FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 9th, 2019

PATRICK MAHOMES & CHIEFS FACE ANDREW LUCK & COLTS IN AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF THIS SATURDAY ON NBC

Coverage Begins with Special 90-minute Edition of Football Night in America on Location at Arrowhead Stadium at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, Followed by Colts vs. Chiefs at 4:30 p.m. ET

Saturday’s Game Marks Fifth Colts-Chiefs Playoff Meeting; First Matchup between Mahomes and Luck, Who Ranked #1-2 in NFL in TD Passes in 2018

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App to Live Stream Matchup to Desktops, Tablets, Connected TVs, & Mobile Devices

STAMFORD, Conn. – January 9, 2019 – NFL touchdown pass leader Patrick Mahomes and the AFC #1 seed Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) host Andrew Luck and the #6 Indianapolis Colts (11-6) in the NFL Divisional Playoffs from Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium this Saturday, January 12, at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET with a special 90-minute playoff edition of Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

Mahomes and Luck (second in NFL in TD passes) combined for 89 passing touchdowns this season (Mahomes 50, Luck 39) – the most combined scoring passes by opposing QBs ever in a playoff matchup. Saturday marks the fifth playoff meeting between the Colts and Chiefs since 1995 (the Colts have won all four), tying Patriots-Colts, Patriots-Steelers, and Patriots-Jaguars for the most postseason AFC matchups in that span.

Calling Colts-Chiefs 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.

The special 90-minute edition of Football Night in America will be on-site from Arrowhead Stadium, with host Mike Tirico, analysts Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and Chris Simms, and NFL Insider Mike Florio. In order to capture the famous Kansas City fan excitement and tailgating that occurs in ‘the best smelling parking lot in football,’ the team will begin the show at an outside set before moving inside the stadium as kickoff approaches. The 12-camera show will also include reports from both locker rooms, numerous taped pieces, and player or coach pre-game interviews. Paul Burmeister will report from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to preview Saturday night’s Cowboys-Rams NFC Divisional Playoff. FNIA is the most-watched studio show in sports, and averaged 7.1 million viewers this year, up 4% vs. last season.

After starting the season 1-5, the Colts have won 10 of their last 11 games, including their largest road playoff victory in 23 years, a 21-7 defeat of the Houston Texans last weekend in an AFC Wild Card matchup. Luck recorded 222 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, and RB Marlon Mack rushed for 148 yards.

In his first playoff game, Mahomes will aim to lead Kansas City to their first playoff victory since 1994. In his first full season as the starting quarterback, Mahomes became the second player in NFL history to throw 50 touchdown passes and for at least 5,000 yards. The Chiefs’ offense, powered by WR Tyreek Hill and TE Travis Kelce, also led the NFL in total offense (425.6 yards per game) and scoring (35.3) in the regular season.

NBC Sports’ NFL coverage is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff. FNIA is produced by Rob Hyland and directed by Mike Sheehan.

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.

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.

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—