NBC Begins Thanksgiving Primetime NFL Tradition Tonight

Tonight, NBC will begin a new tradition with its first ever NFL primetime game on Thanksgiving. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (7-3) will travel to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. to take on Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets (4-6). The broadcast of the game begins with legendary NFL coach and analyst John Madden’s take on family, football and tradition. NBC will wrap up the night by presenting the first annual “Madden Thanksgiving Player-of-the-Game” award. Coverage begins with Football Night in America at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

During half-time of the game, Grammy Award-winner Lenny Kravitz will perform a special Thanksgiving concert on the field and for viewers at home.

NBC’s coverage of the 2012-13 NFL season continues on Sunday night when Eli Manning and the New York Giants (6-4) host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (7-3) on Sunday Night Football. Coverage begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.

Calling Patriots-Jets and Packers-Giants is six-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his 27th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 13-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, who has won the Emmy for Outstanding Event Analyst in each of his three seasons in the Sunday Night Football booth; and sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, who, last year in her first season with SNF, won the inaugural Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Reporter.

Football Night in America is hosted by 24-time Emmy Award-winner Bob Costas, who will report from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Costas will be joined on site by Michaels, and Collinsworth.

On Thursday night, Costas will host a special Thanksgiving edition of Football Night In America from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ., and will be joined on site by Dan Patrick, Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, and two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison.

On Sunday night, Costas will again report from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ., and will be joined on site by Hines Ward, the former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP.

Dan Patrick will co-host Football Night from NBC’s Studio 8G at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Patrick will be joined in studio by Dungy, Harrison, Peter King of Sports Illustrated, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network and NBCSports.com.

PREVIEW VIDEO:

Michaels and Collinsworth on Patriots vs. Jets:
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/49881284#49881284

Patrick, Dungy and Harrison on Patriots vs. Jets:
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/49880577#49880577

In addition to the weekly Sunday Night Football and Football Night in America broadcasts, NBC Sports Group’s NFL coverage also includes digital content and social media extensions that are available online, as well as NFL-related shoulder programming available on NBC Sports Network.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL EXTRA

SNF EXTRA: For the fifth consecutive season, the entire Sunday Night Football schedule is streamed live on NBCSports.com. The video stream originates directly from NBC’s broadcast of SNF, and will include additional camera angles and interactive features.

Sunday Night Football Extra employs a full HD-quality player, which includes a draggable picture-in-picture feature for any of the online-only cameras, plus full DVR functionality allowing the user to pause, scroll back-and-forth, and review plays in slo-motion.

SNF Extra includes expert analysis, including fantasy tips from Rotoworld fantasy experts as well as in-game chats and analysis from Mike Florio. Additionally SNF Extra employs online-only in-game analysis from the Sunday Night Football and Football Night in America
teams.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ALL-ACCESS. ALL SEASON LONG: For the third straight season, NBCSports.com is providing a destination for fans dedicated to behind-the-scenes content of Sunday Night Football. SNF All-Access includes exclusive photos of the Sunday Night Football
production, look-ins on SNF production meetings, Michele Tafoya interviews with key NFL players and a weekly notebook and conversations with SNF talent.

Visit SNF All-Access at: http://snfallaccess.nbcsports.com/

“THE SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL”: This season NBC Sports introduced “The Sunday Night Football”, a custom made football from Wilson, which travels with the SNF crew all season long. Fans of SNF on Facebook and Twitter can keep up with “The Sunday Night Football” on the SNF Facebook page, follow its path through each city and recommend where it should visit while in town. At the end of each SNF game, “The Sunday Night Football” is signed by the player(s) of the game. Photos, video and stories around “The Sunday Night Football” and its travels live on Facebook, Twitter and SNFAllAccess.com all season long.

Week


Player


Game


Date


1


Peyton Manning


Steelers at Broncos


Sun., Sept. 9


2


Alex Smith, Michael Crabtree, Justin Smith


Lions at 49ers


Sun., Sept. 16


3


Joe Flacco, Torrey Smith, Ray Rice


Patriots at Ravens


Sun., Sept 23


4


Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy


Giants at Eagles


Sun., Sept 30


5


Drew Brees


Chargers at Saints


Sun., Oct 7


6


Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson


Packers at Texans


Sun., Oct. 14


7


Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Clark


Steelers at Bengals


Sun., Oct. 21


8


Peyton Manning, Champ Bailey, Demaryius Thomas


Saints at Broncos


Sun., Oct 28


9


Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones


Cowboys at Falcons


Sun., Nov 4


10


Arian Foster, Danieal Manning


Texans at Bears


Sun., Nov 11


11


Jacoby Jones, Corey Graham


Ravens at Steelers


Sun., Nov 18


SNF ON FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/SNFonNBC – The Sunday Night Football Facebook page provides links, photos and videos exclusive to behind-the-scenes at SNF every week. The page aggregates all SNF-related content found within the NBC Sports digital network, including NBCSports.com, SNF Extra, ProFootballTalk.com, and Rotoworld.com.

SNF ON TWITTER: twitter.com/SNFonNBC – For the first time ever, Michele Tafoya will be doing live video tweets from @SNFonNBC on the sideline exclusively for the SNF social media platforms, providing fans extended real-time content from Michele’s unique sideline perspective. Using tweets, twitpics and twitvids @SNFonNBC provides unique content with SNF talent, production crew and NFL players.

As part of NBC’s Thanksgiving day #WhyImThankful campaign, tweets using the hashtag will be pulled into the SNF Extra Player during the game on Thursday night. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag and tweet a message about something they are thankful for.

Each week @SNFonNBC will promote a guest player who will live tweet during the Sunday Night Football broadcast. On Sunday, November 25, former former Giants RB and Super Bowl XXV MVP Ottis “OJ” Anderson @OJAnderson24 will be the guest player. The tweets from the guest player will automatically be pulled into the SNF Extra Player.

SNF ON INSTAGRAM: Going into its second season, Sunday Night Football gives the SNF fan a look at photos through the filters of Instagram. Fans get a look inside the production trucks, the locker rooms, on the field and around the city. Fans also have the opportunity to submit
photos through Instagram using #SNF that will automatically be curated into a special Instagram tab on the Sunday Night Football Facebook page.

SNF ON GETGLUE: For the second season in a row, fans can check into each SNF game on GetGlue. Fans watching Sunday Night Football at home have the opportunity to win weekly SNF-themed stickers and chances at real-world prizes by checking into SNF on GetGlue every Sunday night.

NFL TURNING POINT WEDNESDAY AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

Emmy-nominated NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network’s weekly NFL show co-produced by NFL Films, airs tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. ET. In this week’s episode: NFL Turning Point examines how Tom Brady and the New England Patriots outplayed Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts; how Aaron Rodgers lifted the Green Bay Packers over the Detroit Lions;
and a spotlight look at the Baltimore Ravens defense. In addition, Football Night In America’s Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison will breakdown the keys to this Sunday’s Green Bay Packers – New York Giants matchup.

Hosted by Football Night In America’s Dan Patrick, the hour-long program airs throughout the entire NFL season, including the playoffs and Super Bowl.


PRO FOOTBALL TALK ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK WEEKNIGHTS, 5 P.M. ET