Tonight, this could be the last game for Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano. And while it may not be enough to get you to watch Thursday Night Football, just know that it’s a good opportunity to see Cam Newton playing for the Carolina Panthers.
NFL Network airs the 3-3 Carolina Panthers taking on the winless Bucs at Raymond James Stadium at 8:30 p.m. ET. Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock will call the game. Alex Flanagan will roam the sidelines.
Rich Eisen will host the game from the field and be joined by a plethora of analysts including former Bucs great Warren Sapp. Here’s the NFL Network press release previewing the game.
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 AT 8:00 PM ET ON NFL NETWORKNFL Network Analyst & Hall of Fame DT Warren Sapp and Former Buccaneers Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice & Anthony “Booger” McFarland Join Coverage from Tampa
Coverage Begins at 6:00 PM ET with ‘NFL Total Access Kickoff’ Pregame ShowThe eighth season of NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football continues this week when quarterback Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers look to extend their winning streak to three games when they travel to face cornerback Darrelle Revis and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday, October 24 at 8:00 PM ET in an NFC South 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 NFL Network analyst, Hall of Fame defensive tackle and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers great Warren Sapp joins host Rich Eisen, Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Marshall Faulk, and former head coach Steve Mariucci live from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Reporters Alex Flanagan and Stacey Dales provide pregame news reports from the locker rooms and interviews with players and coaches, while NFL Media’s national insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Media’s Mike Silver are on-location with the latest news from around the NFL.
Featured on the pregame show this week:
- Former Super Bowl-champion Buccaneers Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice and Anthony “Booger” McFarland reunited on the set
- Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis vs. Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith – who has the edge?
- A look back at Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis and how concerned the Denver Broncos should be following their first loss of the season
- The NFL Total Access Kickoff crew discusses the importance and impact of having a franchise quarterback
- Are the Green Bay Packers back among the NFC elite?
- How will the Kansas City Chiefs continue their undefeated start?
Through six games of its 13-game schedule, Thursday Night Football is averaging a 4.9 US HH rating (+21% vs. 2012 average) and 7.7 million viewers (+22% vs. 2012 average) – on pace to be the highest-rated and most-watched Thursday Night Football season ever.
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, Faulk, Mariucci, Sapp, Rapoport and Silver provide additional analysis on the Lexus 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).
The NFL and NFL Players will support October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with their fifth-annual national screening initiative and fundraising campaign. In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, the initiative, called “A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives,” reminds women 40 and older about the importance of having an annual mammogram.
Throughout the month, NFL Breast Cancer Awareness games will feature footballs with pink ribbon decals, on-field pink ribbon stencils and many pink items, including cleats, wristbands, gloves, sideline caps, pins, helmet decals, eye shield decals, captains’ patches, sideline towels and quarterback towels. To mark its fifth anniversary, this year’s campaign will highlight inspiring stories of individuals impacted by the A Crucial Catch campaign. All stories will be available on www.nfl.com/pink.
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 from Verizon 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 from Verizon users, regardless of their wireless provider, can watch exclusive NFL highlights and video clips on their mobile device.
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
TEAMS: PANTHERS (3-3) BUCCANEERS (0-6) ANNOUNCERS Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Mike Mayock (game analyst); Alex Flanagan (sideline) PREGAME (6:00 PM ET) NFL Total Access Kickoff
In Tampa: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Warren Sapp, Stacey Dales, Alex Flanagan, Ian Rapoport, Mike SilverPRE-KICK (8:00 PM ET) Prekick Show
Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan, Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Warren Sapp, Stacey DalesHALFTIME Halftime Show
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Warren Sapp, Stacey Dales, Alex Flanagan, Ian Rapoport, Mike SilverPOSTGAME Postgame Show
Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Warren Sapp, Stacey Dales, Alex Flanagan
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* MyNetworkTV Ch. 12 (WMYT) – Charlotte Independent Ch. 32 (WMOR) – Tampa
That is all.
