ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Matchup and MNF Previews For Week 16

This week marks the end of Monday Night Football for the season and ESPN gets a very good matchup, the defending Super Bowl champions New Orleans Saints taking on Atlanta in an NFC South battle. And of course, there’s ESPN with Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL Matchup. So let’s provide you with the previews of what’s on the ESPN NFL shows this week.

We begin with Sunday NFL Countdown.

Sunday NFL Countdown: Eagles-Giants: Pendulum of Emotions, Gronkowski Brothers, Ebenezer Ditka and More

Chris Berman, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Mortensen, and NFL Insider Adam Schefter will preview the day’s NFL matchups Sunday, Dec. 26, at 11 a.m. Highlights:

• Pendulum of Emotion – Last Sunday’s Eagles-Giants game has been called a colossal comeback, an epic collapse, and a miracle at the New Meadowlands, depending on your perspective. Chris Connelly conveys the emotions of both teams entering Week 16;
• The Gronkowski Brothers – With three brothers playing on three different teams, the Gronkowski family has a very rare challenge of keeping up with the brothers’ performances on any given NFL Sunday – Rob (Patriots), Chris (Cowboys) and Dan (Broncos). ESPN.com’s Greg Garber reports the story of a Western New York family with a pedigree for raising NFL athletes;
• Rex Ryan’s Swagger Meter – The Jets head coach’s swagger permeates his team. Entering the 2010 season, he proclaimed the Jets would soon become champions. After a 9-2 start, Ryan’s bravado took a hit with two straight losses, but appears to be on the rebound following a big win at Pittsburgh last Sunday. Countdown reviews Ryan’s best sound-bites and the pundits will opine on how it measures on the “Swagger Meter;”
• Ebenezer Ditka: The Mike Ditka Chronicles – The ornery former NFL coach returns to spread his version of holiday cheer as “Ebenezer Ditka,” doling out his disgust with some of the league’s dominant storylines;
• Mayne Event: Wang Chung – Kenny Mayne offers a tongue-in-cheek feature celebrating the reunion of a 1980s phenomenon with Bills rookie lineman Ed Wang and Patriots second-year safety Patrick Chung.

And here’s what’s on NFL Matchup at a special time! 8:30 a.m. Sunday on ESPN2! Finally, a much better timeslot.

NFL Matchup’s X’s and O’s: Saints at Falcons, Ravens at Browns, Redskins at Jaguars

Host Sal Paolantonio and analysts Merril Hoge and Ron Jaworski will preview the X’s and O’s in three key games this weekend on Sunday’s NFL Matchup at 3 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on ESPN, and at the new re-air time of 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2.  Highlights:

• Saints at Falcons – New Orleans is among the best teams in creating successful plays on offense and defense – and so is Atlanta. Jaworski goes “Inside the Matchup” to highlight their smart plays;
• Ravens at Browns – In the last three games, running back Ray Rice accounted for more than 41 percent of the Ravens’ total yards on offense and has been effective as a receiver in critical third down situations. Hoge shows how Baltimore exploits Rice’s versatility;
• Redskins at Jaguars – Washington’s defense is struggling to defend the pass. Jaworski examines the “Game within the Game” to highlight a likely matchup between the Redskins defense and Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis.

And this is what ESPN is saying about Monday Night Football.

Monday Night Football Season Finale:  Matt Ryan and NFC-Leading Atlanta Falcons Host Defending Super Bowl Champions

  

ESPN’s Monday Night Football season finale will include Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons (12-2) hosting Drew Brees and the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (10-4), Dec. 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN HD. Mike Tirico and analysts Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski will call the game, and Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber will provide updates on the teams throughout the day. 

With just two weeks remaining in the regular-season, the Falcons will try to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, while their NFC South rivals will attempt to lock up a Wild Card spot. 

Monday’s telecast will begin with a Frank Gifford MNF vignette highlighting the Saints’ triumphant return to the Louisiana Superdome Sept. 25, 2006. A year after the devastation and loss caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Saints defeated the Falcons 23-3 in one of the most memorable moments in the history of the franchise and the Crescent City. 

ESPN’s “game around the game” studio coverage will begin at noon on SportsCenter, followed by NFL Live at 3:30 p.m. and NFL PrimeTime at 4 p.m. The 90-minute Monday Night Countdown pregame will begin at 7 p.m. with host Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Mortensen, and NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Stuart Scott and analysts Matt Millen and Steve Young will contribute from Atlanta.

More coming up as I try to get things done today.