bring potentially under-distributed games to wider audiences.
“Flexible scheduling” will be used in Weeks 11-17 as it has been in recent years. In Weeks 11-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights. A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to December 28. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot.
NOTES ON THE REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:
Week 1: at Houston Texans
· The Redskins are 24-20 in season openers since the 1970 AFL-AFL merger. A win would give Washington Week 1 victories in four of the last five seasons.
· Head Coach Jay Gruden will attempt to become the 11th coach in franchise history to win his Redskins debut (Eddie Casey, Arthur “Dutch” Bergman, Dick Todd, Earl “Curly” Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, George Allen, Jack Pardee, Richie Petitbon, Steve Spurrier and Mike Shanahan).
· The Redskins’ opener at NRG Stadium in Houston will be the first of four games to be played by Washington at all four of the league’s active retractable roof stadiums (Houston, Dallas, Arizona and Indianapolis) in 2014.
· The Redskins are 2-1 all-time against the Texans and are 1-0 against the Texans in Houston. This will be the first meeting between these two teams since needing overtime to decide a game at FedExField on Sept. 19, 2010.
· In the Redskins’ lone road game against the Texans in team history, former Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell set a then-NFL single-game record by completing his first 22 passes, a 31-15 Redskins victory in Houston on Sept. 24, 2006.
Week 2: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
· The Redskins will make their FedExField debut in Week 2. Washington is 29-15 in home openers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and is looking for its first victory in a home opener since a 28-14 win over the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in 2011.
· This marks the first time since 2009 the Redskins will open their home slate in Week 2. Washington has won its last two Week 2 home openers, including Week 2 wins in the 2008 and 2009 home openers at FedExField.
· Head Coach Jay Gruden will attempt to become the 16th coach in franchise history to win a home debut. Redskins head coaches are 15-11-1 all-time in their first home contest.
· The Redskins are 4-1 all-time against the Jaguars and undefeated against the Jaguars at FedExField (2-0).
· The game will be the first between the Redskins and Jaguars since a 20-17 Redskins victory in Jacksonville on Dec. 26, 2010.
· The game will represent the Jaguars’ first visit to FedExField since the Redskins earned a 36-30 overtime victory Oct. 1, 2006. In that game, wide receiver Santana Moss caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to seal the win.
Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles
The Redskins have an all-time record of 81-72-5 against the Eagles, including the postseason. Washington’s 81 combined wins against the Eagles are its most against any opponent.
· The Redskins are 40-37-2 against the Eagles all-time in Philadelphia, including postseason play.
Week 4: vs. New York Giants
· A Week 4 win against the Giants would represent the Redskins’ seventh win on a Thursday in team history.
· Washington is 6-8 all-time in games played on Thursday but 4-2 in Thursday games played on dates other than Thanksgiving.
· The Redskins are seeking their first Thursday win since Thanksgiving Day in 2012 at Dallas. A win would be their first non-Thanksgiving Thursday win since defeating the Bears on Dec. 6, 2007.
· The game will be the 165th all-time meeting between the Redskins and Giants, including postseason play. The Giants are the Redskins’ most common opponent.
· This will be the Redskins and Giants’ third Thursday matchup all-time, including a 13-3 Redskins victory Sept. 16, 1937, and a 16-7 defeat at the hands of the Giants on Sept. 4, 2008.
Week 5: vs. Seattle Seahawks
· The Redskins will make their first of two Monday Night Football appearances in Week 5. Washington’s record on the program in home games currently stands at 17-17.
· This will be the first Monday meeting all-time between the Redskins and Seahawks.
· The Redskins are 11-4 all-time against the Seahawks in regular season play.
· The Redskins have won six consecutive regular season games against Seattle, dating back to 2001. The Redskins have not lost a regular season game to the Seahawks since 1998.
· Washington’s current six-game regular season winning streak against Seattle includes a three-game home regular season winning streak, earning victories in the 2001, 2003 and 2005 seasons.
· The teams’ last regular season meeting at FedExField was on Oct. 2, 2005, a 20-17 overtime victory for the Redskins.
· Each of the last four regular season meetings between the Redskins and Seahawks have been decided by one score or less.
Week 6: at Arizona Cardinals
· The Redskins are 74-44-2 all-time against the Cardinals. Using the formula for winning percentage adopted by the NFL in 1972 to include ties, the Redskins’ .625 all-time winning percentage against the Cardinals is Washington’s highest against any opponent with a minimum of 50 games played.
· The Redskins’ current eight-game winning streak against the Cardinals is the team’s longest active winning streak against an opponent. Washington has won their last eight games against the Cardinals dating back to Dec. 24, 2000.
· The Redskins’ eight-game winning streak against the Cardinals is one of five active NFL winning streaks against an opponent of at least eight games (Denver vs. Cleveland, 10; Philadelphia vs. NY Jets, 9; San Francisco vs. Detroit, 9; NY Jets vs. Tampa Bay, 8).
· The Redskins have won seven straight home games against the Cardinals dating back to Dec. 12, 1999.
· The teams’ last meeting came on Sept. 18, 2011. The Redskins overcame an eight-point deficit in the final six minutes to earn a 22-21 win.
Week 7: vs. Tennessee Titans
· The game will represent the teams’ first meeting since Nov. 21, 2010, a 19-16 Redskins overtime win.
· The Redskins will attempt to even their all-time record against the Titans at 6-6. The Redskins are 5-6 against the Titans’ franchise all-time, including a 3-3 record against the Houston Oilers, an 0-1 record against the Tennessee Oilers and a 2-2 record against the Tennessee Titans.
· The Redskins are looking for their first home win against the Titans’ franchise since Nov. 3, 1991, a 16-13 win over the Houston Oilers.
Week 8: at Dallas Cowboys
· The Redskins and Cowboys have previously faced each other 15 times on Monday Night Football.
· Washington will attempt to even their Monday night record against the Cowboys at 8-8 and earn their first Monday win against the Cowboys since a 14-13 win Sept. 19, 2005.
· In their last trip to AT&T Stadium, the Redskins recorded 216 rushing yards, their highest rushing total in 52 road games against the Cowboys all-time.
Week 9: at Minnesota Vikings
· 2014 will mark the fifth consecutive year in which the Redskins have faced the Vikings in the regular season. This is only the third time since divisional realignment in 2002 that the Redskins have faced a non-divisional opponent in five consecutive seasons (Tampa Bay, 2003-07; St. Louis, 2008-12).
· The Redskins are 12-11 all-time against the Vikings, including postseason play. The teams’ all-time regular season record is knotted at 9-9.
· The Redskins are looking for their first win against the Vikings in Minnesota since Dec. 23, 2007.
· The game will be the Redskins’ first at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. In regular season play, the Redskins were 1-1 against the Vikings at Metropolitan Stadium and 4-2 against the Vikings at the Metrodome.
Week 11: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
· The Redskins face the Buccaneers in Week 11 following a bye in Week 10. Since bye weeks were instituted in 1990, the Redskins are 12-13 in games following bye weeks and can even that record with a victory against Tampa Bay this season.
· The Redskins are 10-10 all-time against the Buccaneers including postseason play. The all-time regular season series between the two teams is tied at 9-9.
· The Redskins won the teams’ last meeting, a 24-22 victory in Tampa Bay on Sept. 30, 2012. Washington can win consecutive regular season games against Tampa Bay for the first time since 1998-2000.
· The Redskins are 5-3 all-time in home games against the Buccaneers and will seek their first home win in the series since Oct. 4, 2009.
· The last eight matchups between the Redskins and Buccaneers have been decided by one score or less. The teams’ last three meetings have been decided by an average margin of two points.
Week 12: at San Francisco 49ers
· The game will be the Redskins’ first at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
· The Redskins will attempt to collect their first win against the 49ers since a 52-17 victory Oct. 23, 2005.
· A road win against the 49ers would be the Redskins’ first since Dec. 18, 2004.
Week 13: at Indianapolis Colts
· The Redskins will seek their first win against the Colts since a 26-21 win on Oct. 27, 2002.
· A win would be the Redskins’ first in Indianapolis since overcoming a 14-point first-half deficit en route to a 41-27 victory on Oct. 23, 1994.
· The game is expected to feature quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck, both of whom were selected among the top two picks of the 2012 NFL Draft. It would be the first matchup of starting quarterbacks selected Nos. 1 and 2 overall in a single draft since Peyton Manning (No. 1, 1998) and Ryan Leaf (No. 2, 1998) started against one another on Oct. 4, 1998.
Week 14: vs. St. Louis Rams
· The game will represent the teams’ eighth meeting in the last 10 seasons but the first at FedExField since 2009. The Redskins played the Rams in St. Louis three times across the 2010-12 seasons.
· The Redskins are 24-12-1 all-time against the Rams, including postseason play.
· The Redskins are 11-5 all-time in regular season home games against the Rams.
· A win would give the Redskins a second consecutive home win against the Rams for the first time since earning back-to-back playoff victories against the Rams following the 1983 and 1986 seasons.
· Dating back to 2006, five of the last six games between the Redskins and Rams have been decided by seven points or less.
Week 15: at New York Giants
· The Redskins will seek their first road win against the Giants since a 23-10 victory against the eventual Super Bowl champions at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 18, 2011.
· In their 2012 meeting at New York, the Redskins recorded 248 rushing yards, their highest rushing total in the now 164-game series history against the Giants.
Week 16: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
· The Redskins and Eagles will meet on a Saturday for the fifth time in series history. Washington is 2-2 against the Eagles in Saturday games, including a 31-30 win at Philadelphia on Oct. 1, 1955 and a 20-6 win at Philadelphia in the NFC Wild Card Round on Jan. 5, 1991.
· The Redskins will attempt to even their all-time record in Saturday games at 24-24. The Redskins will seek their first Saturday victory since a 17-10 NFC Wild Card Round win over the Buccaneers on Jan. 7, 2006. The Redskins’ last regular season Saturday victory came on Dec. 24, 2005, against the New York Giants.
· The Redskins are 41-35-3 all-time in regular season home games against the Eagles.
Week 17: vs. Dallas Cowboys
· The Redskins will close their season with a home game against the Cowboys for the second time in three seasons. The teams’ last Week 17 meeting came in 2012, a 28-18 win that secured an NFC East championship for Washington.
· Washington is 4-2 in regular season finales against Dallas since the adoption of the 16-game schedule in 1978.
· The Redskins have won three straight season finales against the Cowboys, including victories in 2002, 2007 and 2012.
· The Redskins are 28-28 all-time against the Cowboys at home including postseason play dating back to the teams’ first meeting on Oct. 9, 1960.
· Each of the Redskins’ last two home games against Dallas have featured record-setting performances. In 2012, running back Alfred Morris used a 200-yard rushing effort vs. Dallas to break the team’s single-season rushing yardage record (1,613). In 2013, wide receiver Pierre Garçon broke the team’s single-season receptions record (113) in the midst of an 11-reception, 144-yard day.
