NFL on Fox Previews Week 15 of the 2012 Season

Let’s bring you what Fox is saying about Week 15 in The League Where They Play for Pay.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

Pivotal Week 15 Contests Take Center Stage as Falcons/Giants & Bears/Packers Battle for Playoff Position
Aikman: “Bears Offense Needs to Be More Than Brandon Marshall”
Pereira: Don’t Lose Sleep Over Potential That Kickoff Will Be Abolished

A TIGHTENING NFC TAKES CENTER STAGE IN WEEK 15 –It’s the time for giving and FOX Sportsdelivers NFL fans eight games for Week 15 onSunday, Dec. 16. The action kicks-off in Atlanta, as Matt Ryan and the NFC South champion Falcons host Eli Manning and the NFC East-leading Giants. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and on-field analyst Tony Siragusa call the action from the Georgia Dome. A historic rivalry takes place at Soldier Field between the Packers and Bears as they meet in Chicago. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver call the action from the windy city. Fresh off four-straight wins, the Redskins could be without Robert Griffin III when they travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. A shootout could emerge in New Orleans as Drew Brees and the Saints battle Josh Freeman, Doug Martin and the Bucs. Adrian Peterson looks to continue his spectacular 2012 season as the Vikings take on the Rams in St. Louis. The 4:00 PM ET window opens with a trip to our neighbors to the north as they Bills host Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in Toronto. Also, Calvin Johnson and the Lions battle the Cardinals in Arizona while the Chargers host Cam Newton and the Panthers in San Diego.

Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with America’s No. 1 pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY. Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee co-host the Emmy Award-winning program and are joined by analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson. NFL Insider Jay Glazer breaks the latest league news and scoops from the FOX NFL SUNDAY studio while NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira discusses the previous week’s important impactful calls and points of emphasis in officiating. Comedic prognosticator Rob Riggle provides his weekly picks segment.

In a sit-down interview airing on FOX NFL SUNDAY, Erin Andrews talks with Falcons QB Matt Ryan, TE Tony Gonzalez and head coach Mike Smith about their first game against the Giants since New York knocked them out of the playoffs last year. In a special presentation of BEING: C.J. Spiller—the Buffalo Bills running back gives a behind-the-scenes look at his trip to Canada where the Bills play the Seahawks.

For instant updates during the week and games from the entire NFL on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NFLONFOX. Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports.

New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons — Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston & on-field analyst Tony Siragusa, going to 40% of USA, 1:00 PM
Georgia Dome – Atlanta, GA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Boston, Dallas, Hartford, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, San Antonio, San Diego, West Palm Beach

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears — Joe Buck, Troy Aikman & Pam Oliver, going to 21% of USA, 1:00PM
Soldier Field – Chicago, IL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco

Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns — Ron Pitts, Mike Martz & Krista Voda, going to 7% of USA, 1:00PM
Cleveland Browns Stadium – Cleveland, OH
MARKETS INCLUDE: Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Norfolk, Richmond, Washington

Tampa Bay Bucs at New Orleans Saints — Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Laura Okmin, going to 6% of USA, 1:00PM
Louisiana Superdome – New Orleans, LA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Fort Myers, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams — Gus Johnson, Charles Davis & Kristina Pink, going to 6% of USA, 1:00PM
Edward Jones Dome – St. Louis, MO
MARKETS INCLUDE: Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Tulsa

Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills — Dick Stockton, John Lynch & Jennifer Hale, going to 9% of USA, 4:05PM
Rogers Centre – Toronto, ON, CAN
MARKETS INCLUDE: Baltimore, Buffalo, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Portland, Seattle

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals — Chris Myers, Tim Ryan & Jaime Maggio, going to 5% of USA, 4:05PM
University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, AZ
MARKETS INCLUDE: Detroit, Phoenix

Carolina Panthers at San Diego Chargers — Sam Rosen, Heath Evans & Jill Savage, going to 5% of USA, 4:05PM
QUALCOMM Stadium – San Diego, CA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh

AIKMAN ON BEARS: “OFFENSIVE GAME PLAN NEEDS TO BE MORE THAN BRANDON MARSHALL” – The Bears have been a roller coaster in the NFC North with the latest drop coming in the form of losing four of the last five games and losing ground in the playoffs. NFL on FOX’s lead analyst Troy Aikman calls an important game for the Bears against the Packers this Sunday and thinks even though the Bears’ defense has been getting a lot of heat for their recent slide, the offensive game plan is what needs to get adjusted. “The Bears go as their defense goes. If their defense isn’t dominating, then they have a hard time winning games. The defense has given up more yardage running the ball in the last few weeks but it’s still awfully good and the Bears wouldn’t be 8-5 right now without them. Offensively, they need more. Their game plan is to get it to Brandon Marshall but the complimentary players need to do more and that isn’t happening. The Bears are good enough on the defensive side to win a championship, the question is, can they improve enough offensively?”

PEREIRA: DON’T LOSE SLEEP OVER KICKOFF GOING AWAY– NFL on FOX rules analyst and former VP of NFL officiating Mike Pereira joined Colin Cowherd’s radio program yesterday to discuss the possibility of the NFL abolishing the kickoff. “Don’t lose sleep over this. I think the committee will give it about 30 seconds of consideration and then move on to other issues. Prior to the 2011 NFL season, they made two tweaks, one moved the kickoff line from the 30 back to the 35 and they didn’t let the kickoff team get a running start and the results, by their own admission, was a reduction in concussions of over 40%,” said Pereira. If they want to reduce concussions even more, Pereira believes there are additional tweaks they could make without eliminating the kickoff completely. “You could make the receiving team lineup more players between the 45 and the 50 so they can’t be back at the 20 and get a running start up-field. They’d have to go back and setup to block. There are other things you could try. If you’re going to eliminate the kickoff then you might as well eliminate the pass across the middle. You can’t change the fabric of the game like elimination of the kickoff would.”