As Thursday Night Football begins the action for Week 15, NFL Network gets a game involving AFC West Division rivals San Diego and Denver. In addition, NFL Network gets Peyton Manning meaning that its ratings should go up. It also marks the end of the line for NFL Network for this season and perhaps the next-to-last season of having 13 games. After 2014, the Thursday Night package may be split in half.
Until that happens, NFL Network is the exclusive home and Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock along with Alex Flanagan are the game announcing crew. Rich Eisen hosts and will have a band of analysts with him.
One feature NFL Network is promoting is the reunion between former Denver Broncos teammates John Elway and Terrell Davis.
Here’s the NFL Network press release.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS AT DENVER BRONCOS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12 AT 8:00 PM ET ON NFL NETWORKFormer Super Bowl-Winning Teammates John Elway & Terrell Davis Reunited on Set on ‘NFL Total Access Kickoff’ Pregame Show at 6:00 PM ET
The eighth season of NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football concludes this week when quarterback Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos host quarterback Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers Thursday, December 12 at 8:00 PM ET in an AFC West divisional matchup.
Play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler and two-time Emmy-nominated analyst Mike Mayock call the game in their third season together, and Alex Flanagan provides reports from the sidelines.
NFL Network’s NFL Total Access Kickoff pregame show is live from the stadium starting at 6:00 PM ET. This week, host Rich Eisen is joined by Hall of Famers Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin and Marshall Faulk, and former head coach Steve Mariucci live from Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. Outside of the stadium, host Melissa Stark is joined by former two-time Super Bowl champion running back for the Broncos Terrell Davis and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner. Reporters Alex Flanagan and Stacey Dales provide pregame news reports from the locker rooms and interviews with players and coaches, while NFL Media Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Silver are on-location with the latest news from around the NFL.
Featured on the pregame show this week:
· Former Super Bowl-winning teammates on the Broncos John Elway and Terrell Davis reunited live on set
· Do the Denver Broncos have the best offense in NFL history?
· Has Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning answered his cold weather critics?
· The NFL Total Access Kickoff crew discuss the impact Peyton Manning has had on his teammates in Denver
· How does the San Diego Chargers’ offense keep pace with the Broncos’ offense?
· Which team is best built to challenge the Broncos in the AFC, and which team is best built to win a Super Bowl in New York City?
· Will the New England Patriots offense survive without tight end Rob Gronkowski?
Through the first 12 games of its 13-game schedule, Thursday Night Football is averaging a 4.65 US HH rating (+6% vs. 2012 average) and 7.47 million viewers (+7% vs. 2012 average) – on pace to be the highest-rated and most-watched Thursday Night Football season ever. Each week of NFL Network’s 2013 schedule, Thursday Night Football has been the No. 1 rated show on cable television.
International award-winning actress and recording artist Priyanka Chopra’s track “In My City” is the new theme for Thursday Night Football. This is Chopra’s second year being featured on NFL Network as last season she kicked off the Thursday Night Football pregame show. For a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Thursday Night Football open “In My City,” visit http://on.nfl.com/15RxswV.
Eisen, Sanders, Irvin, Faulk and Mariucci provide additional analysis on the Halftime Show and the postgame show. Following the game, hosts Dan Hellie and Amber Theoharis, and NFL Network analysts Darren Sharper and Willie McGinest will deliver a postgame edition of NFL Total Access live from NFL Network’s studios in Los Angeles.
As part of the NFL’s recently announced partnership with Twitter, in-game highlights will be accessible for Twitter users on PCs, tablets, and mobile devices from Thursday Night Football. The in-game highlights on Twitter are in addition to other game footage, news, analysis, fantasy football advice, and voting platforms from NFL Network and NFL.com that are part of a seven-day-a-week customized NFL video content programming schedule created specifically for the Twitter platform (twitter.com/NFL).
Thursday Night Football on NFL.com/NFL Mobile
Each week starting at 8:00 PM ET, NFL.com Live: Thursday Night Football returns as the true companion for NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football. New this season, the live look-ins on NFL.com Live: Thursday Night Football feature exclusive coaches’ angles, which include the “All-22,” “High End Zone” and Cable Cam angles. Additionally, the NFL Digital Media production will provide its own play-by-play and analysis for the first time, with Matt “Money” Smith on the call and Solomon Wilcots as analyst. Rebecca Haarlow will be live on-location providing sideline commentary to the broadcast.
From the NFL Network studios, Elliot Harrison is joined alongside analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks to provide instant studio analysis to live game action. Dave Dameshek and Crystina Poncher will be NFL.com Live: Thursday Night Football’s social media correspondents, and various NFL Network analysts will join the broadcast throughout the season. To watch each NFL.com Live: Thursday Night Football broadcast, visit NFL.com.
As part of the recently redesigned NFL Mobile app, fans can follow Thursday Night Football on the go with TNF Xtra. TNF Xtra is a free, downloadable feature on the NFL Mobile app, which offers a comprehensive second-screen companion to NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football broadcast. TNF Xtra is live at 7:30 PM ET each Thursday during NFL Network’s 13-game broadcast schedule, and features live video updates from sideline reporter Rebecca Haarlow, social media integration, trivia and polls throughout the game, relevant historical facts, statistics and profiles, and instant photos live from the game. Visit NFL.com/xtra on your mobile device to download NFL Mobile.
Additionally, for Verizon subscribers the newly redesigned NFL Mobile app enables users with a premium subscription to watch a live feed of Thursday Night Football directly from their mobile device, in addition to NFL Network, NFL RedZone and live NFL game action Sunday and Monday night. All NFL Mobile users, regardless of their wireless provider, can watch exclusive NFL highlights and video clips on their mobile device.
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
TEAMS: CHARGERS (6-7) BRONCOS (11-2) ANNOUNCERS Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Mike Mayock (game analyst); Alex Flanagan (sideline) PREGAME (6:00 PM ET) NFL Total Access Kickoff
In Denver: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Melissa Stark, Kurt Warner, Terrell Davis, Ian Rapoport, Mike Silver, Alex Flanagan, Stacey DalesPRE-KICK (8:00 PM ET) Prekick Show
Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan, Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Melissa Stark, Kurt Warner, Terrell Davis, Stacey DalesHALFTIME Halftime Show
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Ian Rapoport, Mike Silver, Alex Flanagan, Stacey DalesPOSTGAME Postgame Show
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Alex Flanagan, Stacey Dales
NFL Total Access Postgame Show
In-studio: Dan Hellie, Amber Theoharis, Darren Sharper, Willie McGinestWHERE TO WATCH NFL Network
Check your local cable listings
NFL.com Live: Thursday Night Football
NFL MobileLOCAL OTA SIMULCAST* CBS Ch. 8 (KFMB) – San Diego CBS Ch. 4 (KCNC) – Denver
That will do it.
