As both San Diego and San Francisco drive for the playoffs, NFL Network will be live with coverage of Thursday Night Football from the Stadium Formerly Known As San Diego Jack Murphy. The Chargers are making their usual second half push to get into the postseason. The 49ers despite being below .500 are still within a stone’s throw of getting into the playoffs. So as both West Coast teams try to make their cases for playoff action, NFL Network will have the game live. In addition, San Diego avoided a blackout yet again so the game will be seen locally.
We have the particulars and what NFL Network will air during its Thursday Night Kickoff show.
THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL – DECEMBER 16, 8:00 PM ETSAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT SAN DIEGO CHARGERS ON NFL NETWORKSan Francisco Head Coach Mike Singletary Sit Down Interview with Deion Sanders&Preview of Interview with Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew on Thursday Night Kickoff Pregame Show at 6:00 PM ET“Your Weekend Starts Here”NOTABLE & QUOTABLE…
- “With or without Antonio Gates, they are dynamite in the passing game.” – NFL Network analyst STEVE MARIUCCI on the San Diego Chargers
- NFL Network analyst DEION SANDERS sits down for a one-on-one interview with San Francisco 49ers head coach MIKE SINGLETARY during the Thursday Night Kickoff pregame show at 6:00 PM ET on NFL Network.
- Preview of sit down interview with Jacksonville Jaguars RB MAURICE JONES-DREW for NFL GameDay Morning on the TNF pregame show.
SAN FRANCISO 49ERS (5-8) AT SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (7-6)ANNOUNCERSBob Papa (play-by-play), Matt Millen and Joe Theismann (game analysts); Alex Flanagan (sideline)
PREGAME (6:00 PM ET)Thursday Night KickoffIn San Diego: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson (on-site reporter); In Los Angeles: Fran Charles, Kurt Warner, Sterling Sharpe, Jim Mora, Jay Glazer, Jason La Canfora
PRE-KICK (8:00 PM ET)Pre-Kick ShowBob Papa, Matt Millen, Joe Theismann, Alex Flanagan, Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Kara Henderson
HALFTIMEHalftime ShowRich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson, Alex Flanagan
POSTGAMEPostgame ShowRich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson, Alex FlanaganNFL Total Access Postgame ShowFran Charles, Jamie Dukes, Rod Woodson
WHERE TO WATCHDirecTV – Channel 212 (SD/HD), DISH Network – 154 (SD/HD)Verizon – Channel 88 (SD) 588 (HD), AT&T U-Verse – 630 (SD) 1630 (HD)Check your local cable listingsNFL.com LIVE – live “look-ins” at select moments of gameNFL Mobile Live on Verizon Wireless
LOCAL OTA SIMULCAST*San Francisco: CBS Ch. 5 (KPIX)/San Diego: FOX Ch. 5/69 (KSWB)
Thursday Night FootballLast week’s Indianapolis Colts-Tennessee Titans game on Thursday Night Football on NFL Network was the night’s most watched show on cable. Thursday Night Football viewership is at its best mark through five games and up 38 percent from last year.This week, the San Francisco 49ers (5-8) travel to face the San Diego Chargers (7-6) in a game that is crucial to both teams’ playoff chances. Quarterback ALEX SMITH will look to pull the 49ers within half a game of first place in the NFC West while MVP candidate quarterback PHILIP RIVERS and the Chargers hope to continue the momentum gained from a 31-0 victory over the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs.This season marks the debut of new game analyst JOE THEISMANN, who returns to the broadcast booth after a successful stint with ESPN from 1988 – 2006. Alongside Theismann in the booth will be BOB PAPA, who returns for his third year as the play-by-play announcer for NFL Network, and second-year game analyst MATT MILLEN. ALEX FLANAGAN enters her first season as a sideline reporter on Thursday Night Football, and her fifth season with NFL Network. Additional newcomers include producer ED FEIBISCHOFF and director ARTIE KEMPNER.RICH EISEN hosts NFL Network’s Thursday Night Kickoff 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; MARSHALL FAULK, a recently named Hall of Fame semifinalist 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) and has been selected to seven Pro Bowls; and DEION SANDERS, a recently named Hall of Fame semifinalist, 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. Coverage also includes on-site reports from Flanagan and KARA HENDERSON, who begins her eighth season with NFL Network.Additional coverage will be provided from NFL Network studios in Los Angeles with host FRAN CHARLES and analysts KURT WARNER, a two-time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl MVP quarterback; STERLING SHARPE, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a 16-year veteran NFL broadcaster; JIM MORA, former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks; and JAY GLAZER, FOX Sports NFL insider and senior writer for FOXSports.com. NFL Network insider JASON LA CANFORA will also provide the latest updates.NFL.com LIVE at 8:00 PM ET features live programming including live “look-ins” of Thursday Night Football, game highlights and instant analysis from NFL Network talent. From the NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, PAUL BURMEISTER, JAMIE DUKES, BUCKY BROOKS and MIKE MAYOCK provide expert analysis, commentary and fantasy information with contributions from Faulk, Mariucci and Sanders. Henderson and STEVE WYCHE will provide live reports from the stadium, while Mayock will return for a second season with ‘Instant Playbook’ from the NFL Films studios exclusively for NFL.com/LIVE: Thursday Night Football, which provides instant X & O analysis of key plays right after they happen.Following the game at 12:00 AM ET, NFL Network analyst and Hall of Famer ROD WOODSON will join Charles and Dukes for a postgame edition of NFL Total Access Live.
One more press release before I shut the blog down for the night. You can still visit though Plenty of stuff for you to see.
