Coverage Begins with Football Night In America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC
NBC Sports Live Extra to Live Stream Patriots-Texans
Michele Tafoya Works 200th Game on NFL Sidelines This Sunday
Week 15 Flex Scheduling: Cardinals-Eagles Moves to NBC’s Sunday Night Football on December 20
Pro Football Talk Weekdays at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 9, 2015 – NBC’s Sunday Night Football presents a showdown of AFC playoff contenders this week when QB Tom Brady and the first-place New England Patriots (10-2, AFC East) host DE J.J. Watt and the tied-for-first-place Houston Texans (6-6, AFC South) at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, this Sunday, Dec. 13, at 8:30 p.m. ET. Coverage begins with Football Night In America – the most-watched weekly studio show in sports – at 7 p.m. ET.
The Patriots are looking to clinch a seventh consecutive AFC East title, which would tie the Rams for longest streak in NFL history (1973-79). Despite New England’s 35-28 loss to Philadelphia last Sunday, Brady moved into third place on the NFL’s all-time TD pass list (423), passing Hall of Famer Dan Marino (420). Brady also leads the league in passing yards this season (3,912).
The Patriots face a tough Houston defense on Sunday, featuring NFL sack leader Watt (13.5). The Texans look to bounce back from a 30-21 loss to Buffalo on Sunday after having won four straight games. Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots from 2004-2014, faces his former team for the first time.
The Patriots and Texans meet for the sixth time in the regular season (seventh overall), with the Patriots 4-1 against the Texans with a record of 2-1 in Houston. The two teams last met on Dec. 1, 2013, in Houston, with the Patriots claiming a 34-31 victory. While the Patriots can secure a playoff position with a win on Sunday, the Texans improve their playoff chances with a victory.
Calling Patriots-Texans are seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 30th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, who has won the Emmy for Outstanding Event Analyst in each of his six seasons in the Sunday Night Football booth; and two-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.
NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by Emmy Award-winning producer Fred Gaudelli and Emmy Award-winning director Drew Esocoff.
Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, is hosted by 26-time Emmy Award-winner Bob Costas, who will report from NRG Stadium. Costas will be joined on site by Collinsworth, Tafoya, and two-time Super Bowl winner and former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward.
Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN and NBCSports.com, and NFL Insider Peter King. Kathryn Tappen will report from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc., on the Cowboys-Packers game.
MICHELE TAFOYA WORKS 200TH GAME ON NFL SIDELINES THIS SUNDAY
Michele Tafoya will serve as the sideline reporter for her 200th NFL game (regular season and postseason games included) on Sunday, marking the 27th Patriots game that Tafoya will work, tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the team she has covered most in her 12 seasons on the sidelines (2011-present with NBC, 2006-10 with ESPN, 2004-05 with ABC). This week’s Sunday Night Football game also marks Tafoya’s sixth visit to NRG Stadium in Houston and her ninth time covering the Texans.
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WEEK 15 (DECEMBER 20) FLEX SCHEDULING: CARDINALS-EAGLES MOVES TO NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
The NFL announced flexible scheduling changes for Week 15 earlier this week. The Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles game on Sunday, December 20, moves to NBC’s Sunday Night Football at 8:30 p.m. ET, with the Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers game moving to CBS at 4:25 p.m. ET.
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
For the eighth consecutive season, NBC Sports will live stream the entire Sunday Night Football schedule. NBC Sports’ “TV Everywhere” live streaming product, NBC Sports Live Extra, will stream all SNF games to desktops, tablets and connected TVs. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcast of SNF. (NOTE: NBC Sports Digital does not have NFL live streaming rights to mobile devices.)
For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL DIGITAL COVERAGE
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ALL-ACCESS: For the sixth straight season, and with a new look and feel, NBCSports.com is providing a destination for fans dedicated to behind-the-scenes and social media driven content of Sunday Night Football. SNF All-Access includes exclusive photos and videos of the Sunday Night Football production team, look-ins on SNF production meetings, Michele Tafoya’s “Ten With Tafoya” interviews with key NFL players, and conversations with SNF and FNIA talent.
Visit SNF All-Access at: http://snfallaccess.nbcsports.com/
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA: NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive social media coverage includes the Sunday Night Football Facebook page, providing exclusive behind-the-scenes SNF content and digital content from NBCSports.com, SNF All Access, ProFootballTalk.com, and Rotoworld.com, @SNFonNBC, using tweets, photos, Vines and videos & real-time tweets from Michele Tafoya, and a look at SNF through the filters of Instagram.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS: NBC Sports Group’s all-new Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country visiting the Sunday Night Football host cities. The bus will arrive in each city two to three days prior to the game, making stops at local landmarks and events before heading to the game site. Once at the stadium, the Sunday Night Football bus brings fans from the field to the studio set, featuring football field decaling on the floor, a welcome reel with the SNF production team looking back on 10 years of SNF, and replica of the Football Night in America studio available for fan photos, complete with a GIF photo booth which takes a series of pictures and compiles them into a sharable GIF. Fans can digitally follow the Sunday Night Football bus atNBCSports.com/FollowSNF.
“THE SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:” For the fourth consecutive season NBC Sports will present the “Player of the Game Sunday Night Football,” a custom made football from Wilson, which will travel with the SNF crew all season long. At the end of each SNF game, the ball will be signed by the player of the game. Photos, video and stories around the “Player of the Game Sunday Night Football,” and its travels will live on Facebook, Twitter, NBCSports.com/FollowSNF, and SNFAllAccess.com.
For more information on Sunday Night Football’s comprehensive digital coverage, click here.
JETS DRAMATIC OT WIN OVER GIANTS HEADLINES NEW EPISODE OF NFL TURNING POINT THURSDAY AT 1 A.M. ET ON NBCSN
This week’s all-new edition of NFL Turning Point, debuting Thursday at 1 a.m. ET / Wednesday at 10 p.m. PT on NBCSN, features the Week 13 matchup between QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets and QB Eli Manning and the New York Giants. The program examines Giants head coach Tom Coughlin’s controversial play calling in the fourth quarter, and how the Jets were able to comeback and beat the Giants in overtime.
In addition, NFL Turning Point studies the Buffalo Bills’ thrilling victory over the Houston Texans, and features in-game audio from head coach Rex Ryan; examines Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston’s game-winning drive against the Falcons; and reviews QB Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans’ performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Hosted by Football Night In America’s Dan Patrick, the 30-minute long NFL Turning Point, co-produced by NFL Films, airs weekly throughout the entire NFL season, including the playoffs and Super Bowl.
Click here for more information on tonight’s episode.
PRO FOOTBALL TALK ON NBCSN WEEKNIGHTS AT 6 P.M. ET
Two-time Super Bowl champion and veteran Football Night In America studio analyst Rodney Harrison joins co-hosts Mike Florio and Paul Burmeister every weekday throughout the 2015 season on NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk.
Pro Football Talk airs weekdays at 6 p.m. ET. The 30-minute Pro Football Talk provides all-encompassing coverage of the NFL, including the most current news and analysis, thought-provoking debates, and interviews with a wide variety of NFL newsmakers.
Click here for more info on Pro Football Talk.
FANTASY FOOTBALL LIVE ON NBCSN TUESDAY - THURSDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 P.M. ET
Now in its third season on NBCSN, Fantasy Football Live combines the best fantasy football expertise from Yahoo Sports and NBC Sports, including unique metrics from Yahoo Sports’ leading fantasy football platform, and full integration with NBC Sports’ premier fantasy sports information site, Rotoworld.com.
The 30-minute, multi-platform fantasy football program airs Tuesdays through Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN during the NFL regular season. Fantasy Football Live is hosted by NBC Sports’ Dave Briggs, and features a roster of NBC Sports, Rotoworld and Yahoo Sports fantasy analysts, including NBCSN’s Kay Adams, NBC Sports NFL analysts Brian Westbrook, Jon Ritchie and Ross Tucker, and Yahoo Sports’ Brad Evans, Brandon Funston and Andy Behrens.
NBC SPORTS RADIO
NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2015 NFL season with daily coverage across more than 425 radio affiliates, highlighted by Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison; the Amani Toomer and Dan Schartzman Show; and Pro Football Talk Live, featuring NFL insider and Football Night In America commentator Mike Florio.
To listen to a live stream of NBC Sports Radio, or find your local affiliate, visit www.NBCSportsRadio.com.
NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS
NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NFL markets such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, will surround the 2015 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 50 million U.S. cable and satellite households.
| 2015 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE | ||
| *Sun. Dec. 13 | Week 14 | New England Patriots at Houston Texans |
| *Sun. Dec. 20 | Week 15 | Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles |
| *Sun. Dec. 27 | Week 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens |
| *Sun. Jan. 3 | Week 17 | TBD |
*Flex Week
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