FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 12th, 2021

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL HAS BIGGEST GAMES IN NFL’S “BIGGEST SEASON EVER”: TOM BRADY’S RETURN TO NEW ENGLAND, MAHOMES VS. JACKSON, AFC CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH, AND SUPER BOWL LVI ON NBC & PEACOCK

Peacock to Stream Every Sunday Night Football Game & Football Night in America Studio Show for 2021 Season

Buccaneers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Packers & 49ers Make SNF-High 3 Appearances Apiece 

Primetime TV’s #1 Show for Unprecedented 10 Consecutive Years Features Major Matchups & Storylines, Including:

  • Tom Brady vs. Dak Prescott (NFL Kickoff)
  • Matthew Stafford’s Rams Debut vs. Bears (Opening Sunday)
  • Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson (Sept. 19)
  • Tom Brady Returns to Foxboro (Oct. 3)
  • Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes in AFC Championship Rematch (Oct. 10)
  • Russell Wilson vs. Ben Roethlisberger (Oct. 17)
  • Bills at Saints in Primetime on Thanksgiving (Nov. 25)

 

“Division Rivalry December”: 49ers-Seahawks (Dec. 5); Bears-Packers in Most-Played Matchup in NFL History (Dec. 12); Saints-Bucs (Dec. 19); WFT-Cowboys (Dec. 26); plus, Vikings-Packers on Jan. 2

NBC Sports Kicks Off NFL Season in Tampa Bay & Crowns Champion at Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles

NBC Sports to Present SNF-High Four Postseason Games

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 12, 2021 – NBC Sunday Night Football, America’s No. 1 primetime television show for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years, will bookend the NFL’s “Biggest Season Ever” from NFL Kickoff 2021 in Tampa to the final whistle of its biggest game – Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles – on Feb. 13, 2022.

The 2021 Sunday Night Football schedule on NBC and Peacock will feature 20 NFL games during the 2021 regular season, as well as four postseason games and one preseason contest. It’s the most NFL games for NBCUniversal in one season since NBC began broadcasting Sunday Night Football in 2006.

In its first season with rights to stream the NFL, Peacock will stream all NBC Sunday Night Football games, including the playoffs and Super Bowl LVI, and the Football Night in America studio show. Peacock will also produce a new exclusive, expanded postgame show following SNF each week.

On this season’s SNF schedule are many of the league’s most eagerly anticipated matchups, with nine games featuring two 2020 playoff teams, including the AFC Championship rematch between Buffalo and Kansas City on Oct. 10.

All 2020 NFL playoff teams are on the NBC SNF schedule, including three games each for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs, and NFC North champion Green Bay Packers.

Highlights of the 2021 NBC Sunday Night Football schedule:

    • The season begins with NFL Kickoff 2021 on Thursday, Sept. 9 from Raymond James Stadium, as Tom Brady and the Super Bowl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott, who returns from an Oct. 2020 injury.
    • In the season opener of Sunday Night Football on Sunday, Sept. 12, Rams fans will get their first in-person look at the new and spectacular SoFi Stadium, as well as their new quarterback Matthew Stafford, who joined in an offseason trade. The Rams host Khalil Mack and Chicago Bears, who welcome two new quarterbacks in Andy Dalton and first-round draft pick Justin Fields.
    • Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs visit Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in a matchup of electric quarterback stars on Sept. 19. Mahomes won the 2018 NFL MVP and followed a season later with Super Bowl LIV MVP honors, while Jackson was named 2019 NFL MVP.
    • In what will be one of the most anticipated regular-season games in recent NFL history, Tom Brady returns to Foxboro, where he won six Super Bowls with New England and became the winningest quarterback in NFL history, as the Bucs visit the Patriots on Oct. 3.
    • One week later, on Oct. 10, it’s an AFC Championship Game rematch on SNF as Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills visit Mahomes and the Chiefs.
    • Super Bowl champion quarterbacks meet on Oct. 17 as Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks visit Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The SNF October slate concludes with a Halloween night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.
    • November is headlined by a Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders matchup on Nov. 14, one year after last season’s SNF thriller between these teams featured four fourth-quarter lead changes, and a Mahomes game-winning TD pass with 28 seconds remaining. This will be the first SNF game with fans at the Raiders’ new Allegiant Stadium.
    • The special Thanksgiving night matchup features the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills visiting the NFC South champion New Orleans Saints, who will play in their third Thanksgiving primetime game in four years. The holiday weekend concludes with a clash of AFC North playoff teams as Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns visit Lamar Jackson and the Ravens on Sunday, Nov. 28.
    • “Divisional Rivalry December” on Sunday Night Football features many of the sport’s top rivalries: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (combined to win 8 of last 11 NFC West titles) on Dec. 5; Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers on Dec. 12 in the most-played matchup in NFL history; New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 19; and a classic Washington-Dallas NFC East battle on Dec. 26.
    • January features another great rivalry as the Green Bay Packers host the Minnesota Vikings on January 2, followed by #Game272 in Week 18 – the NFL’s final regular-season game, which will have an impact on the playoffs.

 

NBC SPORTS TO PRESENT 25 NFL GAMES IN 2020: On NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports will present 20 regular-season games, including 18 regular-season Sunday Night Football games, NFL Kickoff 2021, and the annual Thanksgiving night game. NBC’s original Sunday Night Football agreement, which began in 2006, included 17 regular-season games. It was increased to 18 games in 2010, 19 games in 2012, and 20 games this season. NBC Sports will present four postseason games on NBC and Peacock – the most for the network since the debut of NBC’s SNF package in 2006 — with Super Bowl LVI, a Divisional Playoff game and two Wild Card Playoff games. In the preseason, NBC and Peacock will be home to the Cleveland Browns at the Atlanta Falcons on Sun., Aug. 29.

NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE ON NBC AND PEACOCK: On the weekend of January 15-16, NBC and Peacock deliver a pair of Wild Card Playoff games, including the primetime Sunday Wild Card playoff game, followed by a Divisional Playoff game on the weekend of January 22-23. Then, it’s the greatest spectacle in American sports with Super Bowl LVI on NBC and Peacock from spectacular SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 13.

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.

SNF ON PACE TO BE TELEVISION’S NO. 1 PRIMETIME SHOW FOR RECORD 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR: Sunday Night Football topped all primetime television series in the fall and is once again pacing to finish as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 10th consecutive year. NBC’s SNF extended its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen.

Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950

10 years in a row – Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2020-21; on pace)

6 years in a row – American Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)

5 years in a row – The Cosby Show (1985-86 through 1989-90)…tied Cheers in ‘89-90

5 years in a row – All in the Family (1971-72 through 1975-76)

4 years in a row – Gunsmoke (1957-58 through 1960-61)

 

2021 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thurs. Sept. 9 NFL Kickoff  Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sun. Sept. 12 Week 1   Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams
Sun. Sept. 19 Week 2   Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
Sun. Sept. 26 Week 3   Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers
Sun. Oct. 3 Week 4 Tampa Bay Bucs at New England Patriots
*Sun. Oct. 10 Week 5   Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
*Sun. Oct. 17 Week 6 Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Oct. 24 Week 7 Indianapolis Colts at San Francisco 49ers
*Sun. Oct. 31 Week 8 Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
*Sun. Nov. 7 Week 9 Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Rams
*Sun. Nov. 14 Week 10 Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders
*Sun. Nov. 21 Week 11  Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Chargers
**Thurs. Nov. 25 Week 12 Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints
*Sun. Nov. 28 Week 12 Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
*Sun. Dec. 5 Week 13 San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Dec. 12 Week 14 Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Dec. 19 Week 15 New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
*Sun. Dec. 26 Week 16 Washington Football Team at Dallas Cowboys
*Sun. Jan. 2 Week 17 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Jan. 9 Week 18 TBD

 *Flex Week

** Thanksgiving Night Game

 

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 11-18. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-17, 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.  

For Week 18, two Saturday games and the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 9. The schedule does not list Saturday games or a Sunday night game in Week 18, but games with playoff implications will be moved to those time slots.  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

—SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL—