FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018

TODD GURLEY & NFC WEST CHAMPION LOS ANGELES RAMS HOST MATT RYAN & DEFENDING NFC CHAMPION ATLANTA FALCONS IN NBC’S NFL WILD CARD GAME THIS SAT., JAN. 6, IN PRIMETIME

Saturday’s NBC Coverage of the NFL Playoffs Begins with Football Night in America at 7:30 p.m. ET

Al Michaels to Call His First-Ever NFL Game in L.A.

Game Marks First NBC NFL Telecast in L.A. Since Dec. 24, 1994 Chiefs-Raiders Matchup Called by Dick Enberg & Bob Trumpy

NBC to Broadcast NFC Divisional Game on Saturday, Jan. 13, in Philadelphia

Universo to Televise Falcons-Rams Wild Card Playoff Game to Spanish-Language Homes Across America

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App to Live Stream All NBC NFL Games to Desktops, Tablets, and Connected TVs

STAMFORD, Conn. – January 3, 2018 – NBC’s coverage of the NFL Playoffs begins this Saturday, Jan. 6, in primetime, as Todd Gurley and the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams (11-5) host Matt Ryan and the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons (NFC South, 10-6) at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. NBC’s NFL Wild Card coverage on Saturday begins with a special edition of Football Night in America at 7:30 p.m. ET.

In his 32 years of calling NFL games, Saturday marks Al Michaels’ first-ever NFL game assignment in Los Angeles. He has called six NFL games in Anaheim, Calif. In addition, the game marks NBC’s first NFL telecast in the Los Angeles Coliseum since Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy called Chiefs-Raiders on Dec. 24, 1994.

First-year head coach Sean McVay has led the Rams to an 11-5 record one year after the franchise finished 4-12. Los Angeles averaged a league-best 29.9 points per game this season, and became the first team in the Super Bowl era to rank first in points per game after finishing the prior season ranked last. The Rams are led by running back Todd Gurley, who topped the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,093), rushing touchdowns (13), and total touchdowns (19). Former No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff threw for 3,804 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions. According to Pro Football Focus, defensive lineman Aaron Donald was the NFL’s highest-graded player at any position for the second straight year. This marks the 28th time the franchise has made the postseason and the first time it has appeared in a playoff game since 2005.

The Falcons clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season with a 22-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Quarterback Matt Ryan finished the 2017 campaign with more than 4,000 passing yards for the seventh consecutive season, which is tied for the second-longest active streak in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, Ryan was the NFL’s second-highest rated quarterback for the second consecutive season. Wide receiver Julio Jones caught 88 passes for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns. He reached 9,000 career receiving yards in fewer games than any player in NFL history (95). For the first time since its 1998 Super Bowl season, the franchise ranked in the top 10 in both total defense (323.1 yards per game) and scoring defense (21.0 points per game).

Calling Falcons-Rams are seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 32nd season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and two-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.

Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, will be hosted by Liam McHugh, who will report on-site from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 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, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com and PFT Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Radio.

NBC will broadcast an NFC Divisional Playoff game on Saturday, Jan. 13, from Lincoln Financial Field, as the Philadelphia Eagles host the lowest-seeded team remaining following this weekend’s games. Coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America.

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.)

UNIVERSO TO TELEVISE FALCONS-RAMS IN SPANISH

Telemundo Deportes continues its exclusive Spanish-language live NFL game telecasts on Universo, presenting Saturday night’s Falcons-Rams Wild Card game in Spanish. In addition, Universo will present Spanish-language coverage of next week’s Divisional Playoff game in Philadelphia, and Super Bowl LII in Minnesota on Sun., Feb. 4.. Telemundo Deportes’ commentators Edgar Lopez and Rene Giraldo return to call the NFL on Universo, alongside Veronica Contreras as sideline reporter. Miguel Gurwitz will host the telecasts with pre/postgame studio coverage. Universo’s telecasts will also be streamed live via the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app and TelemundoDeportes.com.

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: Recently completing 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 PLAYOFFS 

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 POSTS ITS MOST-DOMINANT SEASON EVER, FINISHING 2017 ON PACE TO BE TELEVISION’S NO. 1 PRIMETIME SHOW FOR RECORD SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

NBC recently concluded its 12th season of Sunday Night Football with its most-dominant performance ever in average viewership and household rating vs. its competition, while pacing to finish as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for a record seventh consecutive year – which will break its tie with American Idol for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on live plus same day data provided by The Nielsen Company.

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—