“With Tim Tebow at QB, it’s almost a throwback to the college game.” — NFL Network’s MIKE MAYOCK — JETS VS. BRONCOS ‘THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL’ GAME CAPSULE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011 — 8:00 PM ET

NEW YORK JETS AT DENVER BRONCOS ON NFL NETWORK

Denver QB Tim Tebow Sit Down Interview with Kurt Warner on Thursday Night Football Kickoff Presented by Sears Pregame Show at 6:00 PM ET

“With Tim Tebow at quarterback, it’s almost a throwback to the college game.”

–      Thursday Night Football Game Analyst Mike Mayock

MIKE MAYOCK’S KEY MATCHUP: TIM TEBOW VS. JETS DEFENSE

“With Tim Tebow at quarterback, it’s almost a throwback to the college game. You have to be aware of the option. You have to be aware of the misdirection. That puts a lot of pressure on the Jets defensive ends and outside linebackers.

“When they go through the process of what they call their ‘zone read,’ which is what Tim Tebow did in college and a lot of college quarterbacks do today, the quarterback is reading the backside to see if there’s discipline from the defensive ends and outside linebackers to contain. If contain breaks down, Tim Tebow takes advantage of it.

“Two weeks ago in Oakland, contain broke down significantly and he had two long runs because the backside defender lost discipline.  What complicates this is even though they don’t throw the football often when they do it’s usually a vertical shot off play-action. The defensive backs, who are going to be encouraged to get involved in run support, also have to be aware of play-action so they don’t get beat over the top like the Chiefs did on Sunday on Eric Decker’s 56-yard touchdown catch.”

–       Thursday Night Football game analyst  MIKE MAYOCK

BRONCOS QB TIM TEBOW 1-ON-1 INTERVIEW:

• KURT WARNER sits down for an interview with Denver quarterback TIM TEBOW during Thursday Night Football Kickoff Presented by Sears at 6:00 PM ET.

NOTABLE AND QUOTABLE:

“You can’t measure Tim Tebow by statistics because he has that ‘it’ factor. The only thing I know is that they’re starting to believe and winning games.”

–  DEION SANDERS on Broncos quarterback TIM TEBOW, who completed two passes in Denver’s 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs

“This guy is starting to contribute on a consistent basis now. Using his height [to] go up and get it in the red zone.”

– STEVE MARIUCCI on Jets WR PLAXICO BURRESS, who has four touchdowns in the past three games

The matchup marks the Jets’ fourth appearance on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football, and the fifth time the Broncos have appeared in the Thursday primetime game.

Last time on Thursday Night Football:

New York Jets: Nov. 25, 2010 – Jets 26, Bengals 10

Denver Broncos: Nov. 26, 2009 – Broncos 26, Giants 6

(Home Team in Bold)

Thursday Night Football

Last week’s Oakland Raiders-San Diego Chargers game on NFL Network was watched by an average of 5.3 million viewers (not including over-the-air stations in Oakland-San Francisco and San Diego) – a six percent increase from last year’s opening night record (5.0 million for Ravens-Falcons).  The No. 1 show on cable that Thursday night, it was the most-watched opener in the six seasons of Thursday Night Football.

This week, the Denver Broncos (4-5) host the New York Jets (5-4) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Broncos QB TIM TEBOW is 3-1 as Denver’s starter this season and looks for his first win at home while the Jets and QB MARK SANCHEZ, who has appeared on Thursday Night Football every season of his NFL career, aim to bounce back from last Sunday’s loss to New England.

This season marks the debut of new Thursday Night Football broadcast booth duo, BRAD NESSLER and MIKE MAYOCK. Veteran play-by-play voice, Nessler serves as the play-by-play announcer and Mayock, in his seventh year with NFL Network, is the game analyst and ALEX FLANAGAN returns for her second season as the sideline reporter.

RICH EISEN hosts NFL Network’s Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears, Lexus Pre-kick Show, Kia Halftime Show and the Kay Jewelers Postgame Show from the stadium. Eisen, a two-time Sports Emmy nominee in the Studio Host category, is joined by fellow Sports Emmy nominee STEVE MARIUCCI, a former NFL head coach with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions who also served as Brett Favre’s quarterback coach in Green Bay; 2011 NFL Hall of Fame inductee MARSHALL FAULK, who won a Super Bowl XXXIV ring with the Rams, earned 2000 NFL MVP honors and three Offensive Player of the Year awards (1999-2001); 2011 NFL Hall of Fame inductee DEION SANDERS, a two-time Super Bowl winner who was 1994 Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time Pro Bowler who holds the NFL record with 19 career return touchdowns; and making his Thursday Night Football debut, Hall of Famer and third-year NFL Network analyst MICHAEL IRVIN.

Additional coverage will be provided from NFL Network studios in Los Angeles with host KARA HENDERSON and analysts KURT WARNER, two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP quarterback; STERLING SHARPE, five-time Pro Bowl selection; and JAY GLAZER, NFL insider and senior writer for FOXSports.com.

NFL.com LIVE/Thursday Night Football at 8:00 PM ET features live “look-ins” of Raiders-Chargers, game highlights and instant analysis from NFL Network talent. From the NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, PAUL BURMEISTER, KURT WARNER, JAMIE DUKES, and BUCKY BROOKS provide expert analysis, commentary and fantasy information. STACEY DALES and STEVE WYCHE provide live reports from the stadium, while Brooks contributes ‘Instant Playbook’ analysis of key plays and drives from the exclusive perspective of the coaching tape immediately after the most important moments.

Following the game, hosts ANDREW SICILIANO and KARA HENDERSON as well as analysts KURT WARNER, JAMIE DUKES and WILLIE MCGINEST will deliver a postgame edition of NFL Total Access.