FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS & JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS KICK OFF NFL SEASON IN 2022 HALL OF FAME GAME THIS THURSDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBC & PEACOCK

New Sunday Night Football Announce Team of Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark will Call Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio

Special On-Site Edition of Football Night in America Begins Coverage Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, and will Feature Interviews with Trevor Lawrence and Travon Walker

Maria Taylor, Tony Dungy, Jason Garrett, Chris Simms, Jac Collinsworth, Rodney Harrison and Mike Florio to Anchor Football Night

STAMFORD, Conn. – Aug. 2, 2022 – NBC Sports kicks off the NFL season with the 2022 Hall of Fame Game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars this Thursday, Aug. 4, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.  Coverage begins with a special on-site edition of Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET.

Thursday’s matchup will see head coaches Josh McDaniels (Raiders) and Doug Pederson (Jaguars) leading their respective teams for the first time. McDaniels, a Canton native, will direct a new-look Las Vegas club that features offseason additions and two-time All-Pros, wide receiver Davante Adams and defensive end Chandler Jones. The Raiders look to improve on last season’s 10-7 record and AFC Wild Card berth.

The Jaguars selected linebacker Travon Walker with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft and added wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram in free agency ahead of the 2022 season.

The new Sunday Night Football announce team of Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark will call the Hall of Fame Game, with Terry McAulay serving as rules analyst.

The Football Night in America team of Maria Taylor, Tony Dungy, Jason Garrett, Chris Simms, Jac Collinsworth, Rodney Harrison and Mike Florio will be on-site at the Pro Football Hall of Fame to preview Raiders-Jaguars and look ahead to the 2022 season. FNIA will feature Taylor’s interviews with Jacksonville quarterback and 2021 top overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence and rookie linebacker Travon Walker, who was the first selection in the 2022 draft.

Below are highlights from the interviews (full versions are available on the NFL on NBC YouTube channel):

Lawrence on the mentality going into the 2022 season: “I’ve got a little bit of a chip on my shoulder…This organization, fan base, everybody here in Jacksonville, has invested a lot in this team and myself…We have a lot to prove.”

Lawrence on his improvement heading into his second NFL season: “I’m really confident in taking better care of the ball, but also still taking chances and being the same player without putting the ball in harm’s way…also my confidence and knowledge of the playbook.”

Walker on Lawrence’s leadership: “(Lawrence) set that example for a lot of Georgia kids…He was just a great player that did everything he had to do to get in the position that he is. Now that I’m on the team with him, I can really see why he’s in the position that he is.”

FNIA will also celebrate and honor this year’s Hall of Fame class, which includes tackle Tony Boselli, wide receiver Cliff Branch, safety LeRoy Butler, official Art McNally, linebacker Sam Mills, defensive end/defensive tackle Richard Seymour, coach Dick Vermeil and defensive tackle/defensive end Bryant Young.

Following Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game, NBC Sports begins coverage of the 2022 regular season with NFL Kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 8, featuring the Buffalo Bills against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Click here for more information on this year’s Sunday Night Football schedule.

2022 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
     
Thurs. Sept. 8 NFL Kickoff  Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams
Sun. Sept. 11 Week 1   Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Sun. Sept. 18 Week 2   Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Sun. Sept. 25 Week 3   San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos
Sun. Oct. 2 Week 4 Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
*Sun. Oct. 9 Week 5   Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
*Sun. Oct. 16 Week 6 Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
*Sun. Oct. 23 Week 7 Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins
*Sun. Oct. 30 Week 8 Green Bay Packers at Buffalo Bills
*Sun. Nov. 6 Week 9 Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs
*Sun. Nov. 13 Week 10 Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers
*Sun. Nov. 20 Week 11  Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
**Thurs. Nov. 24 Week 12 New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings
*Sun. Nov. 27 Week 12 Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles
*Sun. Dec. 4 Week 13 Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys
*Sun. Dec. 11 Week 14 Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
*Sun. Dec. 18 Week 15 New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders
Sun. Dec. 25 Week 16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals
*Sun. Jan. 1 Week 17 Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Chargers
*Sun. Jan. 8 Week 18 TBD

 *Flex Week

**Thanksgiving Night Game

–NBC SPORTS–