And we give you the NBC preview of the last game of the NFL regular season, the NFC West play-in game between the St. Louis Rams taking on Seattle live from the Great Northwest. This is the press release.
RAMS-SEAHAWKS MEET FOR WEEK 17 WIN-AND-IN “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” FLEX GAMECOVERAGE BEGINS WITH “FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA” AT 7 PM ET“This is a playoff game.” – Rodney Harrison“I envision Seattle trying to come up with some defensive tactics to stymie (Rams rookie QB Sam) Bradford.” – Tony Dungy on the storyline of the gameNEW YORK – The St. Louis Rams travel to Qwest Field in Seattle to face the Seahawks in a ‘win-and-in’ game flexed by the NFL for “Sunday Night Football” in which the winner will claim the NFC Western Division and a playoff berth, while the loser will see its season end. If the game ends in a tie, the Rams advance.Calling Rams-Seahawks will be six-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), who is in his 25th season as the voice of the NFL’s premier primetime package; 11-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, who last year, his first in the SNF booth, won the Emmy for outstanding event analyst; and sideline reporter Andrea Kremer about whom TV Guide said is “one of TV’s best sports correspondents.”Coverage begins with “Football Night in America” at 7 p.m. ET Sunday with Bob Costas, who won the outstanding studio host Emmy last year, hosting live from inside the stadium. Dan Patrick will co-host “Football Night” from NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach and Emmy-nominated Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Harrison, and Sports Illustrated’s Peter King. Alex Flanagan will report from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc., on the Bears-Packers game.SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL HISTORY: The Seahawks are 1-3 on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” (since 2006). The team’s last SNF appearance was a 20-10 loss at Tampa Bay in 2008, and last home SNF game was a 28-17 loss to New Orleans in 2007. This is the Rams first-ever NBC SNF appearance.# # #HARRISON ON PLAYOFF ATMOSPHERE: “This is a playoff game. This is both teams’ first playoff game. Seattle is a tough place to play. It’s a true hostile environment. It’s going to be a rocking, playoff atmosphere.”DUNGY ON RAMS: “I’ve really been impressed with how they’ve utilized Sam Bradford and been successful with a rookie quarterback. I remember Peyton Manning’s first year. The Colts won three games. For Sam Bradford to come in and take a one-win team (last year) to the verge of the playoffs is really outstanding. Steven Jackson is an outstanding back and has obviously helped Bradford. They’ve done a very good job of constructing an offense around a very young quarterback. They also have some young defensive linemen who can pressure the quarterback. It’s a young exciting team.”HARRISON ON RAMS: “Sam Bradford is a good young rookie quarterback but at times he’s called on to do too much. The biggest thing for the Rams is their good young defense. They have an active front seven highlighted by Chris Long.”DUNGY ON SEAHAWKS: “Seattle has been up and down but they have a chance to win it. They’ll have that home crowd with the noise. It’s going to be a great atmosphere. They have some offensive weaponry and a return game that can generate points. I envision Seattle trying to come up with some defensive tactics to stymie Bradford. That’s going to be the storyline of the game.”HARRISON ON SEAHAWKS: “Seattle has been so inconsistent but as poorly as they’ve played, they’re still in position to make the playoffs.”
And we’ll finish with ESPN’s preview of Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL Matchup.
