We give you the preview from NFL Network for Thursday Night Football which pits the hapless Cincinnati Bengals against the New York Jets. NFL Network has provided its particulars plus the features you’ll see on Thursday Night Kickoff. Take a look.
THANKSGIVING SPECIAL THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL – NOVEMBER 25, 8:00 PM ETCINCINNATI BENGALS AT NEW YORK JETS ON NFL NETWORKDeion Sanders Sit Down Interview with New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan&Profile on Cincinnati Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer on Thursday Night Kickoff Pregame Show at 7:00 PM ET“Your Weekend Starts Here”NOTABLE & QUOTABLE…
- “The overtime wins and last second victories by the Jets are impressive. They show a maturity with this team that you didn’t see last year. In the last few games, when it’s come down to the wire, they’ve had to throw the ball to win and have been successful.” – Thursday Night Kickoff analyst STEVE MARIUCCI on the New York Jets
- “You hope that being on a nationally televised stage on Thanksgiving can provide a spark for the Bengals, but finding chemistry among the offense has really proven to be their biggest challenge.” – MARIUCCI on the 2-8 Cincinnati Bengals
- “The Jets are one of the most balanced teams, both offensively and defensively, in the game today. Mark Sanchez is progressing into one of the NFL’s most prolific passers and all the pieces that they brought in the offseason are beginning to pay dividends in big ways.” – Thursday Night Kickoff analyst DEION SANDERS on the New York Jets, who are tied for the best record in the NFL
- “Offensively, they are just not where they need to be and it starts with the quarterback position. Their defense can only hold for so long.” – SANDERS on the Cincinnati Bengals
- NFL Network analyst DEION SANDERS sits down for an interview with New York Jets head coach REX RYAN, who coached Sanders as defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens, during the Thursday Night Kickoff pregame show at 7:00 PM ET on NFL Network.
- Profile on Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who lost his wife to cancer last year, on the pregame show.
CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-8) AT NEW YORK JETS (8-2)
ANNOUNCERSBob Papa (play-by-play), Matt Millen and Joe Theismann (game analysts); Alex Flanagan (sideline)
PREGAME (6:00 PM ET)Thursday Night KickoffIn East Rutherford: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson (on-site reporter); In Los Angeles: Fran Charles, Kurt Warner, Sterling Sharpe, Jason La Canfora
PRE-KICK (8:00 PM ET)Pre-Kick ShowBob Papa, Matt Millen, Joe Theismann, Alex Flanagan, Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Kara Henderson
HALFTIMEHalftime ShowRich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson, Alex Flanagan
POSTGAMEPostgame ShowRich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson, Alex FlanaganNFL Total Access Postgame ShowFran Charles, Jamie Dukes, Rod Woodson
WHERE TO WATCHDirecTV – Channel 212 (SD/HD), DISH Network – 154 (SD/HD)Verizon – Channel 88 (SD) 588 (HD), AT&T U-Verse – 630 (SD) 1630 (HD)Check your local cable listingsNFL.com LIVE – live “look-ins” at select moments of gameNFL Mobile Live on Verizon Wireless
LOCAL OTA SIMULCAST*Cincinnati: CBS Ch. 12 (WKRC)/New York: Independent Ch. 11 (WPIX)
Thursday Night FootballFollowing a record-setting opening night of Thursday Night Football on NFL Network two weeks ago, last week’s game between the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins was the most watched show on cable, drawing an average of 5.4 million viewers (not including over-the-air stations in Chicago and Miami). The game topped all entertainment and sports competition including UCLA-Washington college football on ESPN (2.1 million viewers), and Suns-Magic (1.2 million viewers) and Nuggets-Trail Blazers (1.1 million viewers) on TNT. Bears-Dolphins cable viewership posted an 80 percent increase over last year’s comparable Thursday Night Football game (Dolphins-Panthers, 11/19/09).This week, the Cincinnati Bengals (2-8) travel to take on the New York Jets (8-2) in a Thanksgiving special edition of Thursday Night Football on NFL Network. Former USC quarterbacks CARSON PALMER and MARK SANCHEZ will meet again in a re-match of last year’s AFC Wild Card playoff game, which resulted in a 24-14 Jets win. This is the third time overall that the two quarterbacks have faced each other, with Sanchez holding a perfect 2-0 record against Palmer.This season marks the debut of new game analyst JOE THEISMANN, who returns to the broadcast booth after a successful stint with ESPN from 1988 – 2006. Alongside Theismann in the booth will be BOB PAPA, who returns for his third year as the play-by-play announcer for NFL Network, and second-year game analyst MATT MILLEN. ALEX FLANAGAN enters her first season as a sideline reporter on Thursday Night Football, and her fifth season with NFL Network. Additional newcomers include producer ED FEIBISCHOFF and director ARTIE KEMPER.RICH EISEN hosts NFL Network’s Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears from the stadium. Eisen, a two-time Sports Emmy nominee in the Studio Host category, is joined by fellow Sports Emmy nominee STEVE MARIUCCI, a former NFL head coach with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions who also served as Brett Favre’s quarterback coach in Green Bay; MARSHALL FAULK, who won a Super Bowl XXXIV ring with the Rams, earned 2000 NFL MVP honors and three Offensive Player of the Year awards (1999-2001) and has been selected to seven Pro Bowls; and DEION SANDERS, a two-time Super Bowl winner who was 1994 Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time Pro Bowler who holds the NFL record with 19 career return touchdowns. Coverage also includes on-site reports from Flanagan and KARA HENDERSON, who begins her eighth season with NFL Network.Additional coverage will be provided from NFL Network studios in Los Angeles with host FRAN CHARLES and analysts KURT WARNER, a two-time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl MVP quarterback; and STERLING SHARPE, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a 16-year veteran NFL broadcaster. NFL Network insider JASON LA CANFORA will also provide the latest updates.NFL.com LIVE at 8:00 PM ET features live programming including live “look-ins” of Thursday Night Football, game highlights and instant analysis from NFL Network talent. From the NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, PAUL BURMEISTER, JAMIE DUKES, BUCKY BROOKS and MIKE MAYOCK provide expert analysis, commentary and fantasy information with contributions from Faulk, Mariucci and Sanders. Henderson and STEVE WYCHE will provide live reports from the stadium, while Mayock will return for a second season with ‘Instant Playbook’ from the NFL Films studios exclusively for NFL.com/LIVE: Thursday Night Football, which provides instant X & O analysis of key plays right after they happen.Following the game at 12:00 AM ET, NFL Network analyst ROD WOODSON will join Charles and Dukes for a postgame edition of NFL Total Access Live.
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