NFC North Champion Vikings Visit Packers & First-Place Steelers Face Texans In Pair Of Holiday Weekend NFL Games on NBC
By: Tori Hartshorn Dec. 20, 2017
NBC Sports presents a pair of NFL games this holiday weekend, beginning with a special edition of SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL this Saturday night in Green Bay, Wis., as Clay Matthews and the Green Bay Packers host Case Keenum and the NFC North champion Minnesota VIKINGS at Lambeau Field on NBC. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America.
On Monday, Dec. 25, NBC presents an NFL Christmas Special, as Ben Roethlisberger and the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Houston to face DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans at NRG Stadium. Coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET. Steelers-Texans will also be televised by NFL Network, and streamed live on Amazon Prime Video, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, NFL Mobile from Verizon, Watch NFL Network, the NFL app on Microsoft, and NFL Game Pass (International).
Monday's telecast marks NBC's 15th national TV game in 51 days - an unprecedented stretch for any network. The run, which included games in NBC's SNF and TNF packages, began with the Nov. 5 Oakland Raiders-Miami Dolphins matchup on Sunday Night Football.
Minnesota (11-3) seeks to secure a first-round bye after locking up the division title last weekend with a 34-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. QB Case Keenum had a 138.4 passer rating while completing 87 percent of his passes in last week's win. Keenum now has five games with a 115+ passer rating and 70+ completion percentage to tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre (2009) and Daunte Culpepper (2004) for the most such games in a season in franchise history.
Green Bay aims to bounce back following a 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. WR Davante Adams, who ranks second in the league for touchdown catches, had his 10th touchdown reception of the season and looks for his third consecutive game with a touchdown reception. QB Brett Hundley has six touchdowns against one interception in his last three starts.
The 11-3 Steelers can lock up a first-round bye with a win plus a Jacksonville loss on Sunday. RB Le'Veon Bell, who leads the NFL with 1,849 scrimmage yards and 1,222 rush yards, had 165 scrimmage yards and one touchdown in last week's loss to the New England Patriots. The Steelers placed a league-best eight players on the PRO BOWL roster, including first-time selections tackle Alejandro Villanueva and placekicker Chris Boswell.
Houston looks to rebound from last week's loss in Jacksonville. WR DeAndre Hopkins made his NFL-leading 12th touchdown reception of the season against the Jaguars. Hopkins needs eight catches to become the second player in franchise history (Andre Johnson) with multiple 100+ catch seasons.
Calling Vikings-Packers are seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 32nd season as THE VOICE of the NFL's premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and two-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.
Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, will be hosted by Liam McHugh, who will report on-site from Lambeau Field alongside PFT Live co-host Chris Simms, and Dan Patrick, who will host from Studio 1 at NBC Sports Group's International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Patrick is joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time SUPER BOWL winner Rodney Harrison, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com and PFT Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Radio. Paul Burmeister will report from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md., on Colts-Ravens.
On Monday, two-time NFL MVP and Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner joins Mike Tirico and sideline reporter Heather Cox for Steelers-Texans. Coverage starts at 4 p.m. ET with Football Night in Houston on NBC, the only network with two primetime NFL packages. Patrick will serve as the host of the Football Night in Houston pregame show from Studio 1 at NBC Sports Group's International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn, joined by Dungy and Harrison.
Sam Flood is executive producer of NBC Sports and NBCSN. Fred Gaudelli is the executive producer of NBC's SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL and Thursday Night Football. Drew Esocoff is director of SNF and TNF. Rob Hyland is coordinating producer of Thursday Night Football.
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, 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. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox. (NOTE: NBC Sports does not have NFL LIVE streaming rights to mobile devices.)
PFT LIVE - WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON NBCSN
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 on NBCSN at 7 a.m. ET. The two-hour PFT Live provides all-encompassing coverage of the NFL, including the most current news and analysis, thought-provoking debates, and interviews with a wide variety of NFL newsmakers. The program is a simulcast of NBC Sports Radio's PFT Live national program that airs daily beginning at 6 a.m. ET.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA
- SNF ON FACEBOOK: - At nearly 3.5 million LIKES strong, the Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides social-first stories, photos and video every week. In addition, the SNF Facebook page will feature weekly Facebook Live interviews with Michele Tafoya and player from each team leading up to the game, and Facebook Live Q&A's with Tony Dungy on Sundays.
- SNF ON TWITTER: Using tweets, photos, and videos, @SNFonNBCprovides unique content with SNF talent, production crew and NFL players. Additionally, Michele Tafoya will provide real-time tweets from the sideline to provide followers with updates all game long.
- SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Going into its sixth season, Sunday Night Footballgives the SNF fan a look at photos through the filters of Instagram. Fans get a look around each SNF city, as well as access inside the production trucks, the locker rooms, on the field and on the sideline, as our social media producer captures the best photos of Sunday night and posts in real time. In addition, SNF on Instagram will utilize Instagram stories to maximize fans' exposure to the SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL footprint.
- SNF ON SNAPCHAT: For the second season, NBC Sports' Snapchat account will be creating content on the platform at each SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game, including Kickoff and from the SNF Bus. The NBC Sports Snapchat account will take fans behind the scenes to the FNIA set and around cities where SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL comes to town, utilizing lenses and filters to customize content specifically for the Snapchat audience.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS RETURNS FOR 2017 NFL SEASON
NBC Sports Group's SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL bus returns this season to travel the country, visiting the host cities of select SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL games. The bus will bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy to various SNF locations, before arriving at its final destination, SUPER BOWL LII in Minneapolis, Minn., in February. Fans will get a closer look at behind-the-scenes action of SNF broadcasts on the bus, which will take fans from the field, to the studio and in the production trucks. Features of the bus include an, a replica of the FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA desk, highlights wall, the ability to see what it's like to be a camera person through four different camera views, and more.
The bus will arrive in each city two to three days prior to the game, making stops at local landmarks and events before heading to the game site. Once at the stadium, the SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL bus will give fans the opportunity to interact with America's most-watched primetime television show with exclusive activities.
NBC SPORTS RADIO
NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2017 NFL season with daily coverage across more than 425 radio affiliates, highlighted by PFT Live, featuring NFL insider and FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA commentator Mike Florio daily from 6-9 a.m. ET; Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison and Dan Schwartzman; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison; Going Deep with Amani and Dan, featuring former Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer; and NFL Insider Michele Tafoya.
To listen to a live stream of NBC Sports Radio, or find your local affiliate, visit www.NBCSportsRadio.com
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 2017 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 35 million U.S. households.
SNF IS NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM ON TELEVISION, WITH NBC/NFLN TNF RANKING NO. 2
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL finished the 2016-17 TV season as primetime's #1 TV show in all key metrics for a record sixth consecutive year - tying AMERICAN IDOL for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on live plus same day data provided by The Nielsen Company. NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the seventh consecutive TV season. SNF's six-year run at the top marks the only six times on record that a sports series has been the highest-rated and most-watched show of the primetime TV season In addition, NBC/NFL Network Thursday Night Football ranked as primetime TV's No. 2 show in average viewers and household rating, and No. 3 among Adults 18-49.
| REMAINING 2017 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE | ||
| Sat. Dec. 23 | Week 16 | Minnesota VIKINGS at Green Bay Packers |
| *Sun. Dec. 31 | Week 17 | TBD |
*Flex Week
| 2017 NBC THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE* | ||
| **Mon. Dec. 25 | Week 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans |
*Games will be simulcast on NFL Network and streamed live on Amazon Prime
**Game at 4:30 p.m. ET
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