FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 4th, 2017

STAR ROOKIES HIGHLIGHT NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL AS NFL’S NO. 1 RUSHER KAREEM HUNT & 4-0 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VISIT DESHAUN WATSON & HOUSTON TEXANS

Coverage Begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET

Kansas City is NFL’s Only Unbeaten Team Entering Week 5

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

NBCSN Presents Two-Hour Pro Football Talk Weekdays at 7 a.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 4, 2017 – Two Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates will be showcased this weekend on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, as Kareem Hunt and the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) visit Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans (2-2) at NRG Stadium. Coverage begins with Football Night in America this Sunday, October 8, at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Chiefs boast one of the league’s premiere offenses fueled by rookie standout Hunt, who leads the NFL with 502 rushing yards. Hunt has totaled 659 scrimmage yards in his first four career games, the second-most in NFL history behind RB Billy Sims (745 scrimmage yards in 1980). Per Pro Football Focus, the first-year starter leads all running backs in yards gained after contact with 256. Coupled with the play of QB Alex Smith, who leads the league in both completion percentage (76.0) and passer rating (124.2), Kansas City ranks second in total offense. A 29-20 win over the Redskins in Week 4 improved the team’s record to 4-0 for the first time since 2013.

Houston enters Sunday’s game on the heels of a 57-14 win over division rival Tennessee. Watson threw for 283 yards and combined to score five total touchdowns to tie the single-game NFL rookie touchdown record. Watson, who was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the performance, joined Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton as the only rookie quarterbacks in NFL history to produce at least 250 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a game. Defensively, the Texans saw the return of DL J.J. Watt, who missed 13 games with an injury last season. Since Watt entered the league in 2011, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has 439 quarterback pressures, second to only Von Miller (443), according to Pro Football Focus.

The two franchises last met in primetime in 2005, when Kansas City traveled to Houston and defeated the Texans, 45-17. The Chiefs own a 55-36 all-time record in primetime games and have won their last two Sunday Night Football contests. Sunday’s matchup marks the second of four primetime games for Houston this season. Watson, making his first career start, led the Texans to a 13-9 road win over Cincinnati in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football.

Calling Chiefs-Texans 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.

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by Emmy Award-winning producer Fred Gaudelli and Emmy Award-winning director Drew Esocoff.

Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, is hosted by Mike Tirico, who will report on-site from FedEx Field, 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. Paul Burmeister will report from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the Packers-Cowboys game.


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.)


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: Going into 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 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, 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
IS NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM ON TELEVISION, WITH NBC/NFLN TNF RANKING NO. 2

NBC Sunday Night Football finished the 2016-17 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for a record sixth consecutive year – tying American Idol for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on live plus same day data provided by The Nielsen Company. NBC Sunday Night Football also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the seventh consecutive TV season. SNF’s six-year run at the top marks the only six times on record that a sports series has been the highest-rated and most-watched show of the primetime TV season In addition, NBC/NFL Network Thursday Night Football ranked as primetime TV’s No. 2 show in average viewers and household rating, and No. 3 among Adults 18-49.

REMAINING 2017 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

*Sun. Oct. 8 Week 5   Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans
*Sun. Oct. 15 Week 6 New York Giants at Denver Broncos
*Sun. Oct. 22 Week 7 Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots
*Sun. Oct. 29 Week 8 Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
*Sun. Nov. 5 Week 9 Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins
*Sun. Nov. 12 Week 10 New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
*Sun. Nov. 19 Week 11  Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
**Thurs. Nov. 23 Week 12 New York Giants at Washington Redskins
*Sun. Nov. 26 Week 12 Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 3 Week 13 Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Dec. 10 Week 14 Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Dec. 17 Week 15 Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders
Sat. Dec. 23 Week 16 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Dec. 31 Week 17 TBD

 *Flex Week
** Thanksgiving Night Game

 

2017 NBC THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE*

Thurs. Nov. 9 Week 10 Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Thurs. Nov. 16 Week 11   Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Thurs. Nov. 30 Week 13   Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Thurs. Dec. 7 Week 14 New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Thurs. Dec. 14 Week 15 Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts
**Mon. Dec. 25 Week 16 Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans

*Games will be simulcast on NFL Network and streamed live on Amazon Prime
**Game at 4:30 p.m. ET

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 10-15 and 17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-9, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-15, 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, Saturday 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 January 1. 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 primetime.

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—