FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 1st, 2021
NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL & FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA CELEBRATE 15 YEARS ON THE AIR – “THEN & NOW”
Cowboys Make NFL-High 50th Appearance on SNF Package in Season Opener while Tom Brady Makes 32nd Start on SNF Package
Tom Brady & Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers Host Dak Prescott & Dallas Cowboys in NFL Kickoff 2021 Next Thursday, Sept. 9 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo
SNF Season Opener Features Matthew Stafford’s Rams Debut vs. Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 12 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium
NBC’s Sunday Night Football Has Been Primetime TV’s #1 Show for Unprecedented 10 Consecutive Seasons
Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Fred Gaudelli on Sunday Night Football Conference Call TODAY at 4 p.m. ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 1, 2021 – Next Tuesday, Sept. 7, NBC’s Sunday Night Football and Football Night in America celebrate 15 years on the air. The 2006 NFL Kickoff game (Pittsburgh’s 28-17 victory over Miami Dolphins on Sept. 7, 2006) was the first of NBC’s 274 regular-season broadcasts in the SNF package over the past 15 years.
From Al Michaels and John Madden to Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth in the booth…from Pink to Faith to Carrie performing the show open…from the introduction of “flexible scheduling” to the first-ever live streaming of an NFL game (by NBC Sports Digital)… and opening six stadiums from Atlanta to San Francisco, and four locations between, NBC’s NFL coverage has become must-see TV and fans have followed in large numbers.
Sunday Night Football has been primetime TV’s No. 1 show for an unprecedented 10 consecutive seasons, and Football Night in America has been the most-watched weekly studio show in sports for all 15 years since its 2006 debut.
Next week’s NFL Kickoff game (8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo) – the 275th regular-season game in the NBC SNF package – marks an NFL-high 50th series appearance by the Dallas Cowboys, and for Buccaneers QB Tom Brady, his 32nd start in the series – the equivalent of two full NFL seasons. With a victory, Brady (20-11) will match Peyton Manning for the most QB wins in the 15 years of NBC SNF.
THEN & NOW: NBC’s SNF and FNIA
| Sept. 2006 | Category | Sept. 2021 |
| Al Michaels, John Madden | SNF booth | Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth |
| Andrea Kremer | SNF sideline | Michele Tafoya |
| Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis, Sterling Sharpe, Peter King | FNIA roster | Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, Drew Brees, Chris Simms, Maria Taylor, Jac Collinsworth, Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio |
| Studio 8G at 30 Rock (now home of Late Night with Seth Meyers) | FNIA home | Studio 1 at NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. |
| Pink | SNF Show Open | Carrie Underwood |
| Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Francisco 5 | Most Super Bowls Won, Team | New England, Pittsburgh 6 |
| Charles Haley, 5 | Most Super Bowls Won, Player | Tom Brady, 7 |
| Dan Marino, 61,361 | Most Passing Yards | Drew Brees, 80,358 |
| Dan Marino, 420 | Most Passing TD | Tom Brady, 581 |
| John Unitas, 47 | Most Consecutive Games with TD Pass | Drew Brees, 54 |
| 18,035 entering 2006 season | Tom Brady Career Passing Yards | 79,204 entering 2021 season |
| 203.5 (2005) | NFL Passing Yards/Game | 240.2 (2020) |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) | #1 Movie | Black Widow |
| London Bridge, Fergie (Sept. 2, 2006) | #1 Song | Stay, The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber (Aug. 28, 2021) |
| Approx. 298 Million | U.S. Population | Approx. 333 Million |
| Approx. 25 Million | # of Fantasy Football Players | Approx. 50 Million |
| 0 | Combined NBC Sports Social Media Following | 28.1 Million |
| Didn’t exist | iPhone Number | iPhone 12 pro |
The NFL’s “Biggest Season Ever” begins with Brady and the Super Bowl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers facing Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Kickoff Game next Thursday, Sept. 9 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. NBC Sports’ coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Three days later on Sunday, Sept. 12, it’s the debut of NBC’s Sunday Night Football, as fans will get their first look at the sights and sounds of the new and spectacular SoFi Stadium with a full crowd in attendance, as well as the Rams debut of quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Rams host Khalil Mack and Chicago Bears, who welcome two new quarterbacks in Andy Dalton and first-round draft pick Justin Fields.
NBC Sports will present the first snap of the opening game in Tampa and the final snap as the league crowns a champion in Los Angeles at Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13, 2022 at SoFi Stadium on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.
Most NBC SNF Games* since 2006, Team
| Dallas Cowboys | 49 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 38 |
| Green Bay Packers | 37 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 37 |
| New England Patriots | 36 |
Most Wins as Starting QB, NBC SNF Package*
| Peyton Manning | 21-6 |
| Tom Brady | 20-11 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | 20-13 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 19-13 |
| Tony Romo | 17-11 |
*NBC SNF package (includes NFL Kickoff and Thanksgiving night games)
–NBC SPORTS–
