Mike Tirico to Call Bills-Chargers Alongside Analyst Cris Collinsworth and Reporter Melissa Stark
Bengals-Steelers Kicks Off at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Universo; Special Edition of Football Night in America at 3 p.m. ET
NBC Sports’ B1G Saturday Night Crew of Noah Eagle (Play-by-Play), Todd Blackledge (Analyst), and Kathryn Tappen (Reporter) to Call Bengals-Steelers
STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 20, 2023 – NBC Sports’ blockbuster NFL holiday doubleheader kicks off this Saturday headlined by the first-ever Peacock exclusive NFL regular-season game as Josh Allen and the streaking Buffalo Bills (8-6) visit the Los Angeles Chargers (5-9) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with Football Night in America, followed by kickoff at 8 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock.
NBC Sports’ NFL doubleheader kicks off earlier in the day, as the Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) in an AFC North divisional battle with playoff implications. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America, followed by kickoff at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Universo.
| Time (ET) | Coverage | Platform |
| 1 p.m. | Fantasy Football Pregame with Matthew Berry | Peacock |
| 3 p.m. | Football Night in America | NBC, Peacock, Universo |
| 4:30 p.m. | Bengals vs. Steelers | NBC, Peacock, Universo |
| 7:30 p.m. | Football Night in America | NBC, Peacock, Universo |
| 8 p.m. | Bills vs. Chargers | Peacock |
PEACOCK HOLIDAY EXCLUSIVE: BILLS AT CHARGERS AT 8 P.M. ET
At 8-6, the Bills are right in the AFC playoff hunt. They continued their march towards the playoffs last week by beating the Dallas Cowboys, 31-10, to win their second consecutive game following a 20-17 win over Kansas City in Week 14. Allen threw for a touchdown and rushed for a score, his NFL-record 10th game of the season with both a passing and rushing touchdown. Running back James Cook had a career day, amassing 221 scrimmage yards (179 rushing, 42 receiving) – the most by a Bills player since Fred Jackson in 2009 (227) – along with two touchdowns.
The Chargers fell to the Las Vegas Raiders, 63-21, last Thursday. In his first career NFL start, quarterback Easton Stick threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receiver Joshua Palmer had 113 receiving yards and a score on four receptions. Five-time Pro Bowl WR Keenan Allen, who missed last week’s game due to injury, leads the NFL in receptions (108) and is fourth in receiving yards (1,243). This will be the Chargers’ first game under interim head coach Giff Smith.
Saturday night’s matchup will be the 41st overall meeting between the two teams, with the Chargers holding a 25-13-2 advantage in the all-time series.
Mike Tirico will call Bills-Chargers alongside 17-time Emmy Award winner and recent Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee Cris Collinsworth (analyst). Melissa Stark will report from the sidelines; three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay is the SNF rules analyst.
NFL HOLIDAY DOUBLEHEADER: BENGALS AT STEELERS AT 4:30 P.M. ET ON NBC, PEACOCK AND UNIVERSO
With both teams in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt, the Bengals and Steelers will meet for the 109th time on Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Steelers hold a 69-39 advantage in the all-time series between the AFC North foes.
The Bengals defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 27-24, in overtime last Saturday led by QB Jake Browning’s 324 passing yards and two touchdowns. The first-year starter is the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 1,000 passing yards with a 75 percent completion rate in his first four career starts. WR Tee Higgins had 61 yards and two touchdown catches on four receptions, while RB Joe Mixon had 61 scrimmage yards (47 rushing, 14 receiving) and a rushing touchdown in the win.
The Steelers lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 30-13, last Saturday. 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt recorded two sacks, tying his brother, J.J. Watt, for the fifth-most multi-sack games by a player in his first seven seasons (21) since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. Additionally, WR Diontae Johnson had 62 receiving yards and a touchdown catch on four receptions.
NBC Sports’ Big Ten announce team of Noah Eagle (play-by-play), former Steelers QB Todd Blackledge, who played on the team from 1988-1989 (analyst), and Kathryn Tappen (reporter) will call Bengals-Steelers. McAulay serves as rules analyst.
NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Rob Hyland and director Drew Esocoff. SNF has won a record 11 Sports Emmys for Outstanding Live Sports Series. Hyland and Esocoff will lead the Bills-Chargers telecast, while NBC Sports’ Big Ten Saturday Night producer Matt Marvin and director Charlie Dammeyer will handle Bengals-Steelers.
Football Night in America is hosted for the remainder of the season by Ahmed Fareed and features three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, as well as Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, NFL insider Mike Florio, fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry, co-host Jac Collinsworth, and NBC News’ political correspondent Steve Kornacki, who will break down the evolving NFL playoff picture following the conclusion of the Week 16 afternoon games. Maria Taylor is on maternity leave.
Football Night, the most-watched studio show in sports since its debut in 2006, begins every Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The coordinating producer of FNIA is Matt Casey. FNIA is directed by Kaare Numme.
Peacock exclusively bookends NFL coverage every Sunday with Fantasy Football Pregame with Matthew Berry at 11 a.m. ET and its exclusive postgame show, Peacock Sunday Night Football Final following each Sunday Night Football game.
PEACOCK TO STREAM EXCLUSIVE REGULAR-SEASON AND WILD CARD GAME; WILL LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES THIS SEASON
Peacock is set to make history twice this season, with the first time being this week with the first-ever Peacock-exclusive regular season NFL game featuring Josh Allen and the Bills visiting the Chargers this Saturday, Dec. 23. Peacock will also be home to the first-ever exclusive live streamed NFL Playoff game during Wild Card Weekend on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. All of NBC Sports’ NFL regular -season games, playoff games, and Football Night in America will also stream live on Peacock this season.
Peacock features a slate of sports talk content NFL fans can enjoy on the NBC Sports channel, which is free to stream. Shows include Brother from Another, as well as The Dan Patrick Show, PFT Live, PFT PM, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry, The Peter King Podcast, and Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
To learn more about the NFL on Peacock, including how to watch and sign up, click here.
NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream live coverage to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via authentication, 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 TO PRESENT ENTIRE NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, INCLUDING PLAYOFFS
Telemundo Deportes will again provide exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package with 20 regular season games, including this Thursday’s NFL Kickoff Game, 18 regular-season Sunday Night Football games, and the annual Thanksgiving night game, which will air on Telemundo. Telemundo Deportes will present four playoff matchups, including a Divisional Playoff game and three Wild Card Playoff games. NBC Sports’ NFL games this season will also be available on live stream via TelemundoDeportes.com and the Telemundo Deportes app.
Telemundo Deportes’s SNF announce team consists of Emmy-award winning sports journalist and play-by-play announcer Miguel Gurwitz and former Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Rolando Cantu this season with Ariana Figuera serving as analyst and supporting pre- and post-game studio coverage. Emmy-nominated Ana Jurka joins the team as host.
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. The Peter King Podcast streams weekly on Peacock on Thursdays at 6 p.m. ET.
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 and Paul Burmeister, 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. The show is available to stream on Peacock on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and is also available in podcast form here.
FANTASY FOOTBALL HAPPY HOUR WITH MATTHEW BERRY
With NBC Sports’ NFL holiday doubleheader on Saturday, there will be a special two-hour live installment of Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry on Saturday at 1 p.m. E.T. on Peacock.
Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry, NBC Sports’ daily fantasy football and sports betting show, streams every weekday every weekday at Noon ET on Peacock. “Fantasy Football Happy Hour” discusses the most newsworthy fantasy football and sports betting topics and is co-hosted by Jay Croucher and features analysis and advice from regular guests including NBC Sports’ Chris Simms, Mike Florio and Peter King, NBC Sports EDGE’s Denny Carter, Pat Daugherty, Vaughn Dalzell, Lawrence Jackson, and more. The show, which is available on all major podcast platforms and via NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Radio, features fantasy football rankings, start/sit suggestions, waiver wire advice, betting futures, player props, and more.
ROTOWORLD
Rotoworld, the industry-leading source for fantasy football news and information, , offers comprehensive fantasy football and betting coverage throughout the 2023 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. The 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Guide, featuring the most comprehensive player profiles, ranking and projections in the industry plus Matthew Berry’s annual “100 Facts” article and additional exclusive content from Rotoworld’s team of expert analysts, is available now. Click here for more information.
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 also contributes 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.
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, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry, Chris Simms Unbuttoned, PFT PM, and Rotoworld Football Show, along with college football on B1G Talk with Todd and Noah and Go B1G or Go Home. While The Peter King Podcast features intimate discussions with the NFL’s top players, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry is NBC Sports’ fantasy daily sports betting show, Chris Simms Unbuttoned and PFT PM dive into deep conversations around the sports’ hottest topics, and Rotoworld Football Show 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 3.6 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: 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 Bay Area, NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports Chicago, NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Washington will again deliver extensive multiplatform coverage of the 2023 NFL season, led by comprehensive live gameday shows, in-depth news, analysis and commentary programming, and multimedia digital content covering the teams in their respective markets.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Eight-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood stars in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. This year’s show open debuted Sunday night, Sept. 10, before kickoff of Cowboys-Giants on NBC.
The new show open – headlined by an updated rendition of “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” – features a concert performance interspersed with augmented reality highlights displayed across a halo scoreboard. Underwood performed the open from The Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, home of her ongoing residency, REFLECTION.
NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW FOR RECORD 12 CONSECUTIVE YEARS: NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2022-23 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 12th 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 13th consecutive TV season.
| 2023 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE | ||
| Sat. Dec. 23 (4:30 p.m. ET) | Week 16 | Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers |
| ***Sat. Dec. 23 (8 p.m. ET) | Week 16 | Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Chargers |
| *Sun. Dec. 31 | Week 17 | Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings |
| *Sun. Jan. 7 | Week 18 | TBD |
*Flex Week
** Thanksgiving Night Game
*** Exclusively on Peacock
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 8. 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.
--SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL--
