FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 5th, 2018

HIGH-SCORING RAMS OFFENSE VISITS NFC’S TOP DEFENSE IN BEARS IN CLASH OF DIVISION LEADERS ON NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Coverage Begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET; 8:20 p.m. ET Kickoff Time for SNF

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

STAMFORD, Conn. – December 5, 2018 – The league-leading Los Angeles Rams (11-1) return to primetime against the NFC North first-place Chicago Bears (8-4) in a star-studded clash of division leaders on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Coverage begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET, from Soldier Field in Chicago.

Both teams enter this weekend’s Sunday Night Football contest atop their respective divisions and look to improve upon their NFC Playoff positioning. The Rams defeated the Detroit Lions, 30-16, last Sunday to clinch the NFC West for the second consecutive season, while the Bears remain in first place in the NFC North despite a narrow loss to the New York Giants in Week 13.

Calling Rams-Bears is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 33rd 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. This marks the 10th season that Michaels and Collinsworth will serve as the announce team in the NBC broadcast booth. In addition, three-time Super Bowl referee and SNF’s rules analyst Terry McAulay will join Michaels and Collinsworth in the booth.

Rams’ running back Todd Gurley rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns in Los Angeles’ victory on Sunday, and became just the eighth player in league history to record at least 1,600 scrimmage yards and 18 touchdowns in his team’s first 12 games of a season. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who had four catches for 62 yards in the win, has 1,026 receiving yards this season. Los Angeles’ high-powered offense has scored at least 30 points in 10 games this season – tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the most in the NFL.

Bears’ quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who has thrown for 2,469 yards and 20 touchdowns in his sophomore season, is expected to return from an injury that he suffered in Week 11. In Week 13, running back Tarik Cohen set career-highs in receptions (12), reception yards (156) and scrimmage yards (186) to become the first running back since 2012 to record at least 12 catches and 150 receiving yards in a game. Linebacker Khalil Mack is one of three defensive players to record at least nine sacks and five forced fumbles this season, while Chicago’s defense has allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game (317.9) in the NFL this year.

Mike Tirico will host Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC alongside Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, NFL insider Mike Florio and PFT Live co-host Chris Simms from NBC Sports’ International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Liam McHugh will co-host Football Night in America on-site from Soldier Field.   

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff.

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, mobile devices 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. This marks the first season that NBC Sports is able to live stream to mobile devices and on PlayStation 4. 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, PlayStation and Xbox.

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. Peter King will also contribute regularly to PFT Live’s coverage throughout the regular season. In addition, on the mornings after games where rulings are a hot topic, McAulay will join Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Radio and NBCSN.

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 INSTAGRAM: Going into its seventh 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. Each week, SNF on Instagram will host Instagram Live interviews with Michele Tafoya and players from each team. In addition, SNF on Instagram will utilize Instagram stories to maximize fans’ exposure to the Sunday Night Football
  • SNF ON TWITTER: Using tweets, photos, and videos, @SNFonNBC provides unique content with SNF talent, production crew and NFL players. Additionally, Tafoya will provide real-time tweets from the sideline to provide followers with updates all game long.
  • 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.
  • SNF ON FACEBOOK: – At nearly 3.7 million likes strong, the Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides social-first stories, photos and video every week.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS RETURNS FOR 2018 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 in Week 17.

Fans will get a closer look at the 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 interactive replica of the control room, an interactive player wall, a Carrie Underwood music experience, a replica of the Football Night in America desk, an area showcasing SNF’s new initiative with the Boys & Girls Clubs 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, memorabilia and a 55-inch monitor housing social media elements.

NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2018 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; the PFT PM podcast hosted by Florio, which takes a look back at the day that was in the NFL; Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison and Dan Schwartzman; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison; and more.

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 2018 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 40 million U.S. households.

2018 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
*Sun. Dec. 9 Week 14 Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears
*Sun. Dec. 16 Week 15 Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams
*Sun. Dec. 23 Week 16 Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Dec. 30 Week 17 TBD
     

*Flex Week

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 11-17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-16, 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 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 30. 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 prime time.

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

—SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL—