Mike Tirico to Call Seahawks-Steelers with Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya

Maria Taylor Hosts Football Night in America with Tony Dungy, Drew Brees, Chris Simms and Mike Florio; Jac Collinsworth and Rodney Harrison On Site from Heinz Field

Football Night in America Begins at 7 p.m. ET; Followed by 8:20 p.m. ET SNF Kickoff

“Sunday Night 7” Free-to-Play Game Features Weekly $100,000 Jackpot

Sunday Night Football & Football Night in America Delivering Largest Audiences Since 2015 and 2016, Respectively

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 13, 2021 – Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers host DK Metcalf and the Seattle Seahawks on this week’s edition of NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America, followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on NBC, Peacock and Universo.

Pittsburgh (2-3) defeated the Broncos, 27-19, last week behind 253 passing yards and two touchdowns by Roethlisberger, who ranks eighth all-time with 402 career touchdown passes. Steelers running back Najee Harris rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown in Week 5, and leads all NFL rookies with 307 rushing yards this season.

The Seahawks (2-3) look to bounce back from a 26-17 loss to the Rams in Week 5. Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, who replaced Russell Wilson in the fourth quarter last week after Wilson sustained a finger injury, is expected to make his first NFL start since 2017 on Sunday. Metcalf, who had 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Rams, is tied for second in the league with five touchdown catches this season.

The Seahawks lead the all-time series, 10-9, including one postseason matchup when Pittsburgh topped Seattle in Super Bowl XL following the 2005 season. In their most recent meeting, the Steelers beat the Seahawks, 28-26, on Sept. 15, 2019.

Mike Tirico (play-by-play) will call Seahawks-Steelers from Heinz Field this weekend, along with 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, and four-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay is the Sunday Night Football rules analyst. Al Michaels has the week off.

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff. SNF has won a record 11 Sports Emmys for Outstanding Live Sports Series.

With Tirico in the booth, Maria Taylor hosts this Sunday’s Football Night in America, joined by Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, and NFL Insider Mike Florio. Co-host Jac Collinsworth and two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison will provide on-field analysis and reports from Heinz Field.

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 Rob Hyland and the co-producer is Matt Casey. FNIA is directed by Pierre Moossa.

Peacock Sunday Night Football Final, a new NFL post-game show produced by NBC Sports, streams exclusively on Peacock following every Sunday Night Football game during the 2021 season. The show is hosted by NBC Sports commentators Kathryn Tappen and Chris Simms, who will provide instant reactions to each Sunday game along with highlights and interviews. Plus, Football Night in America commentators Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, Drew Brees, Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth will provide recaps and insights into the day’s biggest moments.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL & FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA DELIVERING LARGEST AUDIENCES SINCE 2015 AND 2016, RESPECTIVELY

For the season, Sunday Night Football is averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 22.4 million viewers – the best average through Week 5 since SNF’s record 2015 season, and up 23% from last season. Viewership for Football Night in America is up 53% from this point last season with an average of 8.1 million viewers. FNIA is off to its best start through Week 5 since 2016.

PEACOCK TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES FOR FIRST TIME THIS SEASON

For the first time ever, all of NBC Sports’ NFL regular-season games, playoff games, Super Bowl LVI, and Football Night in America will 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, The Rich Eisen Show, PFT Live, PFT PM, Safety Blitz, 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. Peacock Premium is included at no additional cost for Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers.

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.

TELEMUNDO DEPORTES TO PRESENT ENTIRE NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, INCLUDING PLAYOFFS AND SUPER BOWL LVI

Telemundo Deportes will again carry the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package, including exclusive Spanish-language coverage of Super Bowl LVI, live for the first time on the Telemundo Network — marking the first time ever that a Super Bowl will be televised on a Spanish-language broadcast network in the U.S. The package also includes 20 regular season games that will be televised on Universo, including the NFL Kickoff game and the Thanksgiving primetime game, as well as a Wild Card game, and one Divisional Playoff game. In addition, Telemundo Network will broadcast the Sunday primetime Wild Card game. All games will also be available on live stream via TelemundoDeportes.com and the Telemundo Deportes app.

“SUNDAY NIGHT 7” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME RETURNS WITH $100,000 JACKPOT EVERY CONTEST

Once again this season, in the build-up to each week’s Sunday Night Football matchup, fans can participate in NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, Sunday Night 7, which features a $100,000 jackpot every contest for each game in the Sunday Night Football package, as well as two NFL Wild Card playoff games and one NFL Divisional Playoff. Sunday Night 7 is available for download NOW on the NBC Sports Predictor app powered by PointsBet (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at NBCSports.com/Predictor.

In Sunday’s game, two users finished in first place with a score of 55 points.

POINTSBET AND NBC SPORTS INCLUDE EXCLUSIVE BETTING INTEGRATIONS INTO FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA AND PEACOCK SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL FINAL POST-GAME SHOW

This season, PointsBet and NBC Sports include exclusive betting integrations on the Football Night in America studio show and the new Peacock Sunday Night Football Final postgame show. Click here for more information.

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 Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET.

NBC SPORTS EDGE

NBC Sports EDGE, part of the newly announced NBC Sports Next portfolio and one of the internet’s highest-trafficked fantasy sports and gaming websites, offers comprehensive fantasy football and betting coverage throughout the 2021 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. The industry-leading source for fantasy football news and information, the 2021 Fantasy Football Draft Guide is available for purchase now via NBC Sports EDGE’s subscription model beginning at only $3.99 per month, and features more than 450 extensive player profiles, player projections, positional tiers, Top 200 rankings for PPR, Half-PPR, Non-PPR and Dynasty, as well as Individual Defensive Player rankings, sleepers and busts, drafting strategy articles, team reports and much more. NBC Sports EDGE also provides fantasy football coverage and betting insights through its digital shows, A Good Football Show and Bet the Edge.

PFT LIVE – WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON PEACOCK

Pro Football Talk streams live on Peacock’s NBC Sports on Peacock channel from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays and re-airs at 9 a.m. ET on NBCSN. Florio is joined by veteran sports commentator Mike Golic on Monday mornings, co-host and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms from Tuesday – Thursday, with a special guest co-hosting on Fridays.

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, Chris Simms Unbuttoned, PFT PM, and A Good Football Show. While The Peter King Podcast features intimate discussions with the NFL’s top players, Chris Simms Unbuttoned and PFT PM dive into deep conversations around the sports’ hottest topics, and A Good 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 3.5 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 2021 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.

canVS

NBC Sports invites fans to paint a path to Super Bowl LVI with SNF canVS, a season-long interactive art campaign, which began at the 2021 NFL Kickoff game and continues at each Sunday Night Football game throughout the season.

Each week in the city of the SNF matchup, local artists will create a five-yard long mural inspired by fan input that epitomizes the fanbase’s love for their team. This week’s featured artist is Cody Sabol, who will be hosting this weekend’s remote mural painting event Saturday at Discovery Christian Church in Mars, PA.

At the end of the season, each of the 20 five-yard murals will come together to create a 100-yard masterpiece showcasing the painted pride that captures the devotion and passion of fans. Click here for more details.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood stars in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Shot at Industrial Light & Magic’s cutting edge LED sound stage utilizing the company’s StageCraft LED virtual production technology recently used in “The Mandalorian,” the 2021 Sunday Night Football show open for the first time will feature a virtual football tailgate as a backdrop for Underwood’s performance of “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night.”

In addition, the show open will highlight user-generated cameos from some of the NFL’s biggest stars, as well as fans’ self-recorded video from NFL tailgates.

NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW FOR RECORD 10 CONSECUTIVE YEARS: NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2020-21 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 10^th 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 11^th consecutive TV season.

*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.

–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL–

Buccaneers’ Down-to-the-Wire 19-17 Victory Over Patriots Averages Total Audience Delivery of Approximately 28.5 Million Viewers Across All Platforms

Bucs-Patriots Delivers NBC SNF Record 34 National Share, As More Than One-Third of U.S. TVs in Use Were Tuned to Game

NBC Sports Presents Game with 20+ Million Viewers in Each of First Four Weeks of NFL Season for First Time Since Record-Setting 2015

“Must-See” SNF Schedule Continues as Patrick Mahomes & Chiefs Host Josh Allen & Bills in AFC Championship Rematch This Sunday on SNF (8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock & Universo)

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 4, 2021 – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ down-to-the-wire 19-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Tom Brady’s return to Gillette Stadium last night on NBC and Peacock projects to be the most-watched NBC Sunday Night Football game since 2012 and the second-most watched all-time, based on preliminary data.

Buccaneers-Patriots registered a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) average of approximately 28.5 million viewers across NBC TV, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital, and NFL Digital platforms – marking the largest NBC SNF audience since Week 17 of the 2012 season when Dallas faced Washington in a win-and-in game for the NFC East title (30.3 million viewers, 12/30/12). Bucs-Patriots also ranks as the second-most watched NBC SNF game since the package debuted in 2006.

Buccaneers-Patriots on NBC delivered a 34 share (percentage of televisions in use tuned to the game) – the highest for any game in the history of the NBC SNF package.

For the first time since its record-setting 2015 season, NBC Sports has presented an NFL game averaging 20+ million viewers in each of the season’s first four weeks.

NBC’s TV coverage (8:23 p.m.-11:39 p.m. ET) averaged approximately 27.2 million viewers, with a national TV household rating of 14.6/34. The TV audience is the largest for any program since Super Bowl LV in February.

The Average Minute Audience (AMA) for last night’s live stream via Peacock, NBC Sports Digital platforms, NFL Digital platforms, Buccaneers and Patriots mobile properties, and Yahoo Sports mobile properties was approximately 1.3 million viewers – the largest audience ever for an authenticated NBC NFL game.

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR BUCCANEERS-PATRIOTS (based on 44 markets available):

Viewership figures are based upon preliminary data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. Official national data for NBC will be available on Tuesday.

This Sunday on NBC SNF (8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock & Universo), Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who have represented the AFC in the last two Super Bowls, host Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in an AFC Championship Game rematch. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America.

–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL—

“I can’t think of any game that’s been more anticipated than this one in the 36 years I’ve covered the NFL in primetime.” – Al Michaels

“In my lifetime, the greatest run that we have ever seen out of a coach and a quarterback is standing right in front of us for this game, and they’re on opposite sides of the field.” – Cris Collinsworth

“I’m telling you, Peyton Manning would feel like he had the advantage playing against me and the Colts defense, and I’ll tell you Tom Brady feels like he has the advantage having practiced against that defense.” – Tony Dungy

“Twenty years together, that is a long time to be able to win championships, win titles, division titles, win a bunch of games. It takes a lot of unselfishness. It takes a lot of sacrifice to do that.” – Rodney Harrison on Tom Brady and Bill Belichick

“To me, they’re outmatched in this game personnel-wise, and they’re going to have to pull out all the stops to beat them.” – Drew Brees on the Patriots’ defense

Coverage Begins this Sunday with Special On-Site Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET from Gillette Stadium; Followed by 8:20 p.m. ET SNF Kickoff

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 30, 2021 – NBC Sports’ Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and Drew Brees previewed this weekend’s Sunday Night Football matchup on a media conference call as Tom Brady makes his long-anticipated return to Gillette Stadium when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots this week.

Coverage begins this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET with a special on-site edition of Football Night in America, followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on NBC, Peacock and Universo.

For Michaels, Sunday’s matchup marks the 44^th time he will call a game with the 44-year-old Brady as the starting quarterback. For highlights of Michaels’ most memorable primetime QB moments, click here.

Following are excerpts from the call. Click here for a full transcript.

ON ‘THE RETURN’

Michaels: “I can’t think of any game that’s been more anticipated than this one in the 36 years I’ve covered the NFL in primetime.”

Dungy: “I can’t remember a regular season game that had this much buildup and anticipation. I think back to when I was in Indianapolis and went back to Tampa the first time, and … I’d only been in Tampa six years. Tom Brady, 20 years in one spot with the same coach and now going back, it’s going to be amazing.”

Collinsworth: “They know each other inside out. And which path are they choosing to attack the other? I can’t imagine there’s a better story, if you just love football, than simply that. I can’t wait to watch it.”

ON BRADY VS. BELICHICK

Collinsworth: “In my lifetime, the greatest run that we have ever seen out of a coach and a quarterback is standing right in front of us for this game, and they’re on opposite sides of the field. Football’s been my lifetime anyway, but how do you get more passionate and more interesting and more theatrical than that? I mean, it’s just going to be a great, fun watch.”

Harrison on the Patriots’ success: “Tom’s a tremendous player, and Bill’s a tremendous coach, but none of that stuff happens without the other players…Everyone wants to put them together, pit them against each other as opposed to celebrating success. Twenty years together, that is a long time to be able to win championships, win titles, division titles, win a bunch of games. It takes a lot of unselfishness. It takes a lot of sacrifice to do that.”

Dungy: “I also am curious who is going to have the advantage? I think of, if I played a game against Peyton Manning and he played against my team, all the practice time he had against the defense, all the practice time Tom has had against that New England defense, knowing their calls, what they like to do, will he have the advantage? … I’m telling you, Peyton Manning would feel like he had the advantage playing against me and the Colts defense, and I’ll tell you Tom Brady feels like he has the advantage having practiced against that defense.”

Dungy on his experience returning to Tampa Bay with the Colts in 2003: “When you walk in that stadium and you go to the visitor’s locker room, which you’ve never been in before, and you come out the visitors tunnel and you’re not sure what the reaction is going to be and you see people that were so special to you for 10 or 12 years and now they’re in opposite uniform or they’re not your teammates anymore or your staff, it’s emotional…No matter how you say it and slice it and try to say it, for Tom Brady going back after 20 years, I can’t even imagine.”

ON THE MATCHUP

Brees: “I think Tampa has a ton of weapons, and it’s going to be really hard to handle all those guys. I think Tom has the ability to find each and every one of those guys depending on what the look is that he’s given. At the end of the day, I think the Patriots are going to have to find a way to take the ball away. They’re going to have to find a way to steal a possession…To me, they’re outmatched in this game personnel-wise, and they’re going to have to pull out all the stops to beat them.”

Harrison: “I think for me just watching the Patriots secondary, they’ve given up some plays. They haven’t really been able to make a lot of plays on the ball…As much as you can hit Tom — and it’s shown in the past, if you can hit him, if you can make him uncomfortable, you can rattle him. I think you saw a little bit of that last week against the Rams. That’s the way you have to play Tom. You have to play very physical. Not just with Tom, but with his receivers as well. You’ve got to jam them up and kind of slow them down and disrupt them.”

Brees on Brady potentially breaking his all-time passing yards record this weekend: “I’d be all for Brady just launching the first play of the game and just go ahead and get it out of the way…Let’s have New England kick it in the end zone. They start at the 25. Have him launch one to Mike Evans and let’s just be done with it…I can’t think of a guy who has invested more into his career, into his preparation and kind of what he’s meant for the game. It’s definitely a special record because it speaks to the longevity that he’s been able to experience and the level that he’s been able to play at.”

Brees on Patriots rookie QB Mac Jones: “I’ve been really impressed with him…I think what I see is a guy who’s got pretty good command of that offense. He doesn’t look like he’s ever rattled. He looks like he is in a position where he’s playing with confidence.”

Collinsworth on Jones and the Patriots offense: “I think for all of us that have watched Brady play the game with New England and Josh McDaniels‘ offense for all those years, it’s amazing how much — and I’m not comparing him to Tom Brady so don’t get me in trouble with something that only I can say — but it feels like their offense again.”

Harrison: “I’m looking at Josh McDaniels. You look at this offense, and you see it’s a kind of wide open offense, and it’s very conservative…I think he hears the talks and all the conversations about the Patriots offense not being a big play offense, and I think they should open it up a little bit. I think they should let him run the no huddle and maybe the hurry-up offense just to get another feel for it.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Coverage Begins with Special On-Site Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET from Gillette Stadium; Followed by 8:20 p.m. ET SNF Kickoff

Peacock Sunday Night Football Final to Feature Postgame Press Conferences, Including Brady & Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick

“Sunday Night 7” Free-to-Play Game Features Weekly $100,000 Jackpot

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 29, 2021 – In one of the most anticipated regular-season games in recent NFL history, Tom Brady returns to New England, where he won six Super Bowls and became the winningest quarterback in NFL history, as the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers visit the Patriots on this week’s edition of NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with a special on-site edition of Football Night in America from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., followed by kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo.

Brady spent 20 seasons with the Patriots (2000-19) after being selected by New England in the 6^th round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick hold the NFL record for most wins by a quarterback-head coach duo (197), while advancing to 13 AFC Championship Games and winning six Super Bowls. Brady and Belichick guided the Patriots to winning records in 19 of their 20 seasons together.

Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski, Brady’s teammate in New England from 2010-18 and with Tampa Bay since last season, also returns to Foxborough this Sunday. He leads all NFL tight ends with four touchdown receptions this season and is third all-time with 90 career TDs among tight ends.

The Buccaneers (2-1) fell to the Los Angeles Rams, 34-24, last week, marking Tampa Bay’s first loss since Week 12 last season. Brady passed for 432 yards and one touchdown against the Rams, and wide receiver Mike Evans caught eight passes for 106 yards.

New England (1-2) looks to bounce back from a 28-13 defeat to New Orleans in Week 3. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who was selected with the 15^th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, leads all rookies with 737 passing yards this season.

At halftime of this Saturday’s Notre Dame-Cincinnati game (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock), NBC Sports’ Tim Layden narrates a video essay on Brady’s relationship with the fans in New England.

Calling Buccaneers-Patriots is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 36^th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and four-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. Three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay is the Sunday Night Football rules analyst. For Michaels, Sunday’s matchup marks the 44^th time he will call a game with the 44-year-old Brady as the starting quarterback. For highlights of Michaels’ most memorable primetime QB moments, click here.

NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by executive producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff. SNF has won a record 11 Sports Emmys for Outstanding Live Sports Series.

A special on-site edition of Football Night in America this week features host Mike Tirico, Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, and Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees from Gillette Stadium, along with co-host Jac Collinsworth and two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison. Co-host Maria Taylor and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms will contribute from NBC Sports’ International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., and NFL Insider Mike Florio will report remotely from his home studio. In addition, celebrated correspondent Steve Kornacki will utilize his famous touch screen at the Stamford studio to break down Tom Brady’s career.

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 Rob Hyland and the co-producer is Matt Casey. FNIA is directed by Pierre Moossa.

Peacock Sunday Night Football Final, a new NFL post-game show produced by NBC Sports, streams exclusively on Peacock following every Sunday Night Football game during the 2021 season. The show is hosted by NBC Sports commentators Kathryn Tappen and Chris Simms, who will provide instant reactions to each Sunday game along with highlights and interviews. Plus, Football Night in America commentators Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, Drew Brees, Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth will provide recaps and insights into the day’s biggest moments. This week’s Peacock Sunday Night Football Final will feature the postgame press conferences of Brady and Belichick.

NBC SPORTS’ NFL VIEWERSHIP OFF TO STRONG START

NBC’s Sunday Night Football, primetime TV’s #1 show for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years, is averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 21.8 million viewers through Week 3 – the show’s best start since 2016 and up 12% from last season at the same point.

Across three weeks, Football Night in America is averaging 7.1 million viewers, the best start for FNIA since 2018 and up 36% from last season.

PEACOCK TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES FOR FIRST TIME THIS SEASON

For the first time ever, all of NBC Sports’ NFL regular-season games, playoff games, Super Bowl LVI, and Football Night in America will 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, The Rich Eisen Show, PFT Live, PFT PM, Safety Blitz, 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. Peacock Premium is included at no additional cost for Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers.

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.

TELEMUNDO DEPORTES TO PRESENT ENTIRE NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, INCLUDING PLAYOFFS AND SUPER BOWL LVI

Telemundo Deportes will again carry the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package, including exclusive Spanish-language coverage of Super Bowl LVI, live for the first time on the Telemundo Network — marking the first time ever that a Super Bowl will be televised on a Spanish-language broadcast network in the U.S. The package also includes 20 regular season games that will be televised on Universo, including the NFL Kickoff game and the Thanksgiving primetime game, as well as a Wild Card game, and one Divisional Playoff game. In addition, Telemundo Network will broadcast the Sunday primetime Wild Card game. All games will also be available on live stream via TelemundoDeportes.com and the Telemundo Deportes app.

“SUNDAY NIGHT 7” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME RETURNS WITH $100,000 JACKPOT EVERY CONTEST

Once again this season, in the build-up to each week’s Sunday Night Football matchup, fans can participate in NBC Sports’ free-to-play game, Sunday Night 7, which features a $100,000 jackpot every contest for each game in the Sunday Night Football package, as well as two NFL Wild Card playoff games and one NFL Divisional Playoff. Sunday Night 7 is available for download NOW on the NBC Sports Predictor app powered by PointsBet (available in the App Store and Google Play Store) and at NBCSports.com/Predictor.

In Sunday’s game, one user won the first-place jackpot.

POINTSBET AND NBC SPORTS INCLUDE EXCLUSIVE BETTING INTEGRATIONS INTO FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA AND PEACOCK SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL FINAL POST-GAME SHOW

This season, PointsBet and NBC Sports include exclusive betting integrations on the Football Night in America studio show and the new Peacock Sunday Night Football Final postgame show. Click here for more information.

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 Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET.

NBC SPORTS EDGE

NBC Sports EDGE, part of the newly announced NBC Sports Next portfolio and one of the internet’s highest-trafficked fantasy sports and gaming websites, offers comprehensive fantasy football and betting coverage throughout the 2021 NFL season across NBC Sports’ platforms. The industry-leading source for fantasy football news and information, the 2021 Fantasy Football Draft Guide is available for purchase now via NBC Sports EDGE’s subscription model beginning at only $3.99 per month, and features more than 450 extensive player profiles, player projections, positional tiers, Top 200 rankings for PPR, Half-PPR, Non-PPR and Dynasty, as well as Individual Defensive Player rankings, sleepers and busts, drafting strategy articles, team reports and much more. NBC Sports EDGE also provides fantasy football coverage and betting insights through its digital shows, A Good Football Show and Bet the Edge.

PFT LIVE – WEEKDAYS AT 7 A.M. ET ON PEACOCK

Pro Football Talk streams live on Peacock’s NBC Sports on Peacock channel from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays and re-airs at 9 a.m. ET on NBCSN. Florio is joined by veteran sports commentator Mike Golic on Monday mornings, co-host and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms from Tuesday – Thursday, with a special guest co-hosting on Fridays.

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, Chris Simms Unbuttoned, PFT PM, and A Good Football Show. While The Peter King Podcast features intimate discussions with the NFL’s top players, Chris Simms Unbuttoned and PFT PM dive into deep conversations around the sports’ hottest topics, and A Good 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 3.5 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 2021 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.

canVS

NBC Sports invites fans to paint a path to Super Bowl LVI with SNF canVS, a season-long interactive art campaign, which began at the 2021 NFL Kickoff game and continues at each Sunday Night Football game throughout the season.

Each week in the city of the SNF matchup, local artists will create a five-yard long mural inspired by fan input that epitomizes the fanbase’s love for their team. This Saturday’s featured artist is Lena McCarthy.

At the end of the season, each of the 20 five-yard murals will come together to create a 100-yard masterpiece showcasing the painted pride that captures the devotion and passion of fans. Click here for more details.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood stars in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Shot at Industrial Light & Magic’s cutting edge LED sound stage utilizing the company’s StageCraft LED virtual production technology recently used in “The Mandalorian,” the 2021 Sunday Night Football show open for the first time will feature a virtual football tailgate as a backdrop for Underwood’s performance of “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night.”

In addition, the show open will highlight user-generated cameos from some of the NFL’s biggest stars, as well as fans’ self-recorded video from NFL tailgates.

NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW FOR RECORD 10 CONSECUTIVE YEARS: NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2020-21 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 10^th 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 11^th consecutive TV season.

*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.

–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL–

Michaels to Call His 44th Game with Tom Brady as Starting QB as Buccaneers visit Patriots on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock & Universo)

“I can’t remember a regular season game more anticipated than this one. Two or three years ago, there’s no way you could have dreamed up this scenario.” – Al Michaels

Brady Needs 68 Passing Yards this Sunday to Pass Drew Brees as NFL’s All-Time Leader

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 28, 2021 – NBC Sports’ Al Michaels, who is in his record 36^th season calling the NFL in primetime, joins Cris Collinsworth in the booth at Gillette Stadium this Sunday for the widely-anticipated return of quarterback Tom Brady to New England (8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo).

Brady, who won six Super Bowls with the Patriots before leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the title last season, returns to Foxboro to face his former team for the first time.

“I can’t remember a regular season game more anticipated than this one,” said Michaels. “Two or three years ago, there’s no way you could have dreamed up this scenario.”

Sunday night’s game marks the 44^th regular- and postseason game that Michaels will call with the 44-year-old Tom Brady starting at quarterback (2006-21 with NBC, 2001-05 with ABC).

Al Michaels Calling Tom Brady’s NFL Starts

        *includes this Sunday

SPOTLIGHT GAMES

Michaels is no stranger to calling showcase NFL games headlined by star quarterbacks. Following is a look at some of those regular-season games, with Michaels’ recollections:

Oct. 17, 1994 – In the final season of his NFL career, Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs visited John Elway and the Denver Broncos. The quarterbacks combined for more than 650 passing yards and six total touchdowns in a back-and-forth game that was tied after each of the first three quarters. The fourth quarter featured three lead changes – all in the final four minutes and eight seconds – with Montana throwing a five-yard scoring pass with eight seconds remaining to lead the Chiefs to a 31-28 win.

Dec. 22, 2003 – The night after his father died, Brett Favre passed for 399 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 41-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Al Michaels: “The Favre game was so unreal that John Madden and I were figuratively rubbing our eyes the whole night. Was that REALLY happening?”

Oct. 20, 2013 – Broncos QB Peyton Manning returned to Indianapolis, where he played 13 seasons for the Colts. After an emotional pregame tribute, Manning passed for 386 yards and three touchdowns, but the Broncos fell 39-33 to Andrew Luck (four total TDs) and the Colts.

Al Michaels: “Peyton got a wonderful, well-deserved ‘welcome back’ that night and I expect the same response for Tom in Foxboro.”

Nov. 24, 2013 – It was Brady-Manning XIV, as Tom Brady led the Patriots’ biggest regular-season comeback victory ever (from 24 points behind) in defeating Peyton Manning and the Broncos, 34-31, in overtime.

Al Michaels: “The Brady-Manning duels were more examples of ‘Must See TV.’”

Oct. 14, 2018 – It was Brady-Mahomes I, as Tom Brady earned his 200th career regular-season win, the most all-time, in a Patriots’ 43-40 victory over the Chiefs on a field goal as time expired. Mahomes passed for 352 yards and four touchdowns.

Al Michaels: “The Brady-Mahomes game helped to usher in the next generation.”

Sept. 19, 2021 – In a game that featured nearly 900 yards of offense, quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson delivered one exciting play after another, highlighted by scrambling, “flip” and “jump” passes, and even a somersault into the end zone. Jackson’s two fourth-quarter scoring runs helped the Ravens overcome an 11-point deficit, before he sealed the 36-35 victory with a two-yard rush on 4^th-and-1 with a minute remaining. Mahomes passed for 343 yards and three touchdowns.

AL & CRIS — THE VOICES OF MANY NFL QB MILESTONES

On Sunday, Brady can break Drew Brees’ all-time record for passing yards (80,358) with 68 yards against the Patriots.

Together in the booth, Michaels and Collinsworth have been the voices of record for numerous NFL quarterback milestones:

• • Peyton Manning throws his 400th career TD pass in his first game with the Denver Broncos – Sept. 9, 2012
  • Drew Brees throws TD pass in NFL-record 48th consecutive game, breaking Johnny Unitas’ 52-year old mark – Oct. 7, 2012
  • Peyton Manning throws 7 TD passes Baltimore, tying an NFL record which had last been matched in 1969 – Sept. 5, 2013 in “NFL Kickoff” game
  • Tom Brady reaches 50,000 career passing yards as Patriots beat Bengals 43-17 in the “on to Cincinnati” game – Oct. 5, 2014
  • Peyton Manning throws 509th TD pass in a win over the 49ers, breaking Brett Favre’s NFL career record – Oct. 19, 2014
  • Tom Brady sets the NFL record for most regular-season wins by a QB with one team (161) in Patriots’ victory over Steelers – Sept. 10, 2015 in “NFL Kickoff” game
  • Drew Brees throws 400th career touchdown pass in victory over Cowboys – Oct. 4, 2015
  • Matthew Stafford reaches 30,000 career passing yards faster than any player in NFL history (109 games) in loss to Packers – Jan. 1, 2017
  • Tom Brady earns 200th regular season win (43-40 over Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs) – Oct. 14, 2018

NBC’s Sunday Night Football, primetime TV’s #1 show for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years, is averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 21.8 million viewers through Week 3 – the show’s best start since 2016 and up 12% from last season at the same point.

–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL—