FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 21st, 2017

ANTONIO BROWN, LE’VEON BELL, BEN ROETHLISBERGER, KIRK COUSINS, ELI MANNING & JORDY NELSON HIGHLIGHT THANKSGIVING WEEKEND NFL GAMES ON NBC

Giants Visit Redskins in NFC East Matchup on Thanksgiving Night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Universo

Sunday’s Coverage of Packers-Steelers Begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App to Live Stream Thanksgiving Night & Sunday Night Football to Desktops, Tablets, and Connected TVs

College Football – Grambling State vs. Southern in Bayou Classic Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN


STAMFORD, Conn.
 – November 21, 2017 – NBC Sports presents a pair of NFL games this holiday week, beginning on Thanksgiving night in Washington, D.C., when Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins host Eli Manning and the New York Giants at FedEx Field at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Universo. Coverage on NBC continues with Sunday Night Football on Nov. 26, when Jordy Nelson and the Green Bay Packers (5-5) travel to Pittsburgh to face Ben Roethlisberger and the AFC-leading Steelers (8-2) at Heinz Field.

The Redskins look to keep their playoff hopes alive on Thursday after suffering a 34-31 overtime loss to the Saints on Sunday. At 4-6, Washington sits behind Detroit (6-4), Seattle (6-4), Green Bay (5-5) and Dallas (5-5) in the NFC Playoff standings with four in-conference games remaining. Against the Saints, Cousins completed 22-of-32 passes for 322 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Cousins has nine career games with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions, tying Sonny Jurgensen and Joe Theismann for the most such games in team history. The Giants defeated the Chiefs, 12-9, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Running back Orleans Darkwa rushed for 74 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

The Giants lead the overall series, 99-67-4, and are 11-5-1 all-time against the Redskins in primetime games, including 3-0 in Thursday night games. This marks the first ever Thanksgiving game hosted by Washington.

Pittsburgh enters Sunday Night Football on a five-game winning streak and holds the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoff hunt with New England (8-2) keeping pace. The Steelers defeated the Titans (6-4), 40-17, on NBC’s Thursday Night Football. Roethlisberger threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns, and surpassed Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon for the eighth-most passing yards in NFL history. The Steelers have now clinched a record of .500 or better for the 14th consecutive season dating back to 2004, the second-longest active streak behind the Patriots.

Green Bay remains in the NFC Playoff hunt despite losing 23-0 to Baltimore on Sunday. The Packers offense is fueled by a trio of wide receivers led by fourth-year standout Davante Adams, who leads the team in receptions (50), receiving yards (620) and receiving touchdowns (six), respectively.

Two of the most storied franchises in NFL history, the Packers and Steelers will meet for the 38th time and for the first time ever on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Green Bay holds the edge in the all-time series, 22-15, while Pittsburgh has won four of the last five contests, including a 37-36 victory at home in 2009. The Steelers and Packers have combined to win 10 Super Bowls. Green Bay defeated Pittsburgh, 31-25, in Super Bowl XLV in 2010.

Calling Giants-Redskins and Packers-Steelers are Al Michaels (play-by-play) and 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; 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 Mike Tirico, who will report on-site from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh alongside PFT Live co-host Chris Simms, and Dan Patrick, who will host from Studio 1 at NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Patrick is joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy and two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison. Kathryn Tappen will report from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Saints-Rams game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL – SOUTHERN VS. GRAMBLING STATE IN BAYOU CLASSIC SATURDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBC Sports Group concludes its 2017 college football coverage this Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Grambling State (9-1) and Southern University (7-3) facing off in the annual Bayou Classic from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. This marks the 27th year NBC Sports will present the Bayou Classic.

Paul Burmeister will handle play-by-play, and will be joined in the booth by analysts Charles Arbuckle and Anthony Herron. Lewis Johnson will report from the sidelines.


NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC games to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcasts. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox. (NOTE: NBC Sports does not have NFL live streaming rights to mobile devices.)


PFT LIVE
– WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON NBCSN

Mike Florio and co-host Chris Simms bring fans the latest NFL news and interviews with players and coaches every weekday morning with PFT Live on NBCSN at 7 a.m. ET.  The two-hour PFT Live 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. The program is a simulcast of NBC Sports Radio’s PFT Live national program that airs daily beginning at 6 a.m. ET.


SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
 SOCIAL MEDIA

  • SNF ON FACEBOOK:  – At nearly 3.5 million LIKES strong, the Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides social-first stories, photos and video every week. In addition, the SNF Facebook page will feature weekly Facebook Live interviews with Michele Tafoya and player from each team leading up to the game, and Facebook Live Q&A’s with Tony Dungy on Sundays.
  • SNF ON TWITTER:  Using tweets, photos, and videos, @SNFonNBC provides unique content with SNF talent, production crew and NFL players. Additionally, Michele Tafoya will provide real-time tweets from the sideline to provide followers with updates all game long.
  • SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Going into its sixth season, Sunday Night Football gives the SNF fan a look at photos through the filters of Instagram. Fans get a look around each SNF city, as well as access inside the production trucks, the locker rooms, on the field and on the sideline, as our social media producer captures the best photos of Sunday night and posts in real time. In addition, SNF on Instagram will utilize Instagram stories to maximize fans’ exposure to the Sunday Night Football footprint.
  • SNF ON SNAPCHAT: For the second season, NBC Sports’ Snapchat account will be creating content on the platform at each Sunday Night Football game, including Kickoff and from the SNF The NBC Sports Snapchat account will take fans behind the scenes to the FNIA set and around cities where Sunday Night Football comes to town, utilizing lenses and filters to customize content specifically for the Snapchat audience.


SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
BUS RETURNS FOR 2017 NFL SEASON 

NBC Sports Group’s Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country, visiting the host cities of select Sunday Night Football games. The bus will bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy to various SNF locations, before arriving at its final destination, Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minn., in February. Fans will get a closer look at behind-the-scenes action of SNF broadcasts on the bus, which will take fans from the field, to the studio and in the production trucks. Features of the bus include an, a replica of the Football Night in America desk, highlights wall, the ability to see what it’s like to be a camera person through four different camera views, and more.

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 will give fans the opportunity to interact with America’s most-watched primetime television show with exclusive activities.

NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2017 NFL season with daily coverage across more than 425 radio affiliates, highlighted by PFT Live, featuring NFL insider and Football Night In America commentator Mike Florio daily from 6-9 a.m. ET; Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison and Dan Schwartzman; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison; Going Deep with Amani and Dan, featuring former Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer; and NFL Insider Michele Tafoya.

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, and San Francisco, will surround the 2017 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 35 million U.S. households.

SNF IS NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM ON TELEVISION, WITH NBC/NFLN TNF RANKING NO. 2

NBC Sunday Night Football finished the 2016-17 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for a record sixth consecutive year – tying American Idol for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on live plus same day data provided by The Nielsen Company. NBC Sunday Night Football also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the seventh consecutive TV season. SNF’s six-year run at the top marks the only six times on record that a sports series has been the highest-rated and most-watched show of the primetime TV season In addition, NBC/NFL Network Thursday Night Football ranked as primetime TV’s No. 2 show in average viewers and household rating, and No. 3 among Adults 18-49.

REMAINING 2017 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
**Thurs. Nov. 23 Week 12 New York Giants at Washington Redskins
*Sun. Nov. 26 Week 12 Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 3 Week 13 Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Dec. 10 Week 14 Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 17 Week 15 Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders
Sat. Dec. 23 Week 16 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Dec. 31 Week 17 TBD

 *Flex Week
** Thanksgiving Night Game

REMAINING 2017 NBC THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE*
Thurs. Nov. 30 Week 13   Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Thurs. Dec. 7 Week 14 New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Thurs. Dec. 14 Week 15 Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts
**Mon. Dec. 25 Week 16 Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans

*Games will be simulcast on NFL Network and streamed live on Amazon Prime
**Game at 4:30 p.m. ET

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 10-15 and 17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-9, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-15, 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 January 1. 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. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime.

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

–NBC SPORTS GROUP—