FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 9th, 2020
AFC DIVISION LEADERS STEELERS AND BILLS MEET THIS WEEK IN BUFFALO ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
First-Place Matchup Features Highest Combined Winning Percentage for a December or January Game in NBC SNF History
STEVE KORNACKI RETURNS TO ANALYZE NFL PLAYOFF PROBABILITIES
Tony Dungy Interview with Ryan Shazier Airs During Football Night in America
Coverage Begins with FNIA at 7 p.m. ET; Followed by 8:20 p.m. ET SNF Kickoff
“Sunday Night 7” Free-to-Play Game Features $100,000 Jackpot Every Contest
STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 9, 2020 – The Pittsburgh Steelers, who are tied for the best record in the NFL at 11-1, visit the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills (9-3) this week, as NBC’s Sunday Night Football returns to Buffalo for the first time since 2007. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America on NBC, followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET from Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, NY.
Sunday night’s matchup of first-place AFC teams features the highest combined winning percentage for a December or January game in NBC SNF history (.833). Quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen rank second and tied for third in the AFC, respectively, with 27 and 26 touchdown passes.
Last year, the Bills clinched a postseason berth with a 17-10 victory against the Steelers on SNF in Week 15.
Pittsburgh dropped their first game of the year on Monday night to the Washington Football Team, 23-17, and are now tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the NFL. Defensive end T.J. Watt leads the NFL in sacks (12) and tackles for loss (21), while the Steelers defense allows the fewest points per game in the league (17.6).
Buffalo remained in sole possession of first-place in the AFC East after defeating Arizona, 34-24, on Monday behind 375 yards and four touchdowns from Allen. The Bills are aiming to win their first division title since 1995.
An interview between Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy and former Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier will be featured during Football Night in America. The conversation details Shazier’s remarkable journey in recovering from a spine injury in 2017 and his work in creating the Ryan Shazier Fund for Spinal Rehabilitation. Shazier also visits the first recipient of his new initiative to help spread hope and thankfulness around the holiday season.
Mike Tirico joins 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth (analyst) in the booth at Bills Stadium. Notre Dame on NBC sideline reporter and NHL on NBC host Kathryn Tappen makes her second appearance this season reporting from the sidelines on SNF. Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay serves as the rules analyst.
NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff. SNF is the only show to win 10 Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live Sports Series.
Liam McHugh hosts Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET alongside Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, and NFL Insider Mike Florio. Jac Collinsworth co-hosts FNIA on-site from Bills Stadium. Football Night is produced by Rob Hyland and directed by Mike Sheehan.
In addition, Steve Kornacki, NBC News’ celebrated political correspondent, returns to FNIA for the remainder of the season to analyze NFL playoff probabilities from the Big Board following the conclusion of the afternoon games. He will also appear at halftime of SNF, including Steelers-Bills this week. Kornacki’s inaugural appearance last week was met with widespread acclaim. For more information about Steve Kornacki, click here.
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, mobile, 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. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.
TELEMUNDO DEPORTES PRESENTS FULL SEASON OF SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Telemundo Deportes will televise the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package live including all Sunday night regular-season games, the NFL Kickoff game, the annual Thanksgiving night game and three Playoff Games. Universo will televise 21 games, with Telemundo to broadcast the newly-added primetime NFL Wild Card playoff game on Sunday, January 10. Coverage of the 2020 NFL season across both Telemundo and sister network, Universo, mark the first time ever that the full SNF schedule is available in Spanish-language in the U.S.
“SUNDAY NIGHT 7” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME RETURNS WITH $100,000 JACKPOT EVERY CONTEST
Once again this season, in the build-up to each week’s Sunday Night Football matchup, fans can participate in NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, Sunday Night 7, which features a $100,000 jackpot every contest over the course of the regular season and NBC NFL playoff games. Sunday Night 7 is available for download NOW on the NBC Sports Predictor app (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at NBCSports.com/Predictor.
Last week, three users tied for first place with a score of 55 points, each taking home $600.
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. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike 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 2020 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. Rotoworld’s Fantasy Football Draft Guide and premium tools are available for purchase now via Rotoworld’s new subscription model, beginning at only $3.99 per month. The industry-leading source for fantasy football news and information, the 2020 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Draft Guide features more than 450 extensive player profiles, ‘Sleepers and Busts,’ player projections, positional rankings and tier groupings from Rotoworld’s NFL experts, and more. For the first time, Rotoworld’s Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet is downloadable and available for free by registering on Rotoworld.com. The Cheat Sheet, which includes top 200 PPR rankings, PPR positional rankings, dynasty rookies, and more, is also available as part of the 2020 Draft Guide.
PFT LIVE – WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON PEACOCK
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 streaming live on Peacock at 7 a.m. ET. Peter King and NBC Football Night in America analyst Rodney Harrison also contribute regularly to PFT Live’s coverage throughout the season.
The two-hour PFT Live is known for delivering inside information and comprehensive analysis from an independent perspective. The show covers all the latest news around the league, breaks down reports and rumors and features interviews with players, coaches and executives. The show will be re-aired on NBCSN from 9-11 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. New episodes of NBC Sports podcasts are available for download each week on all major podcast platforms including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA
- SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Through the unique filter of Instagram, fans will get an in-depth look at each week’s Sunday Night Football game with the most engaging photos and videos from across the NFL. SNF also utilizes Instagram Stories for up-to-the-minute coverage of the league.
- SNF ON TWITTER: The very latest news, video, analysis from the Football Night in America crew and much more lives on @SNFonNBC, the real-time engine for NBC’s year-round NFL coverage.
- SNF ON FACEBOOK: With more than 3.5 million followers, SNF’s Facebook page is the hub of football conversation. It’s the place to converse and engage with fellow fans on the latest news and action across the NFL.
- NBC SPORTS ON TIKTOK: New for 2020, NBC Sports’ presence on TikTok puts the spotlight on the offbeat and exuberant side of the National Football League for a young, highly-engaged audience.
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 2020 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in 32 million U.S. households.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood stars in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
Working within social-distancing parameters, the 2020 Sunday Night Football show open was uniquely produced without extras in a studio or stadium, while also celebrating the millions who watch the games.
For the first time, the SNF show open will feature user-generated content from fans showcasing their team spirit. In addition, cameos from some of the NFL’s biggest stars, also recorded remotely, will be highlighted.
NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW FOR RECORD NINE CONSECUTIVE YEARS: NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2019-20 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented ninth consecutive year – adding to its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen. Sunday Night Football also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the 10th consecutive TV season.
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*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.
For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 3. 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.
– SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL –
