FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 30th, 2014

NBC’S NFL WILD CARD SATURDAY COVERAGE FEATURES BEN ROETHLISBERGER AND STEELERS VS. JOE FLACCO AND RAVENS IN PRIMETIME

Saturday’s Coverage Begins with Football Night In America at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC

NBC Sports Live Extra to Live Stream Ravens-Steelers

mun2 To Air Ravens-Steelers Wild Card Playoff Game To Spanish-Language Homes Across America

NBC To Present AFC Divisional Game At New England On Saturday, Jan. 10 At 4:30 P.M. ET

America’s Future Football Stars Featured During 15th Annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl Saturday, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC

NFL Turning Point – Tomorrow Night at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Pro Football Talk – Weekdays at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

NBCSN Sunday Sports Report Has Comprehensive Post-Game Coverage Sunday Nights at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

 

STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 30, 2014 – NBC kicks off its coverage of the 2014 NFL playoffs this Saturday night in primetime with a Wild Card matchup between bitter division rivals, when Ben Roethlisberger and the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers host Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens at 8 p.m. ET. NBC’s NFL Wild Card coverage on Saturday begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night In America.

The Steelers earned the AFC North title and the No. 3 seed with a 27-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football last weekend, led by Roethlisberger’s 317 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens reached the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years with a 20-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, coupled with San Diego’s loss in Kansas City, as Flacco led a fourth-quarter comeback by completing 8-of-9 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the final stanza.

Saturday’s primetime matchup between the Ravens and Steelers marks the third time these division rivals will square off in the postseason, with all three taking place in Pittsburgh, and their third meeting this season. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 23-14 in the 2008 AFC Championship Game en route to their victory in Super Bowl XLIII, and earned a 31-24 win over Baltimore in the 2010 Divisional Round.

This season, the Ravens defeated the Steelers 26-6 in Week 2 in Baltimore, holding Pittsburgh without a touchdown for the first time since the 2011 season. In Week 9, Roethlisberger threw six touchdown passes for the second consecutive game in a 43-23 win on Sunday Night Football.

Calling Ravens-Steelers is seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his 29th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 15-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, who has won the Emmy for Outstanding Event Analyst in each of his five seasons in the Sunday Night Football booth; 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 EsocoffSunday Night Football has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series for a record six consecutive years.

Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, is hosted by 26-time Emmy Award-winner Bob Costas, who will report from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sunday. Costas will be joined on site by Collinsworth, Tafoya, and former Steelers receiver and two-time Super Bowl winner Hines Ward.

Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 and will be joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN and NBCSports.com.

MIKE FLORIO AND TONY DUNGY PREVIEW RAVENS-STEELERS

Dungy on Steelers ability to adapt offensively if RB Le’Veon Bell does not play: “They can certainly do it. Ben Roethlisberger has been hot this year and has thrown for almost 5,000 yards. They have a ton of great receivers and can spread the ball around. But if they’re without Bell, that really plays into the Ravens’ hands. They don’t have great pass defenders in the secondary, but they have great pass rushers.”

mun2 TO AIR RAVENS-STEELERS WILD CARD PLAYOFF GAME TO SPANISH-LANGUAGE HOMES ACROSS AMERICA

NBCUniversal’s Hispanic cable network mun2 continues to bring NFL football to the homes of Latinos across the U.S., with the exclusive Spanish-language broadcast of Ravens-Steelers Wild Card game.

La NFL en mun2 pre-game show will begin live from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa. at 8 p.m. ET. Bringing viewers all the action on the field throughout this AFC Wild Card Playoff will be play-by-play announcer Rene Giraldo, along with color commentator Edgar Lopez and sideline reporter Veronica Contreras.

NBC TO PRESENT AFC DIVISIONAL GAME AT NEW ENGLAND ON SATURDAY, JAN. 10 AT 4:30 P.M. ET

In addition to this weekend’s Ravens-Steelers matchup, NBC will present the AFC Divisional playoff game, hosted by the AFC’s top seed New England Patriots on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET with an hour-long edition of Football Night In America.

Click here for more information: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/12/28/nbc-to-televise-steelers-afc-wild-card-game-this-sat-jan-3-in-primetime-afc-divisional-at-new-england-on-sat-jan-10-at-430-pm-et/

AMERICA’S FUTURE FOOTBALL STARS FEATURED DURING 15th ANNUAL U.S. ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWL THIS SAT., JAN. 3 AT 1 P.M. ET ON NBC

NBC will air the 15th annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl, the nation’s premier high school football all-star game, this Saturday, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. ET live from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Among U.S. Army All-American game alumni are NFL stars including Colts QB Andrew Luck, Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles, Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray, and Giants rookie WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Coverage on Saturday kicks off at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a live, on-site pre-game show, followed by live game coverage at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

Click here for more information: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/12/30/americas-future-football-stars-featured-during-15th-annual-u-s-army-all-american-bowl-this-sat-jan-3-at-1-p-m-et-on-nbc/

 

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

As with all Sunday Night Football games this season, NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product, will stream this Saturday’s Ravens-Steelers game to desktops and tablets. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcast. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available at the App Store for iPad and iPod touch, and on select tablet devices within Google Play.

 

DIGITAL & SOCIAL COVERAGE

NBC Sports Group is utilizing its wide array of digital and social assets to provide fans with more behind-the-scenes content than ever before. NBC Sports Group’s NFL coverage this weekend will include continued comprehensive coverage via NBC Sports Group’s social media channels.

Click here for more info on NBC Sports Group’s season-long comprehensive NFL social media coverage: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/08/28/nbc-sports-group-surrounds-week-1-of-2014-nfl-season-with-nfl-kickoff-2014-and-sunday-night-football/

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS

NBC Sports Group’s Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country visiting the host cities of all 17 Sunday Night Football games and postseason games, including Super Bowl XLIX. The bus arrives in each city two to three days prior to the game and stops at local landmarks and events, where fans have the opportunity to interact with America’s most-watched primetime television show via exclusive memorabilia, and an interactive 55-inch touch screen housing social media elements, photos and video. Fans can digitally follow the Sunday Night Football bus at NBCSports.com/FollowSNF.

 

NFL TURNING POINT – TOMORROW NIGHT AT 11 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Wednesday night’s edition of NFL Turning Point, NBCSN’s Emmy Award-nominated weekly NFL show co-produced by NFL Films, will feature in-depth analysis of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers division-clinching win over the NFC North division rival Detroit Lions. Airing tomorrow night at 11 p.m. ET, NFL Turning Point will break down the game and review how Rodgers led the Packers to victory despite being injured.

In addition, the all new episode will examine the Ravens matchup with the Browns, the Panthers NFC South-clinching win against the Falcons, and wired-for-sound segments with Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and Chiefs LB Justin Houston, who recorded 4.0 sacks on Sunday giving him 22.0 for the season.

Hosted by Football Night In America’s Dan Patrick, the hour-long program will air throughout the entire NFL season, including the playoffs and Super Bowl XLIX.

Click here for more info: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/12/30/packers-victory-over-lions-featured-in-new-episode-of-nfl-turning-point-tomorrow-night-at-11-p-m-et-on-nbcsn/

 

PRO FOOTBALL TALK ON NBCSN WEEKNIGHTS, 5:30 P.M. ET

Pro Football Talk, NBCSN’s daily NFL studio show co-hosted by Mike Florio and Paul Burmeister, airs at 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday (only Monday and Tuesday this week). Pro Football Talk provides all-encompassing coverage of the NFL, and features a roster of NBC Sports football commentators who share a combined eight Super Bowl titles and 169 seasons of NFL experience, including Cris Collinsworth (Thursdays), Tony Dungy (Tuesdays), Hines Ward (Wednesdays), Doug Flutie (Fridays), Jason Taylor, Takeo Spikes, Brian Westbrook, Ross Tucker, Jon Ritchie, NFL coach Kevin Gilbride, and longtime NFL athletic trainer Mike Ryan.

 

NBC SPORTS SUPER BOWL FAN CHALLENGE

NBC Sports will send two lucky fans to Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz., with the NBC Sports Super Bowl Fan Challenge, as part of its multi-platform promotion leading up to the game on Sunday, Feb. 1, on NBC.

Through Jan. 6, 2015, fans can visit the NBC Sports Super Bowl Fan Challenge and complete weekly challenges for a chance to win the grand prize – VIP access and two (2) tickets to Super Bowl XLIX, as well as hotel and airfare accommodations.

Click here for more info: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/12/17/two-lucky-fans-will-win-trip-to-super-bowl-xlix-by-entering-nbc-sports-super-bowl-fan-challenge/

 

NBCSN SUNDAY SPORTS REPORT – SUNDAY NIGHTS, 11:30 P.M. ET

NBCSN Sunday Sports Report, a new, weekly, one-hour program that showcases the news and highlights of the sports properties that are carried by NBC Sports Group, airs every Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Hosted by Liam McHugh, NBCSN Sunday Sports Report goes in-depth into the high-profile sports properties that primarily air on NBC and NBCSN, including the Olympics, NFL, NASCAR, NHL, Premier League, golf, Triple Crown horse racing, Notre Dame Football, Formula One, IndyCar and more.

Click here for more info: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/07/14/nbcsn-sunday-sports-report-premieres-august-17/

 

NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2014 NFL season with daily coverage on 439 radio affiliates, highlighted by McNabb and Malone; an all-sports show that leverages the unique perspective of two former NFL quarterbacks, and Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison.

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, Houston and San Francisco, will surround the 2014 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 43 million U.S. households.

 

2014 NFL PLAYOFFS ON NBC

Following is NBC’s 2014 NFL playoff telecast schedule.

2014 NBC NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
DATE WEEK MATCHUP
Sat., Jan. 3 Wild Card Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sat., Jan. 10 Divisional TBA at New England Patriots
Sun., Feb. 1 Super Bowl XLIX TBA vs. TBA

 

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