FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 10th, 2019
CARSON WENTZ LEADS EAGLES AGAINST MATT RYAN AND FALCONS THIS WEEK ON NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Coverage Begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET; Followed by 8:20 p.m. ET SNF Kickoff
Both NFL Kickoff Weekend Games on NBC Delivered Audience Increases for First Time in Four Years
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App to Live Stream NFL Kickoff and All Sunday Night Football Games to Desktops, Tablets, Connected TVs, and Mobile Devices
Leading Up to this Sunday’s Game, Fans Can Play NBC Sports’ New ”Sunday Night 7” Free-to-Play Game Featuring $2 Million in Guaranteed Cash Prizes
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 10, 2019 – Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles visit Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons in a battle of the birds this week on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m. from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
This Sunday marks the third consecutive meeting between the teams on NBC. The last two meetings – both in Philadelphia – featured the Eagles stopping the Falcons at the goal line in the closing seconds.
Last September in the NFL Kickoff Game, the Super Bowl champion Eagles topped the Falcons 18-12. Just eight months earlier, in the NFC Divisional Playoff in January 2018, Philadelphia won 15-10. Three weeks later, the Eagles captured the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl title.
Calling Eagles-Falcons is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 34th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and three-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. Three-time Super Bowl referee and SNF rules analyst Terry McAulay joins Michaels and Collinsworth in the booth.
With three touchdowns and 313 yards, Wentz led the Eagles to a 32-27 comeback victory in the season opener against the Washington Redskins. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson led the team’s offensive surge, recording 154 yards on eight receptions and scoring two touchdowns. With those scoring plays, Jackson now has 31 touchdowns of 50 yards or longer in his NFL career, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (36).
The Falcons look to rebound after a 28-12 season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Coming off a 35-touchdown season in 2018, Ryan on Sunday threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, including one to star wide receiver Julio Jones.
Mike Tirico will host Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET alongside Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, NFL Insider Mike Florio and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms. Liam McHugh will co-host Football Night in America on-site from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff. Football Night begins every Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, and is produced by Rob Hyland and directed by Mike Sheehan.
NBC SPORTS’ “SUNDAY NIGHT 7” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME FEATURES $2 MILLION GUARANTEED PRIZES
Leading up to this week’s Sunday Night Football game, fans can participate in NBC Sports’ new free-to-play game, Sunday Night 7, which features $2 million in guaranteed cash prizes over the course of the regular season and NBC NFL playoff games ($100,000 in guaranteed prizes for each contest). Sunday Night 7 is available for download NOW on the NBC Sports Predictor app (available for download in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at NBCSports.com/Predictor.
BOTH NFL KICKOFF WEEKEND GAMES ON NBC DELIVERED AUDIENCE INCREASES FOR FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS
NBC’s NFL Kickoff Weekend games, highlighted by Packers-Bears in the NFL Kickoff Game and Steelers-Patriots on Sunday Night Football, both delivered audience increases for the first time in four years. In addition, NBC’s two-game NFL Kickoff Weekend viewership average of 22.7 million viewers is up 8% from last year’s first two NBC games (21.1 million TAD).
NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES:
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC NFL 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. 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.
PETER KING’S NFL COLUMN “FOOTBALL MORNING IN AMERICA” DEBUTS EVERY MONDAY EXCLUSIVELY ON NBCSPORTS.COM
A new “Football Morning in America” will post every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com. King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group last year that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com, making regular appearances on NBCSN’s and NBC Sports Radio’s PFT Live with Florio, and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.
CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED
NBC Sports’ Chris Simms examines everything happening in the NFL and around the sports world. Along with a rotation of NBC Sports hosts including Ahmed Fareed, Paul Burmeister and Liam McHugh, Chris Simms Unbuttoned analyses the NFL with in-depth Xs and Os breakdowns; one-on-one interviews with players, coaches and executives; and game recaps and preview.
ROTOWORLD
Rotoworld offers comprehensive fantasy football coverage throughout the 2019 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. The all-new 2019 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Draft Guide, which includes mobile optimization, an updated website design, and improved tools, is now available for purchase on Rotoworld.com. In addition, Rotoworld experts dive into fan questions on “Rotoworld Live” every Sunday at Noon ET on the NBC Sports app and YouTube.com/NBCSports. Rotoworld also presents comprehensive fantasy content, including a panel of experts answering fans’ questions on Twitch three times a week, a Waiver Wire Q&A (Tuesdays), a DFS Q&A (Thursdays), and a Rankings Q&A (Fridays).
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.
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.
PODCASTS
NBC Sports’ football podcasts provide extensive weekly offerings from NBC Sports’ most popular personalities and present special guests, exclusive interviews, and robust conversations across all of football on The Peter King Podcast, Chris Simms Unbuttoned, PFT PM, and Rotoworld Football. While The Peter King Podcast features intimate discussions with the NFL’s top players, Chris Simms Unbuttoned and PFT PM dive into deep conversations around the sports’ hottest topics, and Rotoworld Football explores fantasy implications for fans. For the first time this season, Rotoworld Football will debut four episodes per week, including a new Sunday night episode diving into the weekend’s results. In addition, The Mike Tirico Podcast will debut new episodes throughout the 2019 NFL season featuring exclusive interviews with the league’s top players and personalities. New episodes of NBC Sports podcasts are available for download each week on all major podcast platforms including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, NBC Sports’ Scores app, Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.
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. 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.
- 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, produced and distributed by Westwood One in partnership with NBC Sports Group, is carried by more than 300 affiliates nationwide. Programming is available on radio stations throughout the United States, as well as on NBCSportsRadio.com, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports Scores app, and on the websites of affiliates. Content includes hourly sports news updates, daily features, and is 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 The Daily Line, NBC Sports Radio’s daily sports talk and betting show that airs M-F 3-7 p.m. ET and features special guests and content for casual and avid sports fans. Fans can follow @NBCSportsRadio to listen live or on demand, or visit www.NBCSportsRadio.com.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS RETURNS FOR 2019 NFL SEASON
NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country, visiting the host cities of each Sunday Night Football game. In addition, the SNF Bus will also visit markets along the route without an SNF game on the schedule to give more fans a chance to join in on the experience. The bus will arrive in each host 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 and experiences.
For the first time ever, fans will be able to record content on the bus to share directly to their social platforms, with new experiences including augmented reality mirrors in the locker room and a green screen booth to replicate the iconic player intros in the SNF broadcast.
In addition, fan favorites returning to the bus include the official Player of the Game Ball signed at the end of every SNF matchup, a replica Football Night in America desk, and a brand new On Her Turf photo experience celebrating the power of every football fan.
| 2019 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE | ||
| Sun. Sept. 15 | Week 2 | Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons |
| Sun. Sept. 22 | Week 3 | Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns |
| Sun. Sept. 29 | Week 4 | Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints |
| *Sun. Oct. 6 | Week 5 | Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs |
| *Sun. Oct. 13 | Week 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Chargers |
| *Sun. Oct. 20 | Week 7 | Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys |
| *Sun. Oct. 27 | Week 8 | Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs |
| *Sun. Nov. 3 | Week 9 | New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens |
| *Sun. Nov. 10 | Week 10 | Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys |
| *Sun. Nov. 17 | Week 11 | Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams |
| *Sun. Nov. 24 | Week 12 | Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles |
| **Thurs. Nov. 28 | Week 13 | New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons |
| *Sun. Dec. 1 | Week 13 | New England Patriots at Houston Texans |
| *Sun. Dec. 8 | Week 14 | Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams |
| *Sun. Dec. 15 | Week 15 | Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers |
| *Sun. Dec. 22 | Week 16 | Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears |
| *Sun. Dec. 29 | Week 17 | TBD |
*Flex Week
** Thanksgiving Night Game
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 29. 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.
– SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL –
