NBC Sunday Night Football: Difference between revisions

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{{About|broadcasts of National Football League games broadcast since 2006 on Sundays|games broadcast before 2006|ESPN Sunday Night Football|games not broadcast on ESPN prior to 2006|TNT Sunday Night Football|other uses|Sunday Night Football (disambiguation){{!}}Sunday Night Football|games broadcast by ESPN after 2006|Monday Night Football}}{{short description|American television series}}
{{infobox television | show_name = NBC Sunday Night Football
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2013}}
| image = [[Image:Sunday night football.jpg|275px|NBC Sunday Night Football logo]] |
{{Infobox television
| format = [[Sports]] |
| image = New Sunday Night Football Logo.png
| runtime = 180 minutes+<br><small>''until the conclusion of the game''</small> |
| caption = Current SNF logo, in use since 2022
| starring = [[John Madden (football)|John Madden]]<br /> [[Al Michaels]]<br />[[Andrea Kremer]]<br /> [[Bob Costas]] <br /> [[Keith Olbermann]] <br /> [[Cris Collinsworth]]
| alt_name = ''Sunday Night Football on NBC''<br />''SNF''
| country = [[United States of America|USA]] |
| genre = [[National Football League on United States television|American football telecasts]]
| network = [[NBC Sports|NBC]] |
| creator =
| picture_format = [[480i]] ([[SDTV]]), <br> [[1080i]] ([[HDTV]])
| director = [[Drew Esocoff]]
| first_aired = [[August 6]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]] |
| presenter = '''Commentators:'''<br>[[Mike Tirico]]<br>[[Cris Collinsworth]]<br>[[Noah Eagle]] (select games)<br>[[Todd Blackledge]] (select games)<br>[[Jason Garrett]] (select games)<br>'''Reporters:'''<br>[[Melissa Stark]]<br>[[Kathryn Tappen]] (select games)<br>[[Kaylee Hartung]] (select games)<br>'''Rules analyst:'''<br>[[Terry McAulay]]<br>'''Spanish commentators:'''<br> Miguel Gurwitz <br>
| last_aired = present
[[Rolando Cantú]]
| website = http://www.snfonnbc.com/ |
| theme_music_composer = [[John Williams]] (2006–2011) & Joel Beckerman ([[Super Bowl XLVI]]–present) {{small|(main theme)}}
| opentheme = "[[I Hate Myself for Loving You|Waiting All Day for Sunday Night]]" by [[Carrie Underwood]]
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 17+
| num_episodes = 307+ <!-- as of January 16, 2021 -->([[NBC Sunday Night Football results|list of episodes]])
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer = Fred Gaudelli
| producer = Rob Hyland
| location = [[List of current National Football League stadiums|Various NFL stadiums]] {{small|(game telecasts and Super Bowl pre-game shows)}}<br>'''Pre-game show:'''<br>NBC Sports Headquarters, [[Stamford, Connecticut]]
| editor =
| camera = [[Multiple-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime = 210 minutes or until game ends {{small|(inc. adverts)}}
| company = [[National Football League]]<br>[[NBC Sports]]
| network = [[NBC]]<br>[[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]]<br>[[Telemundo]] or [[Universo (TV channel)|Universo]] (Spanish audio/broadcast)
| first_aired = {{Start date|2006|8|6}}
| last_aired = present
| related = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football]]''
* ''[[NBC Sunday Night Movie]]''
* ''[[NFL on NBC]]''
* ''[[Football Night in America]]''
}}
}}
}}
'''''NBC Sunday Night Football''''' (abbreviated as '''''SNF''''') is an American weekly television broadcast of [[National Football League]] (NFL) games on [[NBC]] and [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]] in the United States. It began airing on August 6, 2006, with the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcsports.com/our-history#decade_8|title="Sunday Night Football" Debuts|website=NBC Sports History Page|access-date=August 6, 2017|archive-date=August 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806140431/http://www.nbcsports.com/our-history#decade_8|url-status=dead}}</ref> which opened that year's preseason. NBC took over the rights to the Sunday [[prime time]] game telecasts from [[ESPN]], which carried [[ESPN Sunday Night Football|the broadcasts]] from [[1987 NFL season|1987]] to [[2005 NFL season|2005]]. At the same time, ESPN began broadcasting ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' when it was dropped from sister network [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. Previously, NBC had aired [[American Football League]] (AFL), and later [[American Football Conference]] (AFC), games from [[1965 AFL season|1965]] until [[1997 NFL season|1997]], when [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] took over those rights.


During the [[2011–12 United States network television schedule|2011–12 season]], ''Sunday Night Football'' became the first sports program to hold the position as [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]]'s [[List of most watched television broadcasts|most-watched program on U.S. network television]] during the year,<ref>{{cite web|title=Full 2011–2012 TV Season Series Rankings|url=https://www.deadline.com/2012/05/full-2011-2012-tv-season-series-rankings/|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=May 24, 2012|access-date=May 25, 2012}}</ref> beating ''[[American Idol]]'', which held that honor for eight consecutive seasons beginning in 2004;<ref>{{cite web|title=TV's most watched shows of the 2011–2012 season|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tvs-most-watched-shows-of-the-2011-2012-season/2012/05/23/gJQAM3sMlU_gallery.html#photo=1|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 23, 2012|access-date=February 2, 2013}}</ref> ''Sunday Night Football'' repeated this feat three years running, beginning with the [[2013–14 United States network television schedule|2013–14 season]].
'''''NBC Sunday Night Football''''' is a weekly [[television]] broadcast of Sunday evening [[National Football League]] games on [[NBC Sports|NBC]] that began airing on Sunday, [[August 6]], [[2006]] with the pre-season opening [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game|Hall of Fame Game]]. [[Al Michaels]] serves as the [[play-by-play]] announcer, with [[John Madden (football)|John Madden]] and [[Andrea Kremer]] serving as the sole sideline reporter. Fred Gaudelli and Drew Esocoff, the lead producer and director respectively, carry over their duties from [[ABC Sports|ABC]]'s telecasts of ''[[Monday Night Football]]''.


Upon NBC's assumption of the Sunday prime time game rights, [[Al Michaels]], [[John Madden]], Fred Gaudelli, and Drew Esocoff, who served as the respective play-by-play announcer, color commentator, lead producer, and director, joined ''SNF'' in the same positions they held during the latter portion of the ABC era of ''Monday Night Football''. Madden retired prior to the [[2009 NFL season|2009 season]],<ref name="madden_retires">{{cite news|title=John Madden retires from broadcasting|url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30246064/|work=NBC Sports|date=April 16, 2009|access-date=April 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417155757/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30246064/|archive-date=April 17, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> and was succeeded in that role by Collinsworth. Tirico succeeded Michaels following [[Super Bowl LVI]] in February 2022.
[[ESPN Sunday Night Football|ESPN]], which aired Sunday games from the [[1987 NFL season|1987]] through [[2005 NFL season|2005]] NFL seasons, took over ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' from sister network ABC; ESPN aired a doubleheader broadcast on [[September 11]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]] and on [[September 10]], [[2007 NFL season|2007]], and will do so again on [[September 8]], [[2008 NFL season|2008]].

Since 2014, sister cable channel [[Universo (TV network)|Universo]] has carried [[Spanish language|Spanish-language]] simulcasts of select games, after years of aborted attempts to simulcast the games on [[Telemundo]]. As with the NFL's other television partners, NBC provides Spanish-language audio feed of the game broadcasts via [[second audio program]] (SAP), formerly noted as being "provided by Telemundo" before the rebranding of that entity's sports division to [[Telemundo Deportes]]. With the former mun2's relaunch on February 1, 2015, Universo began to carry the full season with the start of the 2015 season and simulcast [[Super Bowl XLIX]], the channel carrying Spanish-language simulcasts of NFL games and [[NBC Sports]] properties. Telemundo would later carry Spanish language broadcasts of select games, beginning in 2021, with an NFL Super Wild Card game. Telemundo also broadcast [[Super Bowl LVI]] in 2022.


==Studio show==
==Studio show==
{{details|Football Night in America}}
{{Main|Football Night in America}}
The studio show ''[[Football Night in America]]'', featuring [[Bob Costas]], [[Keith Olbermann]], [[Dan Patrick]], [[Cris Collinsworth]], [[Tiki Barber]], [[Jerome Bettis]], and [[Peter King (sportswriter)|Peter King]] precedes the broadcast each week, featuring a recap of the other Sunday NFL contests. Kremer, Madden, and Michaels also contribute to the studio show from the game site.


NBC's broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time with its [[Football Night in America|pre-game show]], which runs until kickoff (which usually occurs around 8:20&nbsp;p.m. Eastern). The show serves the same purpose as ''[[NFL Primetime]]'' did for ESPN, offering recaps of the early action as well as a preview of the game to come. The show emanates from the NBC Sports studios in Connecticut as well as at the game site. [[Maria Taylor (sportscaster)|Maria Taylor]], [[Chris Simms]], [[Jason Garrett]], [[Devin McCourty]], [[Mike Florio]], and [[Matthew Berry]] broadcast from the studio while [[Jac Collinsworth]], [[Tony Dungy]], and [[Rodney Harrison]] report from the game. Tirico, Collinsworth, and Stark will also appear.
==Contract==
NBC's contract also includes the season-opening Thursday night [[NFL Kickoff Game]] and two Saturday games in the [[Wild card (sports)#National Football League|Wild Card round]] of the playoffs. The network will also air two [[Super Bowl]] games during the six years of the deal, following the 2008 ([[Super Bowl XLIII]]) and 2011 (Super Bowl XLVI) seasons, and two [[Pro Bowl]] games the week following their Super Bowl telecasts as part of a new contractual policy in which the network with the Super Bowl will air the Pro Bowl.


In 2021, a post-game show began airing on NBC's [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]] streaming service under the name ''Peacock Sunday Night Football Final''.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2021/09/08/sunday-night-football-nfl-peacock-streaming-show-nbc/5759520001/ NBC Sports adds new NFL streaming show after 'Sunday Night Football' to air on Peacock] - Scooby Axson, USA Today, 8 September 2021</ref> Originally hosted by [[Kathryn Tappen]] and Simms, it is currently hosted by Jac Collinsworth, Dungy, and Harrison.
In addition, NBC is the current home of the annual [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]], which begins the NFL's preseason each August. However, the 2007 game aired on the [[NFL Network]] because the league had planned to stage the [[China Bowl]] just a few days later, to be televised by NBC as a tie-in to its coverage of the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in that country. The China Bowl has since been postponed until [[2009]]. Normally, there are two other pre-season telecasts on NBC; however, because of the Beijing Olympics, only two were shown in 2008. The second, on [[August 28]] shortly after the [[2008 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony|closing ceremonies]], started at an early time of 7 p.m. ET so as not to interfere with [[Barack Obama]]'s acceptance speech at the [[2008 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]]. (It is interesting to note that, usually, there are no national telecasts of pre-season games in the final weekend, which usually just precedes [[Labor Day]].)


==Contract==
During Wild Card Saturday, [[Tom Hammond]] (play-by-play), [[Cris Collinsworth]] (color commentator), and [[Bob Neumeier]] (sideline reporter) call the afternoon game for NBC, with the regular ''SNF'' crew handling the evening game. In addition, due to John Madden's fear of flight, Cris Collinsworth commentates the Pro Bowl in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]]. Madden has stated he would only travel to Hawaii if he had to commentate a Super Bowl there (likely on an NBC charter flight or on General Electric's larger corporate jet; it is mentioned in his book ''One Size Doesn't Fit All,'' that his fear was based on commercial flights and not charter or private planes; he never had a problem flying on charter flights when coaching the Oakland Raiders, as was mentioned in the said book).
The network's current{{As of?|date=December 2023}} NFL contract includes the rights to the season-opening Thursday night [[NFL Kickoff Game]], another game played on Thanksgiving Night, and three [[NFL playoffs|playoff]] games, two in the [[Wild card (sports)#National Football League|Super Wild Card round]] and one in the Divisional Playoffs. Under the initial 6-year deal, the network was also awarded the rights to two [[Super Bowl]] games, following the 2008 ([[Super Bowl XLIII]]) and 2011 ([[Super Bowl XLVI]]) seasons, and the [[Pro Bowl]] games in the years which NBC was slated to air the Super Bowl and two more Pro Bowls in 2013 and 2014. Beginning in 2012, through an extension to the contract that runs through 2022, NBC also gained the rights to air a primetime [[NFL on Thanksgiving Day|Thanksgiving game]] (which had previously been part of [[NFL Network]]'s ''[[Thursday Night Football]]'' package), one divisional playoff game in lieu of a Wild Card game in the postseason, and the rights to Super Bowls held in 2015 ([[Super Bowl XLIX]]), 2018 ([[Super Bowl LII]]), and 2022 ([[Super Bowl LVI]]). However, the Pro Bowl is not excluded in the new contract as ESPN was set to gain exclusive rights to the game in 2015, with NBC's broadcast of the [[2014 Pro Bowl]] being the final time the game would air on broadcast television prior to [[Disney–ABC Television Group|ABC]]'s simulcast with [[ESPN]] on the [[2018 Pro Bowl|2018 edition]]. NBC regained rights to air two Super Wild Card games, beginning with the 2020–21 postseason. The Sunday Night game also aired on [[Telemundo]], NBC's Spanish network, and was able to be streamed on NBCUniversal's streaming service [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]]. On March 18, 2021, a new television deal with the NFL was reached with [[NFL on CBS|CBS]], [[Fox NFL|Fox]], NBC, and [[Monday Night Football|ESPN/ABC]]. The new deal allows NBC to retain its NFL rights with a continuation of Sunday Night Football, including the Kickoff Game and the annual Thanksgiving Night game, expanded streaming rights for Peacock, which includes an additional game for the first 6 seasons of the new deal. NBC also gained three more Super Bowls, which air in 2026 (for [[Super Bowl LX]]), 2030 (for [[Super Bowl LXIV]]), and 2034 (for [[Super Bowl LXVIII]]), all in Winter Olympic years. The new deal will run through 2033.


NBC is the current{{As of?|date=December 2023}} home of the annual [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]], which begins the NFL's preseason each August. Usually the game is aired on the Sunday after the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony the night before. In 2017, the game was moved to the Thursday before the Induction Ceremony, which made the game the official start of Hall of Fame Weekend. Due to NBC's broadcast commitments to the [[Summer Olympics]], every four years the game is moved to either the [[NFL Network]] or in 2021, [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]]. One preseason game (the Hall of Fame game). But only one preseason game was shown in 2021. The Thursday night season opener was retained as part of the new contract that began in 2014. The Thursday Night season opener and the Thanksgiving Night Game will be retained as part of the new contract beginning in 2023.
*Note: For more information on Wild Card Saturday on NBC, see ''[[Football Night in America]]''.

From 2006 until 2013, NBC's contract included the rights to both Saturday wild card playoff games that had been previously aired by ABC as part of its ''Monday Night Football'' contract. [[Tom Hammond]] provided play-by-play for the early game until 2012, with [[Dan Hicks (sportscaster)|Dan Hicks]] taking the position in 2013. Cris Collinsworth was the initial color commentator for these broadcasts, doing so until 2008 when he replaced John Madden as lead analyst in 2009. [[Mike Mayock]], NBC's [[Notre Dame Football on NBC|Notre Dame]] color commentator until 2012, took over as color commentator in 2013. In 2020, NBC gained rights to the Saturday and Sunday night Super Wild Card games, with one of those games being called by the Notre Dame Football crew consisting of [[Mike Tirico]] (calling his first NFL playoff game since the 2015–16 postseason when he was at ESPN/ABC, and first at NBC), and [[Tony Dungy]] (calling his first ever NFL playoff game).


==Scheduling==
==Scheduling==
{{details|NBC Sunday Night Football results (2006-present)|each game's results and statistics}}
{{further|topic=each game's results and statistics|List of Sunday Night Football results (2006–present)}}
The first regular-season game to be shown by NBC under this contract, [[Miami Dolphins|Miami]] at [[Pittsburgh Steelers|Pittsburgh]], aired [[September 7]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]], followed by the first Sunday-night game&mdash;[[Indianapolis Colts|Indianapolis]] at the [[New York Giants]]&mdash;on [[September 10]], [[2006 NFL season|2006]]. The actual first game of the run&mdash;the 2006 [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]] between [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland]] and [[Philadelphia Eagles|Philadelphia]]&mdash;was televised on [[August 6]], [[2006]].


===Opening game===
''NBC Sunday Night Football'' is the beneficiary of [[NFL on television#Flexible-scheduling|the league's new flexible-scheduling system]]. For the final seven weeks of the season (seven of the final eight weeks during the 2006 season because of Christmas weekend), the NFL has the flexibility in selecting games to air on Sunday night. During the 2006 season, '''no''' game was initially scheduled for NBC in the affected weeks&mdash;instead, the schedule slot for the NBC game was left blank, with one Sunday afternoon game being moved to the primetime slot (the schedule for the affected weeks simply read 'one of these games will move to 8:15 Eastern'). [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] and [[NFL on FOX|FOX]] could each protect four of its games during Weeks 10-15 and also each protect one of its games for Week 17; however, these two networks had to decide which games to protect in early October 2006, after Week 4 of the NFL season.
The first regular season game to be shown by NBC under this contract, between the [[2006 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] and the [[2006 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]], aired on September 7, [[2006 NFL season|2006]], followed by the first Sunday-night game – between the [[2006 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts]] and [[2006 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] – on September 10, 2006. The actual first game of the run – the 2006 [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]] between the [[2006 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]] and [[2006 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] – was televised on August 6, 2006.


===Flexible scheduling===
In the 2006 season, there was no game played on the first Sunday night which overlapped with the [[2006 World Series|World Series]] ([[October 22]] in the [[2006 NFL season|2006 season]]), along with [[Christmas Eve]] night; NBC broadcast that week's game (Eagles at Cowboys) on [[Christmas]] afternoon instead. However, the broadcast of ''Football Night in America'' continued at its regular time on both occasions each Sunday, with a half-hour version of the program airing before the Christmas game and the two "Wild Card Saturday" games.
''NBC Sunday Night Football'' is the beneficiary of [[National Football League on United States television|the league's new flexible-scheduling system]]. Since the NFL now considers ''SNF'' to be its featured game of the week, for the final seven weeks of the season (seven of the final eight weeks during the 2006, [[2011 NFL season|2011]], [[2016 NFL season|2016]], [[2017 NFL season|2017]], [[2022 NFL season|2022]], and [[2023 NFL season|2023]] seasons because of [[Christmas]] weekend), the NFL has the flexibility in selecting games that are more intriguing and typically have playoff implications to air on Sunday night.


===Connections to other sports===
In 2007, there was no broadcast on NBC for Sunday, [[October 28]] due to Game 4 of the [[2007 World Series]]. Also, a tentative full-season schedule was unveiled, including games in the last seven weeks of the season. Those games could be replaced under flexible scheduling if the need arose. Three of the games in the last seven weeks were eventually replaced with more compelling matches. This resulted in the unprecedented situation--twice--of having a team playing consecutive Sunday nights. New England had consecutive Sunday nighters: the November 18 New England at Buffalo game was moved to prime time and was followed on November 25 by the already-scheduled Philadelphia at New England game. Likewise, the Washington Redskins played a scheduled game at the [[New York Giants]] on [[December 16]], and their December 23 game in [[Minnesota Vikings|Minnesota]] was moved to prime time. The same rules under which CBS and FOX protect games for their own packages still apply.
====World Series conflicts====
In its first four seasons of Sunday night coverage, NBC took one week off in late October or early November, so as not to conflict with [[Major League Baseball on Fox|Fox]]'s coverage of baseball's [[World Series]]. In 2006, NBC did not air a game on October 22, which was the scheduled date for Game 2 of the [[2006 World Series]], but a potential conflict still existed on October 29 had the series gone to a game seven (the conflict never arose, however, as the Cardinals won the World Series in five). With the change in World Series scheduling beginning in [[2007 World Series|2007]], NBC did not air an NFL game in order to avoid a conflict with Game 4 of the World Series, which is the first chance a team would have to clinch the series. In [[2007 NFL season|2007]], there was no game on October 28; in [[2008 NFL season|2008]], there was no game on October 26; and, in [[2009 NFL season|2009]], there was no game on November 1. Although no games aired on these nights, ''Football Night in America'' still aired as scheduled at 7:00&nbsp;p.m. Eastern.


NBC televised a game on October 31, [[2010 NFL season|2010]], and again on October 23, 2011, opposite Game 4 of the World Series on Fox in both cases. Both games featured the [[New Orleans Saints]] at home, first in [[2010 New Orleans Saints season|2010]] against the [[2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]], then in [[2011 New Orleans Saints season|2011]] against the [[2011 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts]]. [[New Orleans]] and [[Indianapolis]] do not have a [[Major League Baseball]] team, and the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] had poor seasonal performances in those recent years, at the time having not recorded a winning record since [[1992 Pittsburgh Pirates season|1992]]. However Indianapolis has a Minor League Triple AAA team that is affiliated with the Pirates, and New Orleans has a Triple AAA team affiliated with the [[Miami Marlins]].
The 2008 schedule, released [[April 15]], continued the current practice of a scheduled game possibly being moved in favor of a more compelling one during Weeks 11 through 16 (November 16 through December 21), but leaves the slot open on the final Sunday, December 28. The [[National Football League Kickoff game|NFL Kickoff Game]] between the [[Washington Redskins]] and [[Super Bowl XLII|defending Super Bowl champion]] [[New York Giants]] that was played on [[September 4]] started at 7:00 p.m. instead of the normal 8:30 p.m. time in order to avoid conflict with the nomination speech that [[John McCain]] gave at the [[2008 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]] that night.


Ratings have been mixed for these results, with the NFL winning the night in 2010 while MLB won in 2011. While the Saints won both games, the 2010 matchup featuring a [[Steeler Nation|major rating draw]] in the Steelers, combined with the 2011 matchup against the Colts being a 62–7 blowout while Game 4 of the [[2011 World Series]] between the [[2011 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] and [[2011 Texas Rangers season|Texas Rangers]] was a more closely contested game, causing the ratings to slip in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=World Series ratings top Saints-Colts|url=http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2011/story/_/id/7144416/game-4-world-series-beats-ratings-new-orleans-saints-indianapolis-colts|agency=[[Associated Press]]|work=[[ESPN|ESPN.com]]|date=October 24, 2011|access-date=October 3, 2012}}</ref>
===2008 schedule===
====Regular Season====
{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|<small>'''[[Overtime (sports)|Overtime Result]]'''
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|<small>'''Subject to change<br>([[NFL on television|Flexible scheduling]])'''
|}


In [[2012 NFL season|2012]], the NFL once again scheduled the [[2012 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] to play on ''SNF'' in late October, this time against the [[2012 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] at [[Sports Authority Field at Mile High]] on October 28 ([[Denver]] does have an MLB team, the [[Colorado Rockies]], that had limited success in recent seasons, though they did not contend for the [[National League West]] in [[2012 Colorado Rockies season|2012]]). The game wound up being scheduled opposite the fourth (and final) game of the [[2012 World Series]].
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"

For [[2013 NFL season|2013]], ''SNF'' aired the [[2013 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]]-[[2013 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] [[Packers–Vikings rivalry|rivalry]] game at the [[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]] on October 27, opposite Game 4 of the [[2013 World Series]]. Both the Packers and Vikings have a baseball team in their respective home states ([[Wisconsin]]'s [[Milwaukee Brewers]] and [[Minnesota]]'s [[Minnesota Twins|Twins]]), but the two Major League Baseball teams struggled in [[2013 Major League Baseball season|2013]].

The [[2014 NFL season|2014]] game, between the [[2014 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] and [[2014 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] in New Orleans, was scheduled against Game 5 of the [[2014 World Series]], which under the seven-game format would be played only if necessary (a split in the first two games between the [[2014 San Francisco Giants season|San Francisco Giants]] and [[2014 Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]] assured the series would need at least five games to determine a champion). Major League Baseball moved the start of the series to a Tuesday instead of Wednesday so it could avoid competing with the NFL on Thursday and Monday nights in addition to Sunday night.<ref name="ESPNWSOpener">{{cite news|title=World Series set to open Oct. 21|url=http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11510241/world-series-scheduled-open-tuesday-oct-21|agency=Associated Press|work=ESPN|date=September 11, 2014}}</ref>

In [[2015 NFL season|2015]], the NFL once again scheduled the [[2015 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] to play on ''SNF'', this time against the [[2015 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 1. Both the Packers and the Broncos entered the game undefeated at 6-0. However, the game wound up being scheduled opposite the fifth (and final) game of the [[2015 World Series]] between the [[2015 Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]] and the [[2015 New York Mets season|New York Mets]] that night. Both the Packers and the Broncos have a baseball team in their respective home states (Wisconsin's Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado's Colorado Rockies), but both of those MLB teams performed poorly [[2015 Major League Baseball season|that season]].

For 2016, ''SNF'' aired the [[2016 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]]-[[2016 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] [[Cowboys–Eagles rivalry|rivalry]] game at [[AT&T Stadium]] on October 30, opposite to Game 5 of the [[2016 World Series]] between the [[2016 Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland Indians]] and the [[2016 Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]]. Both the Eagles and the Cowboys have a baseball team in their respective home cities ([[Philadelphia]]'s [[Philadelphia Phillies|Phillies]] and [[Dallas]]'s [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]], the latter plays their home games at nearby [[Globe Life Park]] in [[Arlington, Texas]]). The [[2016 Philadelphia Phillies season|Phillies]] did not contend for the [[National League East]] in [[2016 Major League Baseball season|2016]], while the [[2016 Texas Rangers season|Rangers]] won the [[American League West]] title that season, but they lost in three games to the [[2016 Toronto Blue Jays season|Toronto Blue Jays]] in the [[2016 American League Division Series|ALDS]]; on the other hand, the [[Cleveland Browns]] and the [[Chicago Bears]], the NFL franchises of the participating World Series cities, were performing at the bottom of its respective divisions in recent years, with the Browns' issues dating back to the team's [[Cleveland Browns relocation controversy|return to the league in 1999]]. As for the two games that aired simultaneously on October 30, the Cubs beat the Indians, 3-2, to force a Game 6 of the World Series on November 1, while the Cowboys beat the Eagles, 29-23, in overtime.

In 2017, the NFL once again scheduled the [[2017 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] to play on ''SNF'', this time against the [[2017 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] on October 29. This game aired opposite Game 5 of the [[2017 World Series]] between the [[2017 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] and the [[2017 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]]. Both the Steelers and the Lions have a baseball team in their respective home cities ([[Pittsburgh]]'s [[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pirates]] and [[Detroit]]'s [[Detroit Tigers|Tigers]], the latter plays their home games at nearby [[Comerica Park]] in Detroit), but neither of their baseball counterparts did well [[2017 Major League Baseball season|that season]]; as for the NFL franchises of the participating World Series cities, the [[2017 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] (who moved back to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016) were in contention for the [[NFC West]] through Week 8 of the 2017 season (meanwhile, Los Angeles' other team, the [[2017 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]], who moved from San Diego in 2017, were struggling at that same point of the season) while the [[2017 Houston Texans season|Houston Texans]], who had reached the playoffs the previous two seasons, also struggled. As for the two games that aired simultaneously on October 29, the Steelers beat the Lions, 20-15, while in Game 5 of the World Series, the Astros beat the Dodgers, 13-12, in 10 innings, however, [[Houston Astros sign stealing scandal|the win was brought under heavy scrutiny after it was discovered the Astros used whistles to tip off hitters of what pitch was coming during the game, as well as using trash cans during the season.]]

In [[2018 NFL season|2018]], for the fifth time, the NFL scheduled the [[2018 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] to play on the ''Sunday Night'' World Series competition game, this time, against the [[2018 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]], in a rematch of the [[Minneapolis Miracle]] game. However this game wound up being scheduled opposite the fifth (and final) game of the [[2018 World Series]], between the [[2018 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] season and the [[2018 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]] that night. The city of Minneapolis does have an MLB team, however, the Minnesota Twins failed to qualify for the postseason in [[2018 Major League Baseball season|2018]]. As for the city of New Orleans, they do not have an MLB team. As for the teams that are playing, the Red Sox, put up the best record in MLB, while the city's football team, the [[2018 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]], were riding a 5–2 record through 7 games. The Dodgers meanwhile clinched the National League pennant for the second consecutive year, as for the city's two teams, the [[2018 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] were at the time, the last undefeated team in the NFL at 7-0, while the [[2018 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]] started 5-2 and were half a game back with the arch-rival [[2018 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] in the AFC West race (the Chiefs won the AFC West title that season before losing to the eventual [[Super Bowl LIII]] champion Patriots in the AFC Championship Game). The Rams would go on to [[2018 NFC Championship Game|controversially]] win the NFC Championship Game against the Saints in overtime, but then lose to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.

In [[2019 NFL season|2019]], for the fourth time, the NFL scheduled the [[2019 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] to play on the ''Sunday Night Football''–World Series competition game, this time against the [[2019 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]], in a rematch of [[Super Bowl I]]. This game aired opposite Game 5 of the [[2019 World Series]] between the [[2019 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]] and the [[2019 Washington Nationals season|Washington Nationals]]. Both the Packers and the Chiefs have a baseball team in their respective home states (Wisconsin's Milwaukee Brewers made the postseason but lost to the eventual World Series Champion Nationals in the NL Wild Card Game, and Missouri's Kansas City Royals, failed to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season). As for the two games that aired simultaneously on October 27, the Packers beat the Chiefs, 31–24, while in Game 5 of the World Series (of which the series itself was tied at 2–2), the Astros beat the Nationals, 7–1 heading into Game 6 of the World Series on October 29.

In [[2020 NFL season|2020]], for the first time, the NFL flexed a game that was scheduled against the Fall Classic. The league flexed the [[2020 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]]-[[2020 Arizona Cardinals season|Arizona Cardinals]] game to the ''Sunday Night Football''–World Series competition game, in place of the originally scheduled [[2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] versus [[2020 Las Vegas Raiders season|Las Vegas Raiders]] game which was flexed out due to the Raiders having a [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] outbreak. This game aired opposite Game 5 of the [[2020 World Series]] between the [[2020 Tampa Bay Rays season|Tampa Bay Rays]] and the [[2020 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]]. Las Vegas does not have an MLB team, while Arizona, Seattle, and Tampa Bay all have teams. As for those two games the Cardinals came from behind to beat Seattle 37–34 in overtime, while in Game 5 of the World Series (of which the series itself was tied at 2–2), the Dodgers beat the Rays, 4–2. Two days later, the Dodgers won again by a score of 3–1, giving the franchise its first championship since [[1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1988]].

For the [[2021 NFL season|2021 season]], the NFL scheduled the [[2021 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]]-[[2021 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] game as the ''Sunday Night Football'' World Series competition game. This was the first time since 2016 and 2018 respectively that both teams played on SNF against the Fall Classic. This game aired opposite Game 5 of the [[2021 World Series]] between the [[2021 Atlanta Braves season|Atlanta Braves]] and the [[2021 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]]. While Dallas and Minnesota have MLB teams in their respective home states, both the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins performed poorly that season. The Astros won that game, 9-5, to stay alive in the series, but lost two days later as the Braves won their first title since [[1995 Atlanta Braves season|1995]].

In the [[2022 NFL season|2022 season]], for the first time since 2009, there was not one occurrence in which both an ''SNF'' game and a World Series game occurred on the same day, but the first time in which only the NFL games were played. Originally, the NFL had scheduled the [[2022 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]]-[[2022 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]] game as the competing contest, to be played on October 30; however, with Major League Baseball starting the World Series on October 28, and in part due to the [[2021-22 Major League Baseball lockout|lockout]] before the season and the expansion of the postseason to 12 teams (which includes a best of three wild card series), that day became a travel day. The [[2022 World Series]] between the [[2022 Philadelphia Phillies season|Philadelphia Phillies]] and the [[2022 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]] began on a Friday instead of Tuesday, as in past years. Since [[Minute Maid Park]], the venue at which the series began, has a [[retractable roof]], as expected neither of the first two games were postponed. However, Game 3 (the first game after the series shifted to Philadelphia) was postponed on October 31; at that time, MLB announced that all remaining games would be played one day later than scheduled. This created a possible conflict between Game 7 and the November 6 contest between the [[2022 Tennessee Titans|Tennessee Titans]] and the [[2022 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]]. But this was averted when, on November 3, the Astros defeated the Phillies 4-1 to win the title, their second in six seasons with the other being in the [[Houston Astros sign stealing scandal|infamous]] [[2017 Houston Astros season|2017 season]]. (Ironically this clashed with a [[Thursday Night Football]] game between the NFL franchises where the Astros and the Phillies are located). The closest MLB team to the Packers is the [[Milwaukee Brewers]], in a market officially shared with them, while the Bills' closest MLB neighbors are the [[Toronto Blue Jays]]. The latter two cities are interconnected in both sports; the [[2020 Toronto Blue Jays season|2020]] and [[2021 Toronto Blue Jays season|2021]] teams played some home games in Buffalo due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the Bills once played [[Bills Toronto Series|select home games]] at [[Rogers Centre]] in [[Toronto]]. Tennessee doesn't have a neighboring MLB team, while the [[2022 Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]], the neighboring MLB team in Kansas City, had a non-winning record for the seventh season in a row in 2022, covering every season since its last World Series title in [[2015 Kansas City Royals season|2015]].

For 2023, Major League Baseball announced that it would not schedule a World Series game against SNF for the second straight season, barring any game postponements due to inclement weather, which did not occur.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Jon |date=2023-08-08 |title=News: ESPN sportsbook, MLB playoffs, Pac-12 and more |url=https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/08/espn-sportsbook-launching-fall-penn-world-series-no-sunday-games-pac-12-nba/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Sports Media Watch |language=en-US}}</ref>

====With NASCAR====
On October 23, 2022, for the first time, NBC showed a [[NASCAR Cup Series]] race and an ''SNF'' game from the same [[metropolitan area]] on the same day. In a race that started at 2:30&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern time]], [[Kyle Larson]] won the [[2022 Dixie Vodka 400|Dixie Vodka 400]] at [[Homestead–Miami Speedway]]; then in a game that kicked off at 8:25 (a few minutes later than usual due to ceremonies honoring the [[1972 Miami Dolphins]], still the only NFL team to complete an undefeated season including playoffs), the [[2022 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] defeated the [[2022 Pittsburgh Steelers|Pittsburgh Steelers]], 16-10 at [[Hard Rock Stadium]]. Both venues are in [[Miami-Dade County, Florida]].

====With the NHL====
The ''SNF'' game on September 27, 2020, between the [[2020 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] and the [[2020 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] prompted the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) to schedule games 4 and 5 of the [[2020 Stanley Cup Finals]] on the previous two days back-to-back, as NBC was contractually required to air all potential series-clinchers over-the-air. This was the result of the NHL season being paused for over four months due to the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ice hockey|COVID-19 pandemic]] earlier, causing an atypical conflict between the sports.
The Packers and Saints do not have NHL teams in their market, while the 2 teams in the Stanley Cup Finals ([[Dallas Stars]]) and ([[Tampa Bay Lightning]]) do have NFL teams in their market ([[Dallas Cowboys]]) and ([[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]). The Cowboys missed the playoffs while the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl a few months later in February.

====With the NBA====
In the same 2020 NFL season, two games of the [[2020 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]], broadcast on [[NBA on ABC|ABC]], went up against ''SNF'' games: [[2020 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] versus [[2020 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] on October 4 (Game 3) and [[2020 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] versus [[2020 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] on October 11 (Game 6, which was also the clinching win for the [[2019–20 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]]). This was the result of the NBA season being [[suspension of the 2019-20 NBA season|suspended for more than four months]] due to the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basketball|COVID-19 pandemic]] earlier, causing an atypical conflict between the sports. The Eagles, 49ers, and Vikings have NBA teams in their markets ([[Philadelphia 76ers]]), ([[Golden State Warriors]]), and ([[Minnesota Timberwolves]]), but only the 76ers made the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round, the Warriors were prior western conference champions had the worst record in the league, and the Timberwolves had limited success. The Seahawks used to have an NBA team in their market ([[Seattle SuperSonics]]), but they relocated to [[Oklahoma City]] to become the [[Oklahoma City Thunder]].

===2000s===
====2006====
In the 2006 season, in addition to the World Series off-week, there was no game scheduled for [[Christmas Eve]] night; NBC broadcast that week's game ([[2006 Philadelphia Eagles season|Eagles]] at [[2006 Dallas Cowboys season|Cowboys]]) on [[National Football League Christmas games|Christmas]] afternoon instead. A half-hour version of ''Football Night in America'' aired before the Christmas game and the two "Wild Card Saturday" games. During the 2006 season, ''no'' game was initially scheduled for NBC in the affected weeks – instead, the schedule slot for the NBC game was left vacant, with one Sunday afternoon game being moved to the primetime slot (the schedule for the affected weeks simply read "one of these games will move to 8:15 Eastern"). [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] and [[NFL on Fox|Fox]] could each protect four of its games during Weeks 10 through 15 and also each protect one of its games for Week 17; however, these two networks had to decide which games to protect in early October 2006, after Week 4 of the NFL season.

====2007====
For the first time since NBC gained the rights to ''SNF'', a tentative full-season schedule was unveiled, including games in the last seven weeks of the season. Those games could be replaced under flexible scheduling if the need arose. The same rules under which CBS and Fox protect games for their own packages still apply.

Three of the games in the last seven weeks of the season were eventually replaced with more compelling matches. This resulted in the situation – twice – of having a team playing on consecutive Sunday nights. [[2007 New England Patriots season|New England]] had consecutive Sunday nighters: the November 18 New England at [[2007 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo]] game was moved to prime time and was followed on November 25 by the already-scheduled [[2007 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia]] at New England game. Likewise, the [[2007 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] played a scheduled game at the [[2007 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] on December 16, and their December 23 game in [[2007 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota]] was moved to prime time. For the last week of the season, the [[2007 Tennessee Titans season|Tennessee Titans]]–[[2007 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts]] game was moved, switching places with the [[2007 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]]–[[2007 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] game that was originally scheduled in the Sunday night slot; the Titans needed a win to secure the final [[American Football Conference|AFC]] playoff spot.

In addition, the annual preseason [[Pro Football Hall of Fame Game]] telecast was shifted to [[NFL Network]], in anticipation of NBC airing the [[China Bowl (NFL)|China Bowl]] contest from Beijing; however, the China Bowl was canceled.

====2008====
The 2008 schedule, released on April 15, continued the 2007 practice of a scheduled game possibly being moved in favor of a more compelling one during Weeks 11 through 16 (November 16 through December 21), but left the slot open on the final Sunday, December 28. The NFL Kickoff Game between the [[2008 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] and [[Super Bowl XLII|defending Super Bowl champion]] [[2008 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] that was played on September 4 started at 7 p.m. Eastern Time instead of the normal 8:30&nbsp;p.m. time in order to avoid conflict with the nomination speech that [[John McCain]] gave at the [[2008 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]] that night; the game ended at 10:01&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time, averting any conflict.

As had happened in 2007, a team played on consecutive Sunday nights due to a game being moved into the Sunday night time slot. The originally scheduled New York Giants-[[2008 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] game on December 14 was followed by a flexed December 21 home game for the Giants against the [[2008 Carolina Panthers season|Carolina Panthers]]; the Giants-Panthers game was flexed because it carried serious playoff implications, as the winner clinches the [[National Football Conference|NFC]]'s top seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. This was the second of three flexed games, with a December 7 inter-conference match-up between the [[2008 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]] and [[2008 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] displacing a [[2008 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] at [[2008 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] game. The league filled the open spot on December 28 with a game between the [[2008 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] and [[2008 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]] with major playoff implications, as the winner of that game would win the AFC West while the loser would be eliminated.

====2009====
The 2009 schedule, released on April 14, continued the 2007 and 2008 practice of scheduling a game every Sunday night during the season (except during the World Series) but declaring the games in Weeks 11 through 16 (November 22 through December 27) subject to change, should a more compelling matchup arise. The pattern of the 2007 and 2008 schedules was continued, as the slot for the final Sunday night of the season – January 3, 2010 – was left vacant. Two games were "flexed" in the 2009 season, as the [[2009 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]]–[[2009 Arizona Cardinals season|Arizona Cardinals]] game replaced the original December 6 matchup between the [[2009 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] and [[2009 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]].

To fill the vacant game slot for the last week of the season, NBC was given the matchup between the [[2009 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] and [[2009 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] that was originally scheduled for 4:15&nbsp;p.m. Eastern on CBS, with this game having playoff implications for both teams. For the Jets, a win would have put them in the playoffs, while the Bengals had the potential to improve their seeding for the playoffs with a victory. The Jets-Bengals game ended up being the last game played at [[Giants Stadium]] (the Jets could have hosted the AFC Championship Game, but the [[2009 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]] lost in the Divisional Round to the [[2009 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts]]).

===2010s===
====2010====
The 2010 schedule, released on April 20, placed a Sunday night game ([[2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] at [[2010 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]]) against a World Series game for the first time since the NBC Sunday night contract began. It also continued the previous practice of scheduling a Sunday night game during every week of the season and declaring the games in Weeks 11 through 16 (November 21 through December 26) as "flex games", meaning they reverted to Sunday afternoon if a more attractive matchup arose.

The Week 16 game, between the [[2010 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] and [[2010 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]], originally scheduled for December 26, was moved to December 28 due to a [[December 2010 North American blizzard|major blizzard]] that affected most of the [[Eastern United States]]. The NFL postponed the game after Philadelphia Mayor [[Michael Nutter]] declared a snow emergency for the city.<ref name=Blizzard>{{cite news|title=Vikings-Eagles moved to Tuesday night|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-viking-eagles&print=1|first=Rob|last=Maadi|agency=Associated Press|publisher=[[Yahoo! Sports]]|date=December 26, 2010|access-date=December 26, 2010|archive-date=December 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231144731/http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-viking-eagles&print=1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=VikingsEagles>{{cite web|title=Snow Postpones Eagles-Vikings Game to Tuesday Night|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/blogs/birds-nest/Eagles-Vikings-Snow-Postponed-112473594.html|first=Dan|last=Stamm|work=[[WCAU]]|publisher=[[NBC Owned Television Stations]]|date=December 26, 2010|access-date=December 26, 2010}}</ref> It was the 23rd NFL game to be played on a Tuesday, but the first since {{nfly|1946}}.<ref name=Blizzard/><ref name=VikingsEagles/> This was the only game, outside of the final Sunday night, to be "flexed" in the 2010 season; the original schedule called for the [[2010 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]] to play the [[2010 Cincinnati Bengals season|Bengals]] in [[Cincinnati]] (the game was moved to CBS and was indeed [[blackout (broadcasting)|blacked out]] in Cincinnati). Because of this, a full 90-minute edition of ''Football Night'' aired on December 26, with a short five-minute pre-game leading into the game on the 28th, while Faith Hill's introduction was not played due to time constraints before kickoff.

For the Week 17 matchup, NBC featured the 7–8 [[2010 St. Louis Rams season|St. Louis Rams]] playing the 6–9 [[2010 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] in a win-and-in game, where the winner of the game would qualify for the playoffs as the NFC West champion while the loser would be eliminated. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the St. Louis Rams by a score of 16–6, thus advancing to the playoffs whilst the Rams were eliminated from playoff contention.<ref name="2010RamsSeahawks">{{cite web|title=Rams-Seahawks Week 17 matchup to air in primetime|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81d3c688/article/ramsseahawks-week-17-matchup-to-air-in-primetime|publisher=National Football League|date=December 26, 2010|access-date=December 26, 2010}}</ref>

====2011====
The 2011 schedule, released on April 19, once again placed a Sunday night game ([[2011 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts]] at [[2011 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] on October 23, the fourth straight time these teams played each other on national television) opposite a World Series game. Sunday night games between November 13 and December 18 (inclusive) were "flex games", which could have reverted to Sunday afternoon if a more competitive matchup arose (one was; see below). The final Sunday night of the season – January 1, 2012 – was likewise a "flex game"; the slot, vacant when the schedule was released, was filled by the game between the [[2011 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] and the [[2011 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] (see below). The Hall of Fame Game scheduled for August 7, and to be shown on NBC, was canceled due to the [[2011 NFL lockout|lockout]] that offseason; it was the only game to be affected.

The NFL announced on November 8 that the Week 13 [[Colts–Patriots rivalry|rivalry]] game between the Indianapolis Colts and [[2011 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] was moved to 1 p.m. Eastern on CBS, while a replacement game would be announced by November 22.<ref>{{cite web|title=Colts, Patriots' Week 13 meeting no longer set for prime time|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d823e9978/article/colts-patriots-week-13-meeting-no-longer-set-for-prime-time|work=NFL.com|date=November 8, 2011|access-date=October 3, 2012}}</ref> This was due to the Colts struggling without their star quarterback [[Peyton Manning]] (without him, the Colts lost 62–7 to the [[New Orleans Saints]] in a Sunday night game on October 23). This also marked the first time the NFL announced that a Sunday night game was being moved to the afternoon without simultaneously announcing a replacement. On November 21, the matchup between the [[2011 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] and New Orleans Saints was flexed into the Sunday night slot.<ref name="Lions">{{cite web|title=NFL Flexes Week 13 Lions-Saints Game To Sunday Night|url=http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2011/11/21/2577971/nfl-schedule-flex-week-13-lions-saints?ref=yahoo|first=Sean|last=Yuille|publisher=Pride of Detroit|date=November 21, 2011|access-date=October 3, 2012}}</ref> As compensation to Fox because they only had two other games in the early time slot, the league gave them the [[2011 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]]–[[2011 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] game that was originally to air on CBS. This was the first time that the league moved an inter-conference telecast to the home team's Sunday afternoon regional broadcaster.<ref name="TitansFalconsColtsPatriots">{{cite web|title=NFL flexes Colts–Patriots out of SNF game|url=http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/11/08/nfl-flexes-colts-patriots-out-of-snf-game|work=ProFootballWeekly.com|date=November 8, 2011|access-date=December 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110061515/http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/11/08/nfl-flexes-colts-patriots-out-of-snf-game|archive-date=November 10, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=NFL announces Week 13 flex plan|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7265289/week-13-flex-detroit-lions-new-orleans-saints-now-night-denver-broncos-minnesota-vikings-fox|first=Adam|last=Schefter|work=ESPN|date=November 21, 2011}}</ref>

On November 14, the NFL decided to keep the Week 12 matchup between the [[2011 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] and [[2011 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] on November 27 in place after the league considered flexing it out for other matchups, particularly the [[AFC East]] showdown between the [[2011 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]] and the [[2011 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] and the interconference matchup between the [[2011 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] and the [[2011 Tennessee Titans season|Tennessee Titans]], due to the [[AFC West]] (of which the Chiefs are a member) being a weak division for 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Steelers/Chiefs to stay in prime time for Week 12|url=http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/11/14/steelerschiefs-to-stay-in-prime-time-for-week-12/|work=[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]]|date=November 14, 2011}}</ref>

On December 7, the NFL ended up keeping the Week 15 match-up between the [[2011 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]] and the [[2011 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]] on December 18, a decision that came a day late due to the NFL Committees meetings that took place on the day before. NBC wanted the game between the [[New England Patriots]] and the Denver Broncos as it featured a matchup between [[Tom Brady]] and [[Tim Tebow]], two players with high popularity. While CBS did not protect that game, the network was fighting to keep the game since they had lost the aforementioned Week 13 Broncos-Vikings game to Fox, denying the network the earlier chance to capitalize on Tebow's marketability.<ref>{{cite news|title=Patriots-Broncos stays put, without explanation |url=http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2011/12/08/patriots-broncos-stays-put-without-explanation/0vuQYe2ArzhjeBbIlxXOiO/story.html |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=December 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415015612/http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2011/12/08/patriots-broncos-stays-put-without-explanation/0vuQYe2ArzhjeBbIlxXOiO/story.html |archive-date=15 April 2012 }}</ref>

For the second consecutive season, and third overall, the last Sunday night game that was flexed in featured a contest in which the winner became the division champions and earned a home game in the playoffs while the loser was eliminated. This particular matchup was for the [[NFC East]] between the [[2011 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] and the [[2011 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] at [[MetLife Stadium]], a rematch of Week 14's Sunday night broadcast.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cowboys-Giants Week 17 showdown moved to prime time|url=http://blogs.nfl.com/2011/12/24/cowboys-giants-week-17-showdown-moved-to-primetime/|publisher=National Football League|date=December 24, 2011}}</ref> This was the first time NBC had shown both meetings of division rivals during a regular season.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cowboys-Giants shifts to prime time on NBC, pulling the plug on Fox|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/20111224-horn-cowboys-giants-shifts-to-prime-time-on-nbc-pulling-the-plug-on-fox.ece|first=Barry|last=Horn|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|date=December 24, 2011|access-date=December 31, 2011}}</ref>

The 2011 season ended with an average of 20.7 million viewers and was the [[Nielsen ratings|highest-rated program]] of the 2011–12 television season, dethroning ''[[American Idol]]'', which was the highest-rated program for eight consecutive seasons. As a further result, ''Sunday Night Football'' became the first-ever television sports series of any kind to finish a television season as the most-watched show.

====2012====
The 2012 schedule, released on April 17, once again placed a Sunday night game ([[2012 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] at [[2012 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]]) against a World Series game. This was the third straight year a World Series game competed against a Sunday night game. During the halftime of that game, [[NBC News]] aired a brief special report regarding [[Superstorm Sandy]], anchored by [[Brian Williams]]. Sunday night games between November 18 and December 23 (inclusive) were "flex games"; they would revert to Sunday afternoon if a more competitive matchup arose.

The only flexed game of the season that displaced a scheduled game took place on December 23; the [[2012 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]] at [[2012 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] game reverted to the afternoon, and the [[2012 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] played in [[2012 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle]] that night. This resulted in the 49ers playing on consecutive Sunday nights, both on the road (the team played in [[2012 New England Patriots season|New England]] the previous Sunday night, December 16). A portion of the 49ers-Patriots game aired on the [[NBCSN|NBC Sports Network]] and [[CNBC]] due to NBC News' live coverage of [[Barack Obama]]'s speech following the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting]].

The final Sunday night of the season – December 30, 2012 – likewise was a "flex game"; the slot was left vacant when the schedule was released, as has been the practice of the past four seasons. It was filled by the game between the [[2012 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] and the [[2012 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]]. Usually announced on the Tuesday before game day (but sometimes before), the game typically highlighted a situation in which the winner advanced to the playoffs while the loser did not; the winner of this flex game would win its division, although the Redskins would have still advanced to the playoffs as a wild card team – even if the team lost – if certain other teams lost. After the first 15 games were played that day, which included the [[2012 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] clinching the #6 seed in the NFC with a win, the game turned out to be a winner-take-all, in which the winner clinched the No. 4 seed in the NFC and the loser was eliminated regardless. The Redskins eventually defeated the Cowboys 28–18 and clinched their first NFC East crown since [[1999 Washington Redskins season|1999]].

====2013====
The 2013 schedule, released on April 18, once again placed a Sunday night game ([[2013 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] at [[2013 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]]) against a World Series game. This was the fourth straight year that a World Series game competed against a Sunday night game. Sunday night games between November 17 and December 22 (inclusive) were "flex games", they would revert to Sunday afternoon if a more competitive matchup arose. The final Sunday night of the season – December 29, 2013 – likewise was a "flex game"; the slot was left vacant when the schedule was released, as has been the practice of the past five seasons. The game site (and, by extension, its teams) was determined after the completion of most Week 16 games. It was filled by the game between the [[2013 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] and the [[2013 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]].

The league announced on November 1, 2013, that the Week 11 [[2013 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]]–[[2013 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] game, originally scheduled as CBS's only late 4:05&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time single-header game, was flexed into the ''Sunday Night Football'', replacing the originally scheduled [[Green Bay Packers]]–[[2013 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] game. CBS originally selected the Chiefs–Broncos match-up as one of their "protected games" from flex-scheduling, but later allowed the league to flex it so it could be seen by a national audience.<ref>{{cite web|title=Broncos-Chiefs shifted to prime time|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9913600/denver-broncos-kansas-city-chiefs-flexed-prime-nov-17|first=Jeff|last=Legwold|work=ESPN|date=November 1, 2013|access-date=November 2, 2013}}</ref> This would be one of two cases of a team playing on consecutive Sunday nights due to one of the games being moved into the Sunday night slot (as the Broncos would play the [[2013 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] the following Sunday night); the Philadelphia Eagles, the other team to play on consecutive Sunday nights, played at home against the [[2013 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]] on December 22 and played in Dallas on December 29.

On December 2, 2013, the ''[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]]'' reported (via [[Twitter]]) that the Week 15 [[Bengals–Steelers rivalry|rivalry]] game between the Steelers and the [[2013 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] for December 15 would remain in the Sunday night slot, a report later confirmed by the NFL. The league had considered flexing the game out due to the Steelers starting the season 0–4, which included a 20–10 loss to the Bengals on ''Monday Night Football'' earlier in the season that was more of a blowout than the final score indicated. Ultimately, it was decided to keep the rematch in the Sunday night slot due to the Steelers making a late playoff push, the [[Steeler Nation|team's fanbase]] that provides high ratings regardless of how well the Steelers are doing, as well as a lack of compelling match-ups for the week, with only two other pairings that did not have a team with a losing record by the flex deadline (Patriots at [[2013 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] and [[2013 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]] at Detroit Lions, the latter being a Monday night game which could not be flexed out of its slot).<ref>{{cite web|title=Bengals-Steelers remains in 'SNF' slot for Week 15|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000291703/article/bengalssteelers-remains-in-snf-slot-for-nfl-week-15|first=Marc|last=Sessler|publisher=National Football League|date=December 2, 2013}}</ref>

On December 10, 2013, the NFL decided to flex the Week 16 [[Chicago Bears]]-Philadelphia Eagles matchup into the Sunday night slot, replacing the New England Patriots-[[Baltimore Ravens]] match-up, which moved to the late afternoon slot on CBS. The move surprised many in the television industry, as all four teams were strong playoff contenders. Some have speculated that since the Patriots had an opportunity to lock up the [[AFC East]] before their game in [[Baltimore]] (the Patriots were ultimately upset by the Dolphins 24-20),<ref>{{cite web|title=Patriots @ Dolphins|url=http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2013121504/2013/REG15/patriots@dolphins#menu=highlights&tab=recap|publisher=National Football League|date=December 15, 2014}}</ref> while the other three teams would not be able to clinch playoff spots (nor would they be eliminated) before Week 16, that the Bears-Eagles match-up might be more compelling. There was also speculation that moving the Patriots-Ravens game to the late afternoon slot on CBS would give that network a more compelling match-up in their week to have a doubleheader, as the other two match-ups scheduled to air on CBS in the late afternoon slot featured teams that were having down years (Steelers-Packers) or weren't expected to contend for the playoffs and only appealed to their home markets (Raiders-Chargers);<ref>{{cite web|title=Bears-Eagles flexed to Sunday night over Pats-Ravens in Week 16|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24371353/eaglesbears-game-flexed-to-sunday-night-week-16|first=Will|last=Brinson|work=[[CBS Sports]]|date=December 10, 2013}}</ref> the Patriots-Ravens match-up ultimately received CBS's lead broadcasting crew ([[Jim Nantz]] and [[Phil Simms]]) and national coverage outside the local markets and [[National Football League television blackout policies|blacked out]] markets of the other late games.<ref>{{cite web|title=NFL Maps: Week 16, 2013|url=http://506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2013&wk=16|work=506sports.com}}</ref> John Ourand of ''SportsBusiness Journal'' reported that the league wanted to keep the total number of games taken from CBS and Fox, dating back to the start of the current television contracts, roughly equal. Otherwise, an obscure rule in the broadcast contracts would have prevented the league from possibly flexing a Week 17 AFC game, originally scheduled to be televised on CBS, to the final Sunday night slot.<ref>{{cite web|title=Report: Obscure broadcast contract term drove Week 16 flex decision|url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/11/report-obscure-broadcast-contract-term-drove-week-16-flex-decision/|first=Mike|last=Florio|publisher=ProFootballTalk.com|date=December 11, 2013|access-date=December 13, 2013}}</ref>

No Sunday night Game was originally scheduled for Week 17 of the NFL season, thus allowing the ability to move the most intriguing and playoff-relevant matchup of the week to the Sunday night time slot. The final game of the 2013 NFL regular season was played on December 29, 2013, between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys to determine the NFC East division champion while the loser was eliminated. The Eagles won 24–22, thus advancing to the playoffs, eliminating the Cowboys.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 2em 0 2em"
|-
|-
| colspan="4" align="center" | '''[[2013 NFL season|2013]] Sunday Night Football [[NFL on Television#Flexible scheduling|"flex schedule"]] games'''
!Date
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
!Kickoff time
! width="50" | Week
!Visiting Team
! width="200" | Planned game
!Final Score
! width="200" | Selected game
!Host Team
! width="30" | {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}}
!Stadium
|-
|-
| align="center" | 11
|Thursday, September 4
| align="center" | [[2013 Green Bay Packers season|Packers]] at [[2013 New York Giants season|Giants]]
|7:00 PM
| align="center" | [[2013 Kansas City Chiefs season|Chiefs]] at [[2013 Denver Broncos season|Broncos]]
|[[Washington Redskins]]
| align="center" | <ref>{{cite web|title=Broncos-Chiefs shifted to prime time|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9913600/denver-broncos-kansas-city-chiefs-flexed-prime-nov-17|first=Jeff|last=Legwold|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=November 1, 2013|access-date=November 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106143457/http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9913600/denver-broncos-kansas-city-chiefs-flexed-prime-nov-17|archive-date=November 6, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|align="center"| 7-16
|'''[[New York Giants]]'''
|[[Giants Stadium]]
|-
|-
| align="center" | 12
|Sunday, September 7
| colspan="2" align="center" | Broncos at [[2013 New England Patriots season|Patriots]]
|8:15 PM
| align="center" | <ref>{{cite web|title=Week 12 Flex Scheduling: No Changes to Original Schedule Broncos-Patriots Remains NBC Sunday Night Game|url=http://nflcommunications.com/2013/11/11/week-12-flex-scheduling-no-changes-to-original-schedule-broncos-patriots-remains-nbc-sunday-night-game/|work=NFL Communications|publisher=[[National Football League]]|date=November 11, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113002244/http://nflcommunications.com/2013/11/11/week-12-flex-scheduling-no-changes-to-original-schedule-broncos-patriots-remains-nbc-sunday-night-game/|archive-date=November 13, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|[[Chicago Bears]]
|align="center"|
|[[Indianapolis Colts]]
|[[Lucas Oil Stadium]]
|-
|-
| align="center" | 13
|Sunday, September 14
| colspan="2" align="center" | Giants at [[2013 Washington Redskins season|Redskins]]
|8:15 PM
| align="center" | <ref>{{cite web|title=Week 13 Flex Scheduling: Patriots-Texans Moves to 1:00 PM ET on CBS; Broncos-Chiefs Moves to 4:25 PM ET on CBS|url=http://nflcommunications.com/2013/11/12/week-13-flex-scheduling-patriots-texans-moves-to-100-pm-et-on-cbs-broncos-chiefs-moves-to-425-pm-et-on-cbs/|work=NFL Communications|publisher=National Football League|date=November 12, 2013|access-date=November 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116105035/http://nflcommunications.com/2013/11/12/week-13-flex-scheduling-patriots-texans-moves-to-100-pm-et-on-cbs-broncos-chiefs-moves-to-425-pm-et-on-cbs/|archive-date=January 16, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|[[Pittsburgh Steelers]]
|-
|align="center"|
| align="center" | 14
|[[Cleveland Browns]]
| align="center" | [[2013 Atlanta Falcons season|Falcons]] at Packers
|[[Cleveland Browns Stadium]]
| align="center" | [[2013 Carolina Panthers season|Panthers]] at [[2013 New Orleans Saints season|Saints]]
| align="center" | <ref name="Week14Flex">{{cite web|title=Week 14 Flex Scheduling: December 8 Panthers-Saints Game Moves to NBC Sunday Night Football; Falcons-Packers Goes to 1:00 PM ET on FOX|url=http://nflcommunications.com/2013/11/24/week-14-flex-scheduling-december-8-panthers-saints-game-moves-to-nbc-sunday-night-football-falcons-packers-goes-to-100-pm-et-on-fox/|work=NFL Communications|publisher=National Football League|date=November 24, 2013|access-date=November 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126125819/http://nflcommunications.com/2013/11/24/week-14-flex-scheduling-december-8-panthers-saints-game-moves-to-nbc-sunday-night-football-falcons-packers-goes-to-100-pm-et-on-fox/|archive-date=November 26, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|-
| align="center" | 15
|Sunday, September 21
| colspan="2" align="center" | [[2013 Cincinnati Bengals season|Bengals]] at [[2013 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]]
|8:15 PM
| align="center" | <ref>{{cite web|title=Week 15 Flex Scheduling: Bengals-Steelers Remains NBC Sunday Night Game; Saints-Rams and Cardinals-Titans Go to 4:25 PM ET on FOX|url=http://nflcommunications.com/2013/12/02/week-15-flex-scheduling-bengals-steelers-remains-nbc-sunday-night-game-saints-rams-and-cardinals-titans-go-to-425-pm-et-on-fox/|work=NFL Communications|publisher=National Football League|date=December 2, 2013|access-date=December 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212030936/http://nflcommunications.com/2013/12/02/week-15-flex-scheduling-bengals-steelers-remains-nbc-sunday-night-game-saints-rams-and-cardinals-titans-go-to-425-pm-et-on-fox/|archive-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|[[Dallas Cowboys]]
|align="center"|
|[[Green Bay Packers]]
|[[Lambeau Field]]
|-
|-
| align="center" | 16
|Sunday, September 28
| align="center" | [[2013 New England Patriots season|Patriots]] at [[2013 Baltimore Ravens season|Ravens]]
|8:15 PM
|[[Philadelphia Eagles]]
| align="center" | [[2013 Chicago Bears season|Bears]] at [[2013 Philadelphia Eagles season|Eagles]]
| align="center" | <ref>{{cite web|title=Week 16 Flex Scheduling: December 22 Bears-Eagles Game Moves To NBC Sunday Night Football Patriots-Ravens Goes To 4:25 PM ET On CBS|url=http://nflcommunications.com/2013/12/10/week-16-flex-scheduling-december-22-bears-eagles-game-moves-to-nbc-sunday-night-football-patriots-ravens-goes-to-425-pm-et-on-cbs/|work=NFL Communications|publisher=National Football League|date=December 10, 2013|access-date=December 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211004929/http://nflcommunications.com/2013/12/10/week-16-flex-scheduling-december-22-bears-eagles-game-moves-to-nbc-sunday-night-football-patriots-ravens-goes-to-425-pm-et-on-cbs/|archive-date=December 11, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|align="center"|
|[[Chicago Bears]]
|[[Soldier Field]]
|-
|-
| align="center" | 17
|Sunday, October 5
| align="center" | ''no game scheduled''
|8:15 PM
| align="center" | [[2013 Philadelphia Eagles season|Eagles]] at [[2013 Dallas Cowboys season|Cowboys]]
|[[Pittsburgh Steelers]]
| align="center" | <ref>{{cite web|title=Week 17 Flex Scheduling: Eagles-Cowboys to be NBC Sunday Night Football Game on Dec. 29; Bills-Patriots Moves to 4:25 PM ET on CBS; Buccaneers-Saints to 4:25 PM ET on FOX|url=http://nflcommunications.com/2013/12/22/week-17-flex-scheduling-eagles-cowboys-to-be-nbc-sunday-night-football-game-on-dec-29-bills-patriots-moves-to-425-pm-et-on-cbs-buccaneers-saints-to-425-pm-et-on-fox/|work=NFL Communications|publisher=National Football League|date=December 22, 2013|access-date=December 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224122351/http://nflcommunications.com/2013/12/22/week-17-flex-scheduling-eagles-cowboys-to-be-nbc-sunday-night-football-game-on-dec-29-bills-patriots-moves-to-425-pm-et-on-cbs-buccaneers-saints-to-425-pm-et-on-fox/|archive-date=December 24, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|align="center"|
|}
|[[Jacksonville Jaguars]]

|[[Jacksonville Municipal Stadium]]
====2014====
When the 2014 NFL schedule was released on April 23, it placed a Sunday night game ([[2014 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] at [[2014 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]]) against a World Series game for the fifth straight year. Starting with this season, NBC was permitted to begin flexing games as soon as Week 5, with the restriction that no more than two games may be flexed between Weeks 5 and 10.<ref>{{cite news|title=2014 NFL Schedule: Flex games can now start in Week 5|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000343369/article/2014-nfl-schedule-flex-games-can-now-start-in-week-5|first=Gregg|last=Rosenthal|work=National Football League|date=April 23, 2014}}</ref> The final Sunday night of the season – December 28, 2014 – likewise was a flex game; the slot was left vacant when the schedule was released, as had been the practice of the past six seasons. The game's teams (and, by extension, its location) were announced after most of week 16 games it was filled by the [[2014 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] and [[2014 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]. Country/pop superstar Carrie Underwood continued her role as the performer of the ''Sunday Night Football'' opener.

On November 11, 2014, the NFL announced that the November 23 game between the [[2014 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] and [[2014 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] game would air as scheduled, even though the [[2014 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]]&ndash;[[2014 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] game was considered to be a better match-up, citing that the Cowboys are one of the most popular NFL teams playing in the country's largest media market.<ref>{{cite web|title=Detroit Lions vs. Patriots won't flex into prime time|url=http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2014/11/11/detroit-lions-nfl-flex-schedule/18847487/|first=Dave|last=Birkett|newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]|date=November 11, 2014}}</ref>

For the first time since flexed scheduling went into effect, no Sunday night games were flexed during the season other than Week 17 (where the match-up is usually determined as late as six days prior to the Sunday of Week 17).<ref>{{cite news|title=NFL Might Not Flex Any Sunday Night Games in 2014|url=http://www.nbcsports.com/football/nfl/nfl-might-not-flex-any-sunday-night-games-2014|agency=Associated Press|publisher=NBC Sports|date=November 26, 2014|access-date=December 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713152127/http://www.nbcsports.com/football/nfl/nfl-might-not-flex-any-sunday-night-games-2014|archive-date=July 13, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Week 16 Seahawks-Cardinals Remains NBC Sunday Night Game|url=http://nflcommunications.com/2014/12/07/week-16-seahawks-cardinals-remains-nbc-sunday-night-game/|work=NFL Communications|publisher=National Football League|date=December 7, 2014|access-date=December 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218014931/http://nflcommunications.com/2014/12/07/week-16-seahawks-cardinals-remains-nbc-sunday-night-game/|archive-date=February 18, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On December 21, 2014, the NFL announced that the [[Bengals–Steelers rivalry|rivalry game]] between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals would be flexed into the Week 17 ''Sunday Night Football'' slot, with the winner clinching the [[AFC North]]. The league considered flexing the [[2014 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]]&ndash;[[2014 Carolina Panthers season|Carolina Panthers]] game into the Sunday night slot as it decided the [[NFC South]] while the loser was eliminated, but the division being historically weak (it was assured to have a division winner with a losing record by the end of Week 16), combined with the Steelers being a major draw, led to the league's decision. With the Steelers and Bengals clinching a playoff spot in Week 16, it also marked the first time since the NFL scheduled all-intradivisional match-ups in Week 17 in 2010 that a game flexed to the Week 17 slot featured at least one team (in this case both) that was already in the playoffs.<ref name="2014 Week 17">{{cite news|title=Bengals-Steelers flexed to 'SNF' in Week 17|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000447897/article/bengalssteelers-flexed-to-snf-in-week-17|first=Gregg|last=Rosenthal|publisher=National Football League|date=December 21, 2014}}</ref> It was later reported by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' columnist [[Peter King (sportswriter)|Peter King]] that the league chose to flex the Steelers-Bengals game because CBS has not had a game flexed in the Week 17 slot since 2009; the aforementioned Falcons-Panthers match-up was later flexed to CBS as part of the new television contract that allows intraconference match-ups to be flexed between CBS and Fox.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game 256: Inside the NFL's Week 17 Decision|url=http://mmqb.si.com/2014/12/23/nfl-week-17-bengals-steelers-nbc-decision/#|author=Peter King|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=December 23, 2014|author-link=Peter King (sportswriter)}}</ref>

====2015====
The 2015 schedule was released on April 21, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/schedules/2015/SNF|title=NFL 2015 Sunday Night Football Schedule - NFL.com|website=www.nfl.com}}</ref> The defending Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots faced the Pittsburgh Steelers during the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 10, 2015. Other notable games included the Seattle Seahawks versus the Green Bay Packers (Week 2) and the New England Patriots versus the Indianapolis Colts (Week 6) in a rematch of their respective conference championship games. It also placed a Sunday night game ([[2015 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] at [[2015 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]]) against a World Series game for the sixth straight year. The final Sunday night game of the season – January 3, 2016 – likewise was a flex game; the slot was left vacant when the schedule came out as has been the practice over the past seven seasons. The game's teams (and by extension, its location) were announced after most Week 16 games. It was filled by the [[2015 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] at [[2015 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]]. The [[2015 Arizona Cardinals season|Arizona Cardinals]] wound up playing on consecutive Sunday nights — at the [[2015 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] in Week 10 and then, at home against the [[2015 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] in Week 11 (Cardinals won both of those games), with the latter being flexed into the Sunday night slot. The December 20 game ([[2015 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] at [[2015 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]]) reverted to the afternoon, replaced by the Arizona Cardinals-[[2015 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] game. The [[2015 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] ended up playing on consecutive Sunday nights beginning in Week 16 at home against the [[2015 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] and on the road in Week 17 against the [[2015 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]].

====2016====
The 2016 schedule was released on April 14, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/schedules/2016/SNF|title=NFL 2016 Sunday Night Football Schedule - NFL.com|website=[[NFL.com]]}}</ref> NBC's first telecast of the season featured a rematch of [[Super Bowl 50]] when the [[Denver Broncos]] played host to the [[Carolina Panthers]], the first time the Super Bowl participants faced each other in Week 1 of the subsequent year since 1970. It also placed a Sunday night game ([[2016 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] at [[2016 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]]) against a World Series game for the seventh straight year. The Thanksgiving night match-up featured the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] against the [[Indianapolis Colts]], and for the first time since 2011, NBC carried a [[Christmas Day]] game as the Broncos traveled to play the [[Kansas City Chiefs]], a rematch of the Week 12 game in Denver that was flexed into that week's Sunday night slot. In addition, NBC carried five late-season ''Thursday Night Football'' games in conjunction with [[NFL Network]] in a similar arrangement to the one NFLN has with CBS. As before, flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5, with Week 16 excluded because the majority of the schedule was played on [[Christmas Eve]]. The final Sunday night game of the season – Sunday, January 1, 2017 – likewise was a flex game; the slot was left vacant when the schedule came out as has been the practice over the past eight seasons. The game's teams (and by extension, its location) were announced after most Week 16 games. It was filled by the [[2016 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] at [[2016 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]].

Also this season, NBC was home to two [[Super Bowl]] rematches. As previously mentioned, the [[2016 Carolina Panthers season|Carolina]] vs. [[2016 Denver Broncos season|Denver]] game was a rematch of [[Super Bowl 50]]. Then, 9 weeks later on a Sunday night, the [[2016 New England Patriots season|Patriots]] hosted the [[2016 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] in a rematch of [[Super Bowl XLIX]], a game that was also seen on NBC, on February 1, 2015.

The Week 5 game between the [[2016 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] and the [[2016 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] was placed against the second [[2016 presidential debates|presidential debate]]. The debate did not air on NBC due to contractual obligations; however, it was carried by several other channels including sister networks [[CNBC]] and [[MSNBC]].

The Week 7 game between the [[2016 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] and the [[2016 Arizona Cardinals season|Arizona Cardinals]] ended in a 6–6 tie following a missed field goal from each team in the last minutes of overtime. This became not only the first tie to be featured on ''Sunday Night Football'', but also the first tie not to see a touchdown since 1972, as well as the lowest scoring tie, and the second lowest score in the prime time slot.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000727002/article/cardinals-seahawks-settle-for-historic-tie-after-wild-ot|title=Cardinals, Seahawks settle for historic tie after wild OT|newspaper=NFL.com|access-date=2016-10-25}}</ref>

After the addition of ''[[Thursday Night Football]]'' to NBC's rights holdings, the network elected to give Al Michaels time off. [[Mike Tirico]], who left [[ESPN]] to become the heir apparent to Michaels at NBC,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.si.com/tech-media/2016/09/04/media-circus-mike-tirico-nbc-thursday-night-football-al-michaels|title=Mike Tirico on his future with NBC's NFL coverage|newspaper=Sports Illustrated |date=September 4, 2016 }}</ref> called select telecasts in his place.<ref name="tiricofillin">{{cite web|title=Mike Tirico to replace Al Michaels on four NFL broadcasts on NBC|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2016/11/16/mike-tirico-nfl-nbc-al-michaels/93956764/|website=USA Today|access-date=16 November 2016}}</ref>

On November 14, 2016, the NFL announced that it had flexed the Chiefs-Broncos game into the Sunday night slot for Week 12, replacing the originally scheduled [[New England Patriots]]-[[New York Jets]] game, which was moved to the 4:25&nbsp;p.m. ET slot as the second game of the doubleheader on CBS. With the aforementioned Week 16 matchup between the Broncos and the Chiefs already being scheduled for Christmas night (December 25), that was the second time that NBC has shown both meetings of division rivals during a regular season.

On December 4, 2016, the NFL announced that it had flexed the [[2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]-Dallas Cowboys game into the Sunday night slot for Week 15, replacing the originally scheduled [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]-[[Cincinnati Bengals]] game, which was moved to the 1 p.m. ET slot as the early game on CBS. As a result, the Cowboys wound up playing on consecutive Sunday nights — on the road against the New York Giants in Week 14 (which they lost, 10-7) and then at home against the Buccaneers in Week 15 (which they won, 26-20), and as a result, the Cowboys wound up playing back-to-back-to-back games on NBC, beginning with their post-Thanksgiving Thursday Night Game against Minnesota, their scheduled Week 14 game against the Giants, as mentioned, and their Week 15 Game against Tampa Bay, which was also previously mentioned.

On January 15, 2017, NBC was scheduled to carry an AFC divisional playoff game with the Chiefs at home against the Steelers in the afternoon; on January 13, the NFL announced that game would move to primetime on NBC the same day due to an [[Mid-January 2017 North American ice storm|ice storm]] affecting the [[Kansas City metropolitan area|Kansas City]] area which would cause perilous travel for fans if the game went on as regularly scheduled, and thus becoming an unexpected bonus ''Sunday Night Football'' broadcast in its regular timeslot. NBC filled the vacated afternoon timeslot with an [[NHL on NBC|NHL game]] between the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] and [[Washington Capitals]].<ref>{{cite press release|title=* *PROGRAMMING ALERT * * — STEELERS-CHIEFS PLAYOFF GAME ON NBC THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, MOVED TO 8:20 P.M. ET|publisher=[[NBC Sports Group]]|date=13 January 2017|url=http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2017/01/13/programming-alert-steelers-chiefs-playoff-game-on-nbc-this-sunday-january-15-moved-to-820-p-m-et/|access-date=14 January 2017}}</ref>

====2017====
The 2017 NFL schedule was released on April 20. NBC's first telecast of the season featured the [[National Football League Kickoff game|NFL Kickoff Game]] between [[Super Bowl LI]] champion New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs.

In Week 7, a Sunday night game was scheduled between the [[2017 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]] and the [[2017 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] in a highly-anticipated rematch of [[Super Bowl LI]] thus making [[2017 NFL season|2017]] the second consecutive season in which a rematch of the previous year's Super Bowl was played during the regular season. This was completely coincidental, as inter-conference opponents only meet once every four years during the regular season. The Patriots won the rematch by a score of 23–7. The television broadcast was noted for its extensive use of the [[Skycam]] for game coverage after fog made it impossible to use other cameras.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2017/10/23/inside-fog-bowl-2-0-how-nbcs-sunday-night-football-team-adapted-on-the-fly-with-skycam/|title=Inside Fog Bowl 2.0: How NBC's Sunday Night Football Team Adapted on the Fly With SkyCam|last=Dachman|first=Jason|date=2017-10-23|work=Sports Video Group|access-date=2017-12-18|language=en}}</ref>

It also placed a Sunday night game ([[2017 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] at [[2017 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]]) against a World Series game for the eighth straight year. Both the Lions and Steelers have MLB teams in their respective hometowns, but both struggled to get into the playoffs, especially the Pirates, who missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, and the Tigers, who haven't been to the playoffs since winning the AL Central in 2014.

The Thanksgiving night game featured the [[2017 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] against the [[2017 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]].

In Week 16, because [[Christmas Eve]] fell on a Sunday, the game between the [[2017 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] and the [[2017 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] aired on Saturday, December 23.

For the second time since flex scheduling went into effect, no Sunday night games were flexed during the season—including (for the first time since NBC got the Sunday night package) Week 17.

This was NBC's second year of producing ''[[Thursday Night Football]]'' with [[CBS Sports|CBS]] and [[NFL Network]]. In addition to airing 5 Thursday night games, NBC along with [[NFL Network]] also aired the [[2017 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] against the [[2017 Houston Texans season|Houston Texans]] on Christmas Day. NBC/NFL Network simulcasts started in Week 10 with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the Arizona Cardinals. The NBC Sports-produced Thursday night games on NFL Network began in Week 2, with the Texans battling the Cincinnati Bengals.

Week 17 on December 31 had a full Sunday schedule of games, with the Sunday night game slot originally left blank as has been done the previous nine seasons. After all of the Week 16 Sunday games were played, the NFL determined that many of the teams with playoff implications would have been affected by the results of other football games, and moving a single game to the Sunday night slot impacted competitive balance (along with the possibility of that game having little to no effect on playoff positioning at all, in addition to negative impacts on rating as a result of the game ending close to the [[New Year|stroke of midnight for the New Year]] for the [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern time zone]]). As a result, the NFL decided to instead set up a schedule for that year's Week 17 where all games would be played at 1 p.m. ET and 4:25 p.m. ET time-slots between CBS and Fox (equivalent to [[Association football|soccer]]'s [[Premier League|English Premier League]] scheduling their last week's matches [[Survival Sunday|in the same manner]]), and no ''Sunday Night Football'' game would be played for the first time since [[2009 NFL season|2009]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nflcommunications.com/Pages/NFL-FINALIZES-WEEK-17-SCHEDULE.aspx|title=NFL FINALIZES WEEK 17 SCHEDULE|website=nflcommunications.com|language=en|access-date=2017-12-25}}</ref>

This season also marked the year that NBC broadcast [[Super Bowl LII]].

In addition, this season featured four [[Super Bowl]] rematches on ''Sunday Night Football'', as well as a fifth in the Super Bowl broadcast itself. First, in Week 3, the [[2017 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]] traveled to Washington to face the [[2017 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]], in a rematch of [[Super Bowl XVIII]]. Three weeks later, the [[2017 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] faced the [[2017 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]], in a rematch of [[Super Bowl XXI]]. Then, as previously mentioned, a week later, the [[2017 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]] went to New England and faced the defending champions [[2017 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]], in a rematch of [[Super Bowl LI]]. Then in Week 12, the [[2017 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] faced the [[2017 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] in a rematch of [[Super Bowl XLV]], in what was supposed to be a quarterback battle between [[Aaron Rodgers]] and [[Ben Roethlisberger]], that turned into a quarterback battle between Roethlisberger and [[Brett Hundley]] due to Rodgers suffering a broken collarbone in Week 6 that ruled him out for all but one game the rest of the season. And on NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl LII, the [[2017 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] faced the New England Patriots in a rematch of [[Super Bowl XXXIX]].

====2018====
The 2018 NFL season schedule was released in April. NBC's first telecast of the season was on September 6, 2018, and featured the [[Super Bowl LII|Super Bowl]] Champion [[2018 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] defeating the [[2018 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]].

For the ninth season in a row, the NFL placed a game against a [[2018 World Series|World Series]] game, with the ([[2018 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] at [[2018 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]]), going up against the fifth (and final) game of the Fall Classic, between the [[2018 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] against the [[2018 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]].

This was also the first season since 2015, that ''[[Thursday Night Football|TNF]]'' was not on NBC, as it moved to fellow NFL broadcaster [[Fox NFL|Fox]] for the next five years. Despite the loss of ''TNF'', NBC still broadcasts the [[National Football League Kickoff game|Kickoff Game]] and the [[NFL on Thanksgiving Day|Thanksgiving]] prime-time games (both on a Thursday night) as they fall under the current NBC contract.

This marked the seventh year in the Sunday night package that a prime-time Thanksgiving game was shown on NBC which featured the [[2018 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]] against the [[2018 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]]. However, the studio team of [[Mike Tirico]], [[Tony Dungy]], and [[Rodney Harrison]] called the game in place of Michaels and Collinsworth.

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5. If a more compelling matchup arose as the season progressed, the previously scheduled Sunday night matchup could have been swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. This occurred several times during the season:

*On October 9, NBC and the league announced that the previously scheduled [[2018 Los Angeles Rams season|Rams]]-[[2018 San Francisco 49ers season|49ers]] match-up was moved to a 4:25 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|ET]] start time on CBS, and flexed out for the [[2018 Cincinnati Bengals season|Bengals]]-[[2018 Kansas City Chiefs season|Chiefs]] match-up, originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start, also on CBS. This meant that the Chiefs wound up playing on back-to-back Sunday nights. Also, this set a new mark for becoming the earliest game to be flexed into ''SNF'', in NBC's whole tenure of covering ''Sunday Night Football''.
*On November 5, the league announced that the previously scheduled [[2018 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]]-[[2018 Jacksonville Jaguars season|Jaguars]] match-up was moved to a 1 p.m. ET start time on CBS, and flexed out for the [[2018 Minnesota Vikings season|Vikings]]-[[2018 Chicago Bears season|Bears]] match-up, originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start on Fox. And on November 8, the league announced that the Packers-Vikings match-up remained in place, meaning that the Minnesota Vikings also wound up playing on back-to-back Sunday Nights.
*On November 14, two more games were flexed into the ''SNF'' prime time slot. In Week 13, the 49ers again were flexed out of their original ''SNF'' slot, this time, against the [[2018 Seattle Seahawks season|division rival Seahawks]]. It was the second time that the 49ers were flexed out of ''SNF'' this season, as their Week 7 game between the NFC West-leading Rams was flexed out for the Bengals-Chiefs game. This game was replaced with the Steelers hosting the [[2018 Los Angeles Chargers season|8-3 Los Angeles Chargers]], who made their first SNF appearance since 2014.
*In Week 14, the Los Angeles Rams, 7 weeks after having their first ''SNF'' game flexed out of primetime, traveled to Chicago to take on the NFC North-leading Bears, who hosted their 2nd ''SNF'' game in 4 weeks. This game replaced the game featuring the Steelers against the [[2018 Oakland Raiders season|2-10 Oakland Raiders]]. Those moves also meant that the city of Los Angeles also had back-to-back ''Sunday Night Football'' appearances. With that game, and their home game against the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles in the Week 15 slot, the Rams wound up playing on back-to-back ''SNF'' appearances and the city of Los Angeles had 3-straight weeks with a team on ''SNF''.
*On December 23, the NFL finalized the Week 17 schedule, which included a win-and-in game between the [[2018 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts]] and the [[2018 Tennessee Titans season|Tennessee Titans]] being flexed into that week's ''SNF'' slot, with the winner clinching the AFC's final playoff spot and the loser being eliminated. This game marked the Titans' first appearance on ''SNF'' since 2009 (coincidentally, also against the Colts).

In addition, ''SNF'' scheduled several rematches from [[2017-18 NFL playoffs|last season's playoffs]], including the [[Minneapolis Miracle|Saints-Vikings game]], the Steelers-Jaguars AFC Divisional game (which was eventually flexed out), and the Falcons-Eagles NFC Divisional game.

''SNF'' had a [[rules analyst]] for the first time in program history, as the network added former referee [[Terry McAulay]], who retired after the 2017 season. McAulay has worked three Super Bowls in his tenure as an NFL referee. Also that same year, McAulay worked the [[Notre Dame Football on NBC|Notre Dame Football games for NBC]], with ''FNIA'' studio host, [[Mike Tirico]].

====2019====
The 2019 schedule was released on April 17. However, on March 25, the NFL announced that, in a break from tradition, the Kickoff Game would not be hosted by the reigning Super Bowl champions and would instead feature the [[2019 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]] who hosted the [[2019 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] at [[Soldier Field]] on September 5, with the game aired on NBC as part of many matchups throughout the [[2019 NFL season|league's 100th season]] celebrating critical games and rivalries through the league's history. The [[2019 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] instead hosted the first ''SNF'' game of the season against [[2019 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] during Week 1 on NBC.

For the tenth season in a row the NFL placed a game against a [[2019 World Series|World Series]] game with the [[2019 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] against the [[2019 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]], going up against the fifth game of the Fall Classic between the [[2019 Washington Nationals season|Washington Nationals]] and the [[2019 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]].

Thanksgiving featured a rematch of the previous season's primetime Thanksgiving game between the [[2019 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] and the [[2019 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]]. It was the eighth time that the Thanksgiving game was part of the ''SNF'' package shown on NBC.

For the second consecutive season, the ''FNIA'' team of Tirico, Dungy, and Harrison was assigned to work the Thanksgiving primetime game

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling match-up arose as the season progressed. The previously scheduled Sunday Night game could be swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. This occurred several times during the season.

*On November 12, the [[2019 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] versus [[2019 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] game was moved from 4:25&nbsp;pm [[Eastern Time Zone|ET]] on [[Fox NFL|Fox]] to 8:20&nbsp;pm ET on NBC, replacing the originally scheduled [[2019 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] versus [[2019 Philadelphia Eagles|Philadelphia Eagles]] game.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://nflcommunications.com/Pages/NFL-announces-schedule-changes-for-Weeks-12,-16.aspx|title=NFL announces schedule changes for Weeks 12-16|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|work=NFL Communications}}</ref>
*On December 2, the [[2019 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]] versus [[2019 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] game was moved from 1:00&nbsp;pm ET on [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] to 8:20&nbsp;pm ET on NBC, replacing the originally scheduled [[2019 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] versus [[2019 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]] game.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://nflcommunications.com/Pages/NFL-announces-schedule-chnages-for-weeks-15,-16.aspx|title=NFL announces schedule changes for Weeks 15-16|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|work=NFL Communications}}</ref>
*On December 9, the NFL extended the deadline for flexing the Week 16 game from the usual 12 days to 6 days before the game, allowing NBC to wait to see what the playoff implications were from the 15 games before deciding to flex the game between the [[2019 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] and the [[2019 Tennessee Titans season|Tennessee Titans]] into ''SNF'' or to keep the originally scheduled game between the [[2019 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] and the [[2019 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]]. The network ultimately chose to keep the originally scheduled game between the Chiefs and Bears.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2019/12/11/21010997/chiago-bears-chiefs-sunday-night-football-flex-titans-saints-dec-22-week-16-time-change|title = Bears-Chiefs Sunday night game could be moved out of prime time and into an afternoon slot|date = December 11, 2019}}</ref>
*On December 22, the NFL finalized the Week 17 schedule which included a game between the [[2019 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] and the [[2019 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] being flexed into that week ''SNF'' slot with the winner clinching the NFC West Division Title and the loser being the Wild Card.

===2020s===
====2020====
The 2020 schedule was released on May 7. The Kickoff game was on September 10, which featured the [[Super Bowl LIV]] Champion [[2020 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] hosting the [[2020 Houston Texans season|Houston Texans]]. The Thanksgiving Night game was supposed to feature the [[2020 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]] versus the [[2020 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]; the ninth time that the Thanksgiving game would have been part of the ''SNF'' package shown on NBC. A COVID-19 outbreak on the Baltimore Ravens forced the postponement of the game to the following Sunday afternoon, which was then postponed to the following Tuesday night, and then finally to Wednesday afternoon.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rappoport|first=Ian|date=2020-11-25|title=The #Ravens-#Steelers game previously set for Thursday night is being postponed to Sunday afternoon. The first in several weeks.|url=https://twitter.com/rapsheet/status/1331656537819983880|access-date=2020-11-25|website=Twitter|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ravens-Steelers game moved from Thanksgiving to Sunday at 1:15 p.m. ET on NBC|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-steelers-game-moved-from-thursday-to-sunday|access-date=2020-11-25|website=NFL.com|language=en-US}}</ref> It was shown on NBC as scheduled, but [[KWQC-TV]] - the NBC affiliate for the [[Quad Cities]] of Iowa and Illinois - opted not to show the game. Before this occasion, the last Wednesday night game played in the NFL was also a special edition of primetime on NBC - the 2012 Kickoff game between the [[2012 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] and [[2012 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] that was scheduled as such to avoid a conflict with Obama's renomination speech at [[2012 Democratic National Convention|that year's Democratic National Convention]].

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling game arose. The scheduled ''SNF'' game could have been swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. The final game of the season, on Sunday, January 3, 2021, likewise was a flex game. The slot, left blank when the schedule came out, was filled by the game between the [[2020 Washington Football Team season|Washington Football Team]] and the home team [[2020 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]]. A Washington win gave them the NFC East Division title.

Mike Tirico substituted for Al Michaels on a select number of games this season, which started with the September 27 game between the [[2020 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] and the [[2020 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]]. Tirico was initially slated to call the Thanksgiving game this season but was assigned instead to call the Week 12 ''SNF'' game between the Packers and the [[2020 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]] with [[Tony Dungy]] and [[Kathryn Tappen]]. Tirico was eventually given the assignment to call the rescheduled Ravens–Steelers game with Collinsworth after it was postponed from Sunday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon. Tirico has also called NBC's two wild-card playoff games in January.

The aforementioned Packers–Saints game took place while the [[2020 Stanley Cup Finals]] (rescheduled from its normal late May–early June schedule) were ongoing; Dallas ([[Dallas Stars|Stars]]) and Tampa Bay ([[Tampa Bay Lightning|Lightning]]) also have NFL teams in the Cowboys and Buccaneers. As NBC was also the rightsholder to [[National Hockey League]] games in the U.S., the league was compelled to play Games 4 and 5 (September 25–26) of the finals on consecutive nights to avoid conflict with ''SNF''.

For the season, the customary talking head introduction of the offensive and defensive starters was scrapped due to production limitations caused by the [[2020 NFL season#Impact of COVID-19 on production|COVID-19 pandemic]].

For the first time in the history of ''SNF'', NBC aired games against an [[2020 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] game in back-to-back weeks; this is usually a non-issue as the NBA Finals traditionally take place in June but were moved to the fall due to the [[Suspension of the 2019-20 NBA season|NBA suspending their season]]. This occurred on October 4 with the Eagles playing the 49ers on the same day as Game 3, and on October 11, with the Vikings playing the Seahawks on the same day as Game 6 (the eventual last game of the series). Although Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Minnesota all have NBA teams, only the [[2019-20 Philadelphia 76ers season|76ers]] qualified for the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round. The [[2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]], led by [[LeBron James]] and [[Anthony Davis]], defeated the [[2019-20 Miami Heat season|Miami Heat]] in six games, claiming their 17th championship in franchise history, tying the [[Boston Celtics]] for the most in NBA history.

In Week 7, the game between the [[2020 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]] and [[2020 Arizona Cardinals season|Arizona Cardinals]] was flexed into the Sunday night slot from 4:05 p.m., trading places with the scheduled matchup between the [[2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] and [[2020 Las Vegas Raiders season|Las Vegas Raiders]]. The shift was not performance-related, as both teams had winning records going into the game. After six Raiders were placed on the COVID-19 list, there were concerns that the game would not be played on Sunday and leave NBC without a broadcast.<ref>{{cite web|title=NFL moves Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Las Vegas Raiders game to Sunday afternoon|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30169421/nfl-moves-tampa-bay-buccaneers-las-vegas-raiders-game-sunday-afternoon|periodical=[[ESPN.com]]|date=October 22, 2020|publisher=[[ESPN Inc.]]|access-date=October 23, 2020}}</ref> The Week 7 game marked the eleventh straight year an NFL game aired opposite the World Series.

The Week 15 contest between the [[2020 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]] and [[2020 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] was moved to Sunday night from a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, replacing the [[2020 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] and [[2020 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]]. It was the first time in the history of ''SNF'' that Dallas was flexed out of primetime.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cowboys "disappointed" to be flexed out of Sunday Night Football for the first time ever|url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/12/09/cowboys-disappointed-to-be-flexed-out-of-sunday-night-football-for-first-time-ever/|periodical=[[ProFootballTalk]]|date=December 10, 2020|publisher=[[NBC Sports Group]]|access-date=December 18, 2020}}</ref> Michaels' inability to clear NBC protocol for COVID-19 resulted in Tirico working the broadcast with Collinsworth, while [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] and [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]] broadcaster [[Joe Davis (sportscaster)|Joe Davis]] took Tirico's place on an [[NFL Network]] broadcast the previous day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2020/12/18/mike-tirico-replacing-al-michaels-on-browns-giants-due-to-covid-19-protocol-issues/|title=Mike Tirico replacing Al Michaels on Browns-Giants due to COVID-19 protocol issues|date=December 18, 2020|work=USA Today|access-date=December 18, 2020}}</ref>

====2021====
The 2021 schedule was released on May 12. The Kickoff game, an NBC staple since 2006, was held on September 9. The defending [[Super Bowl LV]] champion [[2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers]], led by [[Tom Brady]], hosted the [[2021 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]], led by [[Dak Prescott]], which resulted in a 31–29 win for Tampa Bay. For the 12th straight year, NBC aired a Sunday night game against a [[2021 World Series|World Series]] game. This year's game featured Prescott and the Cowboys against [[Dalvin Cook]] and the [[2021 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]]. Thanksgiving Night featured an interconference showdown between [[Josh Allen]] and the [[2021 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]] against the [[2021 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]].

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling game arose as the season progressed. The scheduled Sunday Night game could be swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. The last game of the season Sunday, January 9, 2022, likewise was a flex game. The slot was left blank when the schedule came out. It was filled by the [[2021 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]] and the [[2021 Las Vegas Raiders season|Las Vegas Raiders]].

After a one-season hiatus due to COVID-19 production concerns, ''SNF''{{'}}s trademark "talking heads" introduction for each team's starters was reinstated.

This season marked the year NBC broadcast [[Super Bowl LVI]], the network's fifth Super Bowl under the ''SNF'' banner, and the 20th overall. Super Bowl LVI was also scheduled to be the first Super Bowl to be played during an ongoing Olympics event, the [[2022 Winter Olympics]] in [[Beijing]]. The rights to the game were originally assigned to CBS, but on March 13, 2019, CBS agreed to trade it to NBC in exchange for [[Super Bowl LV]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/cbs-nbc-swap-super-bowl-1203162667/|title=CBS, NBC to Swap Super Bowl Broadcasts|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=March 13, 2019|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=March 13, 2019}}</ref> With NBC airing both the Olympics and the Super Bowl on the same weekend, the network announced that [[Mike Tirico]] would work both events. Tirico started by flying out to Beijing for the first few days of the Games, then flying back to Los Angeles to host primetime coverage and Super Bowl LVI from SoFi Stadium. Tirico then flew east to Stamford, Connecticut, where NBC Sports' main headquarters are, to host the rest of the Olympics.

As with the previous season, Tirico filled in for Al Michaels in select ''SNF'' games, including the Thanksgiving game. [[Maria Taylor (analyst)|Maria Taylor]], who joined NBC from ESPN/ABC, became the secondary studio host in games Tirico does play-by-play. In addition, [[Drew Brees]] was added as a second analyst, both in the studio and in-game. [[Kathryn Tappen]], NBC's sideline reporter for [[Notre Dame Football on NBC|Notre Dame Football]] games, filled in for Michele Tafoya on the sidelines during Weeks 12-14.

On November 23, 2021, NFL announced a [[49ers–Seahawks rivalry|rivalry]] game between the [[2021 San Francisco 49ers season|49ers]] and [[2021 Seattle Seahawks season|Seahawks]] was the only game flex out in favor of a [[2021 Denver Broncos season|Broncos]] and [[2021 Kansas City Chiefs season|Chiefs]] game due to an injury to Seahawks quarterback [[Russell Wilson]] and after the Seahawks' loss against [[2021 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]] in overtime 23–20.

The talking heads introductions were not used in the Saturday AFC Wild Card Playoff game, but it was used in the Sunday Night AFC Wild Card and NFC Divisional Round. The music used was "[[The Way You Move]]".

Coincidentally, the first Super Bowl aired on NBC (in a [[Simulcasting|simulcast]] with CBS), and this season's Super Bowl, were both played in Los Angeles, with Super Bowl I being played at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum|LA Coliseum]], and [[Super Bowl LVI]] being played at [[SoFi Stadium]]. [[Super Bowl LVI]] was also the final game for Tafoya and Michaels.

====2022====
The 2022 schedule was released on May 12, 2022. The Kickoff game was held on September 8, 2022, with the defending [[Super Bowl LVI]] champion [[2022 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] hosting the [[2022 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]], which resulted in a 31–10 win for Buffalo. After six years of waiting to take over full-time, Mike Tirico replaced Al Michaels as lead play-by-play after the latter left for [[NFL on Prime Video|Amazon]], while [[NFL Network]]'s Melissa Stark replaced Michele Tafoya on the sidelines. However, Michaels will be on select SNF and playoff telecasts in an emeritus role and a fill-in for Tirico.

This season marked the first time that SNF did not go head-to-head with a [[2022 World Series|World Series]] game as [[Major League Baseball]] scheduled a travel day for the American League's Houston Astros and the National League's Philadelphia Phillies on October 30, between Games 2 and 3. With Game 3 scheduled for October 31 postponed the following day due to rain in Philadelphia and every subsequent game pushed back by one day, the Week 9 SNF contest featuring the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs would compete with Game 7 of the World Series should the latter game be necessary. However, the seventh game became moot when the Astros won the championship in six games.

In Week 11, the NFL announced a scheduling change that flexed out a [[Bengals–Steelers rivalry|rivalry]] game between the [[2022 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] and the [[2022 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] in favor of a game between the [[2022 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] and the [[2022 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]]. As the Chargers had back-to-back games on Sunday night after the Week 10 game against the [[2022 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]], this was the first time in 4 years that a team has played back-to-back Sunday Night Football games since the [[2018 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] and the [[2018 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]].

In Week 14, the NFL announced a scheduling change that flexed out a rivalry game between the [[2022 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] and the [[2022 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] in favor of the [[2022 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] and the [[2022 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]]. This was the Dolphin's second appearance on SNF after they beat the Steelers in Week 7 and also the second time in 4 weeks that the Chargers have hosted a Sunday Night Football game.

In Week 15, the NFL announced a scheduling change that flexed out a game between the [[2022 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]]–[[2022 Las Vegas Raiders season|Las Vegas Raiders]] game that was flexed out in favor of the [[2022 New York Giants season|New York Giants]]–[[2022 Washington Commanders season|Washington Commanders]]. This marked the Commanders' first appearance as a new name. This also marked the Giants' return to SNF in 2 years.

On Christmas Day, the NFL announced a scheduling change in Week 17. The [[2022 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]]–[[2022 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]] game was flexed out in favor of the [[2022 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]–[[2022 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]] game due to the Rams QB injury [[Matthew Stafford]] (as the only game for Rams on NBC after they lost against the Bills 31–10). This marks the 11th time a [[Ravens–Steelers rivalry|rivalry game]] between the Steelers and the Ravens will be seeing each other again on SNF (last SNF game in 2020 the Steelers beat the Ravens 19–14). This also marked the Steelers' second appearance after they lost against the Dolphins and got flexed out against the Bengals and the Raven's second appearance after they beat the Bengals.

Thanksgiving Night featured an interconference matchup between [[Mac Jones]] and the [[2022 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]] against [[Dalvin Cook]] and the [[2022 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]].

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling game arose as the season progressed. The scheduled SNF game reverted to the afternoon the scheduled game could've been swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. The last game of the season Sunday, January 8, 2023, likewise was a flex game the slot was left blank when the schedule came out. It was filled by the [[2022 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] and the [[2022 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]]. (For the first time since ''SNF'' began, neither team that participated in the final telecast qualified for the playoffs that season. The Lions, which had been eliminated earlier in the day when the [[2022 Seattle Seahawks|Seattle Seahawks]] defeated the [[2022 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]], beat the Packers, 20-16; the result qualified the Seahawks for the [[2022–23 NFL playoffs|playoffs]].)

In addition, there are four [[Super Bowl]] rematches on Sunday Night Football for the 2022 season. The first one in Week 3 featured a rematch of [[Super Bowl XXIV]] between the [[2022 San Francisco 49ers season|49ers]] and the [[2022 Denver Broncos season|Broncos]]. The second one in Week 4 was a rematch of [[Super Bowl LV]] between the [[2022 Kansas City Chiefs season|Chiefs]] and the [[2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Buccaneers]]. In Week 10, the 49ers hosted the [[2022 Los Angeles Chargers season|Chargers]] in a rematch of [[Super Bowl XXIX]]. Finally, Week 13 featured a rematch of [[Super Bowl V]] between the [[2022 Indianapolis Colts season|Colts]] and the [[2022 Dallas Cowboys season|Cowboys]].

Al Michaels' lone appearance on NBC throughout the season came during the [[2022–23_NFL_playoffs#AFC:_Jacksonville_Jaguars_31,_Los_Angeles_Chargers_30|2022 AFC Wild Card game]] between the [[2022 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]] and the [[2022 Jacksonville Jaguars season|Jacksonville Jaguars]], alongside Tony Dungy and [[Kaylee Hartung]].

====2023====
The 2023 schedule was released on May 11, 2023. The Kickoff Game was held on September 7, 2023, with the defending [[Super Bowl LVII]] champion [[2023 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] hosting the [[2023 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]]. which resulted in a 22–21 win for Detroit.

Thanksgiving Night featured a [[49ers–Seahawks rivalry|divisional rivalry]] between the [[2023 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] and the [[2023 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]]. Also during Week 12, [[Jason Garrett]] filled in for Collinsworth during a Sunday night game between the [[2023 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]] and the [[2023 Los Angeles Chargers season|Los Angeles Chargers]].

For the first time, Peacock streamed an exclusive Saturday night game in Week 16, that featured the [[2023 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]] and the Los Angeles Chargers. The main SNF team of Tirico, Collinsworth, and Stark were assigned to call the game. As a result, no Sunday night game was given to NBC on Christmas Eve and was assigned to NFL Network as its [[NFL Network Exclusive Game Series|Christmas Exclusive Game]]. Instead, NBC was given a Saturday afternoon game featuring [[Bengals–Steelers rivalry|division rivals]] [[2023 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] and the [[2023 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]. That game would be called by the [[College Football on NBC Sports|Big Ten Saturday Night]] team of [[Noah Eagle]], [[Todd Blackledge]] and [[Kathryn Tappen]]. Peacock will also stream one Wild Card game. From Week 16 onward, [[Ahmed Fareed]] served as the studio host due to Maria Taylor's maternity leave.

The only Sunday Night game flexed prior to week 18 (where the match-up is usually determined as late as six days before the Sunday of Week 18).

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling game arose as the season progresed. The scheduled SNF game would revert to the afternoon the scheduled game could've been swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. The final game of the season Sunday, January 7, 2024, likewise was a flex game the slot was left blank when the schedule came out. It was filled by the [[2023 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]] and the [[2023 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]].

This is also the first year since NBC took over SNF in 2006 that Al Michaels did not call at least one game for the network. Instead, Eagle, Blackledge, and Tappen would serve as the #2 team during NBC's Wild Card playoff coverage, and were assigned the [[2023 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]] at the [[2023 Houston Texans season|Houston Texans]]. Tirico called two Wild Card games with two different broadcast crews: the Peacock-exclusive Saturday game between the Dolphins and the Chiefs with Garrett and Hartung, and the Sunday night game between the Lions and the [[2023 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] with Collinsworth and Stark.

====2024====
The 2024 schedule was released on May 15, 2024. The Kickoff Game will be held on September 5, 2024, with the defending [[Super Bowl LVIII]] champion [[2024 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] hosting the [[2024 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore Ravens]], in a rematch of the previous season's AFC Championship Game. The following day, NBC will produce the first NFL game played in [[South America]] as the [[2024 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] will host the [[2024 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] in [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]]. That game will air exclusively on Peacock, the second exclusive regular season game the streaming service will air live, and simulcast on NBC in both Green Bay and Philadelphia.

For the twelfth time in the package history, NBC will present a game on Thanksgiving Night, with the [[2024 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] in Green Bay against the Packers.

NBC also gained rights to broadcast an additional Saturday afternoon game in Week 16, which will feature two teams that will also play on [[NFL on Christmas Day|Christmas Day]]. It will be the first time since [[1997 NFL season|1997]] that NBC airs Week 16 games on both Saturday and Sunday, as the network retained their Week 16 SNF game that week.

As has been the case since 2014, flexible scheduling rules will go into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game will revert to the afternoon or to either [[Monday Night Football]] or [[Thursday Night Football]], if a more compelling game arises as the season progresses. The final night of the season, Sunday January 5, 2024, likewise is a flex game, and the slot will be left blank when the schedule comes out.

NBC will only carry two playoff games this season (one Super Wild Card game and one Divisional game), the least amount of playoff games the network has carried since the [[2019-20 NFL playoffs|2019-20 playoffs]], after [[NFL on Prime Video|Prime Video]] picked up the rights from Peacock to exclusively stream one Super Wild Card playoff game, and CBS holding the rights to air two of the other Super Wild Card playoff games.

==Similarities to ABC's NFL coverage==
{{update-section|date=December 2023}}
Much of NBC's ''SNF'' production crew comes from ABC/ESPN, including Fred Gaudelli<ref>{{cite book |last=Miller, Shales|first=James Andrew, Tom|author-link= |date= |title=Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN|url=http://www.uvm.edu/~rgriffin/ESPN-Miller.pdf|location= |publisher= |page=576|isbn=}}</ref> and [[Drew Esocoff]] (who respectively serve as producer and director of the broadcasts), as ESPN moved most of its previous Sunday night crew over to ''Monday Night Football''. Michaels, Madden and [[Andrea Kremer]] also came to NBC directly from ABC/ESPN, and ''Football Night in America''{{'}}s Sterling Sharpe was a member of ESPN's ''[[Sunday NFL Countdown]]'' in recent years (calling several [[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday night games]] for the network in [[2005 NFL season|2005]]).<ref name="NBC primetime">{{cite news|title=Grading NBC in prime time|url=https://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4194021.html|first=David|last=Barron|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=September 18, 2006|access-date=September 18, 2006}}</ref> With regard to using ABC/ESPN talent, NBC Sports chairman [[Dick Ebersol]] said, "I was not interested in the quote, unquote vanity of starting anew&nbsp;... There's not a lot of room for experimentation."<ref name="NBC primetime"/>

In addition, NBC has the starters for each team introduce themselves on each side of the ball (though the strict "player name/position/playing college" introductions of the past have been relaxed, and now players can list their birthplace or high school in the last part rather than their playing college, or even their college's common nickname, such as [[Miami Hurricanes football|Miami (FL)]]'s "The U"), much as ABC did in the last few years of its run, and the short post-game show (done to allow affiliates to start their late newscasts) follows a similar format to ABC's. As of Week 9 of the [[2016 NFL season]], this practice was also used on the NBC-produced ''Thursday Night Football'' broadcasts on NBC and/or NFL Network.

Michaels and Madden ended each telecast in the [[2007 NFL season|2007]] and [[2008 NFL season|2008]] NFL seasons by selecting an [[Most Valuable Player|MVP]] for that night's game to receive the ''Horse Trailer'' award (with a photo of each recipient being affixed to the side of a production truck, also known as a "horse trailer"). This concept originated from Madden's days with ''[[NFL on CBS|CBS]]'', where he invented the similar "[[NFL on Thanksgiving Day#Game MVPs|Turkey Leg Award]]" for the [[NFL on Thanksgiving Day|Thanksgiving Day game]] in 1989 (he later took the concept to Fox, then expanded it to every game of the year with the Horse Trailer Award when he joined ABC in 2002). In the 2006 season, the MVP concept was modified slightly, where the game's MVP was called the "Rock Star of the Game" and had his photo placed on a display at the "Top of the Rock" observation deck atop [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]], NBC's New York headquarters, in New York. When Madden retired following Super Bowl XLIII, the Horse Trailer Player of the Game award was discontinued.

The following local TV stations have carried both ''MNF'' and ''SNF'' during their histories. (Unless otherwise noted, these stations have been NBC affiliates for the entire run of ''SNF''.)
*[[KCWO-TV]] [[Big Spring, Texas]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1982, 1970–1982 as KWAB-TV, Satellite of KWES-TV)
*[[KDLT-TV]] [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1983)
*[[KGET]] [[Bakersfield, California]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1973 as KJTV)
*[[KNEP]] [[Pocatello, Idaho]] (''MNF'' from 1976–1984, as KDUH-TV)
*[[KNSD]] [[San Diego]] (''MNF'' from 1973–1976 as KCST)
*[[KNTV]] [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1999; although licensed to a city in the [[San Francisco]] [[media market]], it served the [[Monterey Peninsula]] and the [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]] area at the time of ABC affiliation)
*[[KOBI (TV)|KOBI]] [[Medford, Oregon]] (''MNF'' from 1978-1983)
*[[KOMU-TV]] [[Columbia, Missouri]] (''MNF'' from 1982–1985)
*[[KOTI (TV)|KOTI]] [[Klamath Falls, Oregon]] (''MNF'' from 1970-1983)
*[[KPVI]] [[Pocatello, Idaho]] (''MNF'' from 1974–1995)
*[[KSNB-TV]] [[York, Nebraska]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1996, 1970–1973 as KHTL-TV)
*[[KTEN]] [[Ada, Oklahoma]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1976)
*[[KTUU]] [[Anchorage, Alaska]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1971 as KENI)
*[[KTVE]] [[El Dorado, Arkansas]] (''MNF'' from 1972–1981 [Week 14])
*[[KULR]] [[Billings, Montana]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1986)
*[[KUSA (TV)|KUSA]] [[Denver]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1995 [Week 1], 1970–1984 as KBTV)
*[[KVLY-TV|KVLY]] [[Fargo, North Dakota]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1983 as KTHI-TV
*[[KWES-TV]] [[Odessa, Texas]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1982, 1970–1979 as KMOM-TV, 1980–1982 as KTPX)
*[[KYMA-DT (1988–2020)|KYMA]] [[Yuma, Arizona]] (''MNF'' from 1988–1990)
*[[KYMA-DT]] [[Yuma, Arizona]] (''MNF'' from 1991–1994)
*[[WAFF (TV)|WAFF]] [[Huntsville, Alabama]] (''MNF'' from 1970-1977 [Week 12], 1970–1974 as WMSL-TV, 1975–1977 as WYUR-TV)
*[[WAND (TV)|WAND]] [[Decatur, Illinois]] (''MNF'' from 1970-2005)
*[[WCBD]] [[Charleston, South Carolina]] (''MNF'' from 1970-1995)
*[[WDTN]] [[Dayton, Ohio]] (''MNF'' from 1980–2004)
*[[WHDH (TV)|WHDH]] [[Boston, Massachusetts]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1971 as WNAC-TV)
*[[WJHG-TV]] [[Panama City, Florida]] (''MNF'' from 1972–1981)
*[[WLUC-TV]] [[Marquette, Michigan]] (''MNF'' from 1992–1994)
*[[WNWO]] [[Toledo, Ohio]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1995 [Week 8], 1970–1985 as WDHO)
*[[WNYT (TV)|WNYT]] [[Albany, New York]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1977 [Week 5] as WAST)
*[[WDPN-TV|WDPN-TV 2]] [[Wilmington, Delaware]] (''MNF'' from 1991–1995 as KJVI via KPVI licensed to Jackson, Wyoming)
*[[WRAL-TV]] [[Raleigh, North Carolina]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1984, ''SNF'' since 2016)
*[[WREX]] [[Rockford, Illinois]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1995)
*[[WSAV-TV]] [[Savannah, Georgia]] (''MNF'' from 1982–1985)
*[[WTHR]] [[Indianapolis]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1978, 1970–1975 as WLW-I)
*[[WTLV]] [[Jacksonville, Florida]] (''MNF'' from 1980–1987)
*[[WVLA-TV]] [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]] (''MNF'' from 1971–1977 as WRBT)
*[[WXIA-TV]] [[Atlanta]] (''MNF'' from 1970–1980, 1970–1973 as WQXI)

==Theme music==
[[Academy Award]] winner [[John Williams]] composed the instrumental theme music, titled "Wide Receiver,"<ref>{{cite web|title=John Williams Sunday Night Football Theme – Song – MP3 Stream<!-- Bot generated title -->|url=http://www.imeem.com/people/Mbqas_/music/AqT9uvdc/john_williams_sunday_night_football_theme/|work=IMEEM Music}}{{dead link|date=July 2019}}</ref> for ''Sunday Night Football''. For [[Super Bowl XLIII]], NBC commissioned Joel Beckerman<ref>{{cite web|title=Joel Beckerman Creates New Arrangement For This Year's Superbowl (sic) |url=http://www.manmademusic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194&Itemid=156 |work=Man Made Music |publisher=SHM |access-date=November 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930064817/http://www.manmademusic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194&Itemid=156 |archive-date=September 30, 2011 }}</ref> of Man Made Music to create new instrumental cues adding techno and rock elements around the main brass melody. These cues replaced the original Williams arrangements full-time at the start of the [[2009 NFL season|2009 season]].

In 2006, singer-songwriter [[Pink (singer)|Pink]] reworked the lyrics of the [[Joan Jett]] song "[[I Hate Myself for Loving You]]" into a Sunday Night Football theme song, retitled "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nbc-thinks-pink-for-sunday-night-nfl/ |title=NBC Thinks Pink For Sunday Night NFL |publisher=CBS News |date=August 30, 2006}}</ref> Pink also performed the theme song for the 2006 season.<ref name="Pink">{{cite news|title='Sunday Night Football' Thinks Pink|url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-pinksingssundaynightfootballtheme,0,4215656.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines|work=Zap2it|publisher=[[Tribune Media|Tribune Company]]|date=August 30, 2006|access-date=September 19, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Multi-platinum pop singer Pink performs "NBC Sunday Night Football" opening music|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20060830nbc01|work=NBC|publisher=The Futon Critic|date=August 30, 2006|access-date=November 1, 2006}}</ref> Several alternative versions were used throughout the season, substituting different lyrics when appropriate (such as "Waiting All Year For Opening Night" (During the Kickoff game of each season) or "Waiting All Day For A Wild Card Fight").

In [[2007 NFL season|2007]], country singer [[Faith Hill]] replaced Pink as the singer of the opening theme, and a new arrangement of the Joan Jett song coincided with her debut.<ref>{{cite news|title=Faith Hill to sing ''Sunday Night Football'' theme|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20498058/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831141005/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20498058/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 31, 2007|agency=Associated Press|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|date=August 30, 2007}}</ref> The Faith Hill intro, in particular, was not without criticism<ref>{{cite web|title=Is NBC's Sunday Night Football Intro With Faith Hill The "Worst Intro in the History of Television?"|url=http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/nbcs-sunday-night-football-intro-with-faith-hill-the-worst-intro-on-television/|first=Dan|last=Fogarty|work=SportsGrid|date=September 19, 2010|access-date=November 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadspin.com/why-is-the-sunday-night-football-intro-song-always-so-f-1829026361|title=Why are NBC's Sunday Night Football themes always so awful?|last=Magary|first=Drew|date=September 13, 2018|website=Deadspin}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nfl/news/nfl-fans-slam-carrie-underwood-new-nbc-sunday-night-football-theme-song-video/1t91vcbvzzbhm1to482zcfvo5e|title=NBC's Sunday Night Football fans aren't happy with Carrie Underwood's new theme song|last= Harris|first=Sarah Jane|date=September 10, 2018|website=Sporting News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/carrie-underwood-responds-dis-sunday-night-football-theme-song-hey-know-music-isnt-everyone-193747813.html|title=Carrie Underwood responds to dis of her 'Sunday Night Football' theme song: 'Hey, I know my music isn't for everyone'|last=Shewfelt|first=Raechal|date=December 17, 2018|website=Yahoo! Entertainment}}</ref> and parody. The intro was lampooned in the October 9, 2010, episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', with host [[Jane Lynch]] as Hill (with [[Jason Sudeikis]] as Al Michaels and [[Bill Hader]] as Cris Collinsworth).<ref>{{cite web|title=SNL Transcripts: Jane Lynch: 10/09/10: Sunday Night Football|url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/10/10cfootball.phtmlpublisher=SNLTranscripts.org|access-date=November 15, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Jane Lynch sings a more useful 'Sunday Night Football' theme song|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Jane-Lynch-sings-a-more-useful-Sunday-Night-Foo?urn=nfl-276071|first=Doug|last=Farrar|work=Shutdown Corner – NFL Blog|publisher=Yahoo! News Network|date=October 10, 2010|access-date=November 15, 2011}}</ref> In the ''[[30 Rock]]'' episode "[[Season 4 (30 Rock episode)|Season 4]]", the character of [[Jenna Maroney]] ([[Jane Krakowski]]) sings what appears to be an allusion to the Faith Hill intro for NBC's fictional ''Tennis Night in America''<ref>{{cite web|title=Video: 30 Rock's "Tennis Night In America" Promo|url=http://sportsbybrooks.com/video-30-rocks-tennis-night-in-america-promo-26499|author=Adam J|work=SPORTSbyBROOKS|date=October 16, 2009|access-date=November 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422051458/http://sportsbybrooks.com/video-30-rocks-tennis-night-in-america-promo-26499|archive-date=April 22, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=NBC's "30 Rock" Spoofs Net's Sports Lineup During Season Premiere|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2009/10/Issue-25/Sports-Industrialists/Nbcs-30-Rock-Spoofs-Nets-Sports-Lineup-During-Season-Premiere.aspx|author=Adam J|work=Sports Business Journal Daily|publisher=Street and Smith's Sports Group|date=October 16, 2009|access-date=November 15, 2011}}</ref> program. In the ''[[South Park]]'' episode entitled "[[Faith Hilling]]", [[Eric Cartman]] sings an obvious spoof of Hill's actual ''Sunday Night Football'' song. On April 15, 2013, Hill announced that she would no longer sing the intro song for ''Sunday Night Football''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Faith Hill stepping away from 'Sunday Night Football'|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000159883/article/faith-hill-stepping-away-from-sunday-night-football|first=Dan|last=Hanzus|publisher=National Football League|date=April 15, 2013|access-date=April 15, 2013}}</ref>

The use of the reworked Joan Jett song is another similarity to ABC's ''Monday Night Football'' coverage. From [[1989 NFL season|1989]] to [[2011 NFL season|2011]] and again beginning in [[2017 NFL season|2017]], [[Hank Williams Jr.]] opens ''MNF'' with a reworking of his song "[[All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight]]" entitled "All My Rowdy Friends Are Back for Monday Night (Are You Ready for Some Football?)".

On October 7, 2012, [[The Soul Rebels]] had a featured performance on ''Sunday Night Football'', performing the show's theme song.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Soul Rebels on Sunday Night Football|url=http://madisonhouseinc.com/news/post/soul-rebels-sunday-night-football|work=Madison House Inc.|access-date=October 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009042244/http://madisonhouseinc.com/news/post/soul-rebels-sunday-night-football|archive-date=October 9, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It was announced May 7, 2013, that [[Carrie Underwood]] would take over singing the theme song.<ref>{{cite news|title=Underwood to sing 'Sunday Night Football' theme|url=http://pro32.ap.org/article/underwood-sing-sunday-night-football-theme|agency=Associated Press|access-date=May 7, 2013}}</ref>

A new Carrie Underwood-sung theme known as "Oh, Sunday Night", which takes elements from her 2014 duet hit with [[Miranda Lambert]], "[[Somethin' Bad]]", premiered with the opening game of the 2016 season on September 11.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/carrie-underwood-records-a-new-sunday-night-football-theme-song-20160620|title=Carrie Underwood Records a New 'Sunday Night Football' Theme Song|last=Betts|first=Stephen|date=20 June 2016|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=22 July 2016}}</ref>

For NBC's coverage of ''[[Thursday Night Football]]'' in 2016 and 2017, [[A cappella|A capella]] group [[Pentatonix]] sang the opening theme song called "Weekend Go." The song is a reworked version of their original song "[[Pentatonix (album)|Sing]]." NBC also used the ''TNF'' main theme music called "Can't Hold Us Down," performed by members of the Broadway orchestra for ''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]].''

In 2018, Underwood, along with songwriters [[Chris DeStefano]] and [[Brett James]], wrote and recorded a brand new song for SNF, called "Game On", replacing "Oh, Sunday Night," which had been the opening theme since 2016. In addition, Joel Beckerman, who had orchestrated the main theme since [[Super Bowl XLIII]], reorchestrated the main theme, for the first time since [[Super Bowl XLVI]]. The previous orchestration of the SNF theme continues to be heard on air, mostly during in-game promotions for the game being broadcast the next week.

Underwood faced criticism over the song, which led to her, NBC, and the NFL being sued by singer [[Heidi Merrill]] for plagiarism. NBC followed this up by reinstating "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" as the opening theme for the first time since 2015. Underwood returned, and in 2019, the open featured Joan Jett, and her band [[Joan Jett and the Blackhearts|The Blackhearts]]. The open was shot inside of [[Mercedes-Benz Stadium]], which was the first time that the SNF open was shot inside of an NFL stadium, instead of a soundstage. Underwood later returned to filming in soundstages in [[2020 NFL season|2020]] and [[2021 NFL season|2021]] due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Then from 2022 on, due to her residency, Underwood filmed the opening from the [[Resorts World Las Vegas]] Theatre.

A similar approach to “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” was made for NBC’s new [[College Football on NBC Sports|Big Ten Saturday Night]] package, as rock band [[Fall Out Boy]] performed the theme song, a cover of "Here Comes Saturday Night" by Italian band Giuda. The instrumental version of the song is also heard during the broadcast as the main theme.

==Show opening==
The song is at the centerpiece of the opening montage, which has changed several times over the years. Carrie Underwood's music has always played in the background over the official welcome after the opening is completed and the teams take the field.

===Pink===
====2006====
For the first season, [[Pink (singer)|Pink]] appeared to sing from the top of a skyscraper as a helicopter zoomed down on a city [[skyline]] with enlarged players [[Shaun Alexander]], [[LaDainian Tomlinson]] and Tom Brady and the field, the results of [[computer-generated imagery]]. A television monitor, which resembles the monitor at [[Times Square]] leased at the time by NBC, showed game preview footage and opening credits.

===Faith Hill===
====2007====
[[Faith Hill]], who replaced Pink as the theme song's performer, sang on a stage while some of the key players in the game and announcers Al Michaels and John Madden arrived in [[limousine]]s and walk on a [[red carpet]] as they head to a simulated theater. The marquee outside the theater showed the logo of then-official NFL communications partner [[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]], which paid a [[product placement]] fee, and one of the "bystanders" recorded the red carpet scene on a Sprint [[camera phone]]. ''[[Access Hollywood]]'' co-hosts [[Shaun Robinson]] and [[Tony Potts]] also appeared in the opening. In addition, some of the lyrics were changed slightly and the musical arrangement tilts toward [[country music|country]] more than [[rock music|rock]], to reflect the change in singers.

====2008====
The 2008 opening, which debuted on September 7, takes place in a stadium. Hill performed and danced surrounded by video screens with simulated game action, and the song ended with a computer-generated [[fireworks display]]. Once again, a Sprint camera phone was used, this time by a fan. Among the spectators were NFL stars [[Ray Lewis (American football)|Ray Lewis]] and [[Antonio Gates]]. Again, there were some lyrics changes, among them was the substitution of the lyrics "last one standing better turn out the lights".<ref>This may be a [[paraphrase]].</ref>

====Super Bowl XLIII====
A special intro sequence was used for [[Super Bowl XLIII]] on February 1, 2009. Hill performed with CGI blue neon lights and video screens in the settings of the background and at the end of the video, the [[Vince Lombardi Trophy]] entered through pouring water, showing the trophy in front of the city of [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] (the host city of Super Bowl XLIII).

====2009====
For 2009, Hill appeared in the intro sequence performed in a closed-studio setting, surrounded by video monitors, neon lights and a message board that displayed the names of the production staff. Sprint returned for more product placement, as a branded cell phone appeared to give an alert that the game was about to start.

====2010====
Hill was seen in front of a [[Ford Mustang]] convertible as the song began, overlooking a bluff; the scene was taped in the [[Hollywood Hills]] in [[California]]. A number of NFL stars appeared in front of various landmarks throughout the United States, including [[Peyton Manning]] at the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]], [[Eli Manning]] at [[Times Square]], [[DeSean Jackson]] at the [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]], [[Larry Fitzgerald]] in the [[Sonoran Desert]] in [[Arizona]] and [[Drew Brees]] on [[Bourbon Street]] in [[New Orleans]]. Hill herself drove down a road with some simulated [[billboard]]s with the opening credits and a product placement ad for [[Verizon]] (which replaced Sprint as the league's telecommunications sponsor) and was also seen at the [[Washington Monument]]. Some of the lyrics changed yet again; for example, the opening line once again asked, "Alright, Sunday night, where are you?" Hill gathered with the NFL stars on a football field inside a stadium at the end of the video.

In Week 16, the introduction did not air due to the game moving to Tuesday night and time constraints.

====2011====
There were a few significant changes from the previous year, including Hill (who herself returned for her fifth year as part of the telecast's opening) arriving in a [[motorcycle]]. In addition, Verizon returned for more product placement. Most of the scenes, including the NFL stars' appearances in front of various landmarks throughout the U.S. and Hill at the Washington Monument (with the minor difference being her wardrobe), were repeated from 2010, however several new NFL stars appeared, including [[Adrian L. Peterson|Adrian Peterson]] and [[Brian Urlacher]]; in the last few seconds of the sequence, all of them gathered on a computer-generated football field. In another notable change, the opening credits were dropped for the season. J. Ivy, a spoken word poet from [[Chicago]] who has worked with [[Kanye West]] and [[Jay-Z]], also appears during the opening.

====Super Bowl XLVI====
Hill performed another special Super Bowl version of the song at the start of the network's broadcast of [[Super Bowl XLVI]] on February 5, 2012. With computer-generated technology, this was filmed in a closed-studio setting, with her walking surrounded by video screens showing clips from past Super Bowl games. A Verizon smartphone (product placement) was seen at the beginning of the video sequence.

====2012====
Some changes were made to the show's opening for the 2012 season, which included Hill walking through the tunnel towards the stage. She then performed with a rock band in front of a live audience, with video screens in the background. Shortly after the start of the song, guests appeared on the computer-generated video screens each week (such as three of the judges from ''[[The Voice (U.S.)|The Voice]]'' for Week 1, the [[Chicago Fire Department]] for Week 3 and the girls Goldie Rocky and Shania from The New Normal for Week 5) singing the line, "We want it too!" The live audience used their smartphones to form the Verizon logo. NFL stars were also seen going through the tunnel with moving CG images of city landmarks, players and team logos. Initially, the stars presented were [[Aaron Rodgers]] ([[Green Bay Packers]]), [[Clay Matthews III|Clay Matthews]] (Packers), [[Ray Lewis]] ([[Baltimore Ravens]]), [[Patrick Willis]] ([[San Francisco 49ers]]), [[Jimmy Graham]] ([[New Orleans Saints]]), [[DeMarcus Ware]] ([[Dallas Cowboys]]), [[Calvin Johnson]] ([[Detroit Lions]]), [[Larry Fitzgerald]] ([[Arizona Cardinals]]), [[Jared Allen]] ([[Minnesota Vikings]]), [[Rob Gronkowski]] ([[New England Patriots]]), [[Darrelle Revis]] ([[New York Jets]]) and Eli Manning ([[New York Giants]]). The opening itself was remixed with [[Nick Mangold]] (Jets) and [[LeSean McCoy]] ([[Philadelphia Eagles]]) filling in for Ray Lewis and Darrelle Revis.

Beginning with this season, the opening title sequence was not used at the start of the ''[[NFL on Thanksgiving Day|NBC Sunday Night Football Thanksgiving Special]]'' broadcast. This opening was also not used on December 16, 2012, two days after the [[Sandy Hook shooting]].

===Carrie Underwood===
====2013====
[[Carrie Underwood]] became the performer for the theme song for the 2013 season, replacing Faith Hill. Her intro debuted on September 8, with the theme arrangement itself tilted even more towards country to reflect the change in singers. In this animation sequence, Carrie Underwood performed on stage inside a computer-generated stadium. Verizon also returned for more product placement. Some of the NFL stars appearing in this opening included [[Andrew Luck]] ([[Indianapolis Colts]]), Eli Manning (Giants), Peyton Manning ([[Denver Broncos]]), Clay Matthews (Packers) and [[J. J. Watt]] ([[Houston Texans]]). The animation ended with the ''NBC Sunday Night Football'' logo written in laser lighting.

Beginning with this season, the opening was not used for any and all playoff games aired on NBC with the exception of the Super Bowl.

====2014====
Underwood continued her role as ''Sunday Night Football''{{'}}s show opener, which debuted on September 7. Once again, Verizon returned to provide product placement. Some of the NFL stars that were represented in the opening were [[Philip Rivers]] ([[San Diego Chargers]]), [[Luke Kuechly]] ([[Carolina Panthers]]), DeMarcus Ware (Broncos), Clay Matthews (Packers), [[Brandon Marshall]] ([[Chicago Bears]]), [[Jimmy Graham]] (Saints), [[LeSean McCoy]] (Eagles) and [[Colin Kaepernick]] (49ers). This time, she was seen performing on a computer-generated stage. In another major tweak, the lyrics toward the end of the song changed, with the commentators' first names (Al and Cris) being replaced with "come on along with the best on TV."

====Super Bowl XLIX====
Underwood performed a special Super Bowl version of the song at the start of the network's broadcast of [[Super Bowl XLIX]] on February 1, 2015. In this version, she is performing with a rock band in concert with video screens showing scenes from past Super Bowl games inside a CGI rendering of [[University of Phoenix Stadium]], the site of Super Bowl XLIX. The Patriots' [[Tom Brady]], [[Rob Gronkowski]] and [[Darrelle Revis]], as well as the [[Seattle Seahawks]]' [[Russell Wilson]] and [[Kam Chancellor]], appeared in the opening. Verizon provided product placement.

====2015====
Underwood returned for her third year as part of the show's opening on September 13. Once again, she was seen performing on a computer-generated stage. Product placement was once again provided by Verizon, which introduced its newest company logo that September.

====2016====
Underwood returned for her fourth season on September 11, with "Oh, Sunday Night" replacing "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night" as the new intro for ''SNF''. In this open, Underwood was seen at the stadium entrance in front of a bus. Upon entering the stadium, she goes into the ''SNF'' broadcast booth with Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (color). She was then seen going down the steps before entering the locker room with the players and then walking past a row of [[cheerleaders]]. Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter) also appears in the open, as does product placement by Verizon. As Underwood left the computer-generated stadium at the end of the open, the ''SNF'' logo was lit up between the two computer-generated [[pyrotechnics]] displays and finally, the sliding doors seen above the logo slid open while going into a live shot.

====2017====
Underwood returned for her fifth season on September 10. The opening sequence began with a skyline and a Verizon logo (product placement) on the lower left of the screen. Underwood was seen wearing a red dress while walking down the street before performing on stage. Various NFL stars also appeared in the opening.

====Super Bowl LII====
Rather than singing a special version of "Oh Sunday Night", done in previous years with "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night", Underwood recorded, and performed "[[The Champion (song)|The Champion]]" featuring rapper [[Ludacris]] as the opening sequence to [[Super Bowl LII]], with product placement by Verizon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/super-bowl/super-bowl-carrie-underwood-the-champion-1.16140062|title=Underwood's 'The Champion' to open Super Bowl}}</ref>

====2018====
Underwood returned for her sixth season on September 9. "Game On" replaced "[[Somethin' Bad|Oh Sunday Night]]" as the opening theme. In the open, she was joined by several NFL stars before the cheerleaders joined her. The open ended with Underwood on the rooftop of a skyscraper. In another significant change, the logo of [[Pepsi]] (the official soft drink of the NFL, which paid a product placement fee) was shown. It replaced [[Verizon]] as the product placement sponsor in the ''SNF'' open.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nashcountrydaily.com/2018/08/04/carrie-underwood-returns-to-sunday-night-football-with-new-theme-song-game-on/|title = Carrie Underwood Returns to "Sunday Night Football" with New Theme Song, "Game On"|date = August 4, 2018}}</ref> Although the Kickoff Game had no intro, NBC used a snippet of Underwood's song [[The Champion (song)|The Champion]], to commemorate the Eagles' Super Bowl Championship, which then led into the championship banner unveiling, the singing of "[[Fly, Eagles Fly]]", and the introduction of the Super Bowl Champion Eagles, all led by Hall of Famer [[Brian Dawkins]].

As in recent years, the intro was not seen before the Thanksgiving game. However, NBC created a special intro featuring chef [[Emeril Lagasse]] and New Orleans-born jazz musician [[Trombone Shorty]].

====2019====
Underwood returned for her seventh season on September 8, when her new intro for ''SNF'' debuted during Week 1. As previously mentioned, she teamed with rock music legend [[Joan Jett]] for the return of the original ''SNF'' opening theme song, "[[I Hate Myself for Loving You|Waiting All Day For Sunday Night]]." Product placement was once again provided by Pepsi and the opening sequence was filmed inside [[Mercedes-Benz Stadium]] in [[Atlanta]], making this the first time the open was filmed inside an actual NFL stadium.

As in recent years, the intro was not seen before the Thanksgiving game. However, like the year before, NBC created a special intro for the game. This year, the intro featured Atlanta-based country group [[Zac Brown Band]] performing a rewritten version of their song [[Chicken Fried]].

====2020====
Underwood returned for her eighth season on September 13. This season's intro was very unique, as due to the ongoing [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]], an intro could not be filmed. Instead, the intro was filmed remotely, with players and fans making cameos from home.

NBC had also planned to air a special intro for the Thanksgiving game for the third straight year, this year, starring [[Milo Ventimiglia]] from NBC's hit show ''[[This is Us]]''. However, because the game was postponed to the Wednesday afternoon after Thanksgiving, the intro was scrapped altogether.

====2021====
Underwood returned for her ninth season on September 12. This season's intro was featured with NFL players along with reporters, fans tailgating in the parking lot and some of SNF's finest moments. Also, [[Uber Eats]] replaced Pepsi as the sponsor of the ''Sunday Night Football'' open. The intro ends with a computer-generated fireworks display, similar to that of 2008.

The Thanksgiving Night intro returned for 2021. This year featured New Orleans native [[Branford Marsalis]] narrating a special video essay.

====Super Bowl LVI====
In lieu of a special recording of "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night", as the case in previous Super Bowl broadcasts, NBC's opening started with an impromptu [[television advertisement|commercial]] for [[Visit California]] and features movie clips of famous football movies, clips from previous Super Bowl games and cameo appearances by Hollywood actors and Super Bowl luminaries, starring actress [[Halle Berry]]. Underwood did make a cameo in the commercial, singing a parody of her hit song "[[Before He Cheats]]" related to ''[[The Blind Side (film)|The Blind Side]]'' (acting as if it was a musical), with the title line being changed to "Maybe next time he'll beg before he calls a [[Quarterback sneak|sneak]]".

A snippet of Ludacris's verse in Underwood's song, The Champion, was used for the first half highlights and "The Buzz" segment during the broadcast prior to the second half kickoff.

====2022====
Underwood returned for her 10th season on September 11. This season's intro underwent an overhaul to match the new logo and package introduced for SNF. The intro starts with a computer-generated fireworks display before panning down towards a concert venue where Underwood performs, cutting between the performance and clips of the teams. Aspects of previous SNF intros made their return, with some melodies from previous years being reintroduced. The intro ends with a pan up towards the fireworks display with the new SNF logo.

[[Minnesota Vikings]] legend [[John Randle]] starred in the special intro on Thanksgiving Night before his [[2022 Minnesota Vikings season|Vikings]] hosted the [[2022 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]].

====2023====
Underwood returned for her 11th season on September 10. For this season, an updated version of "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" is used, with the intro consisting of a concert performance interspersed with [[augmented reality]] highlights displayed on a halo scoreboard similar to that of [[SoFi Stadium]] in Inglewood as well as a yet unnamed surprise element.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2023 |title=Carrie Stars In 11th Consecutive Show Open for Sunday Night Football, Headlined By Concert Performance With A New Twist |url=https://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/carrie-stars-in-11th-consecutive-show-open-for-sunday-night-football-headlined-by-concert-performance-with-a-new-twist/ |website=carrieunderwoodofficial.com}}</ref> Geico would replace Uber Eats as the sponsor for the show open.

The opening was not used for the Christmas games.

==Graphics==
===2006–2008===
[[File:NBCSNFscore0608.PNG|thumb|left|The scoring banner used from 2006 to 2008.]]
[[File:NBC Sunday Night Football logo.png|thumb|left|200px|The 2008 variation of the 2006-2022 logo.]]
The graphics, logos and scoreboard for NBC's ''Sunday Night Football'' telecasts were designed by Troika Design Group, along with the city skyline graphics used in the introductions to both ''Football Night in America'' and the games proper.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Troika Design Group Creates New Identity and Packaging For ''NBC Sunday Night Football'', Kicking off a New American Tradition|url=http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060919005448&newsLang=en|work=[[Troika Design Group]]|publisher=[[BusinessWire]]|date=September 19, 2006|access-date=September 19, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930022235/http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060919005448&newsLang=en|archive-date=September 30, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was effectively the first time the network used permanent time/score boxes throughout any of their sports broadcasts outside of [[Olympic Games]] broadcasts, where permanent scoring displays were compulsory; prior to 2006, the network continued the previous mode of presenting the scores on-screen for a short time every few minutes or so, a method common in American sports broadcasting until Fox introduced [[FoxBox (sports)|constant scoring displays]] in 1994.

NBC's game telecasts use the same type of horizontal bottom-screen scoreboard that ''Monday Night Football'' used in the [[2005 NFL season]] (and was subsequently used by [[ESPN on ABC#ABC Sports|ABC Sports]] until its [[ESPN on ABC|rebranding]] in August 2006). After its debut, the graphics also began to be phased in across other NBC Sports properties, including its coverage of [[Notre Dame Football on NBC|Notre Dame]] football and the annual [[Bayou Classic]] game (which uses exactly the same graphics used on ''SNF'' broadcasts), [[NHL on NBC|National Hockey League]] coverage (which uses the ''SNF'' graphics but with a scoreboard on the top), and [[Tennis on NBC|tennis]] and [[PGA Tour on NBC|golf]] (which use a modified version influenced by the look, but with bolder text for readability purposes). NBC's Olympics coverage continues to use a different package mixed between NBC's graphics and those of the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]]'s world feed. The NBC football graphics are also used, in some form or another, on certain locally produced preseason telecasts carried by NBC owned-and-operated stations and affiliates that serve as flagship outlets for NFL teams (such as [[New York Giants]] preseason games on [[WNBC]], and the [[Minnesota Vikings]] on [[KARE-TV]]).

===2009–2011===
[[File:NBCSNFscore09.PNG|thumb|right|The scoring banner used from 2009 to 2011 (regular season).]]
NBC's bottom-line scoring banner underwent a significant revamp for the [[2009 NFL season|2009 season]], although it debuted during the network's Super Bowl XLIII coverage on February 1, 2009. The changes included presenting downs and yardage in a feather derived from NBC's iconic [[Logo of NBC|peacock logo]] in the colors of the team currently on offense. In addition, when a team scores a touchdown, the banner will open, the team's logo and initials will slide to the left of the banner and "TOUCHDOWN" is displayed in the remainder of the banner. After a few moments, the banner will show the drive information. Then the banner returns to normal and show the change in the team's score. Additionally (beginning with Week 9), timeout indicators were added below each team's respective scores. For the [[2010 NFL season|2010 season]], the timeout indicators were changed to three white trapezoids below the team abbreviations, and the play clock was moved from above the team in possession of the football to above the game clock (for the final two minutes of regulation and if necessary, overtime). The down markers also changed in 2010, which is now featuring the team logo next to the down marker.

===2012–2014===
[[File:NFLonNBC2012.jpg|thumb|left|The scoring banner used from 2012 to 2014, starting with the [[2011–12 NFL playoffs|2011 NFL Wild Card playoffs]] to Week 17 of the [[2014 NFL season|2014 NFL regular season]]. Notice the addition of timeout indicators at the bottom, and the cleaner and larger looking font in the team's initials.]]
On January 2, 2012, during the [[NHL Winter Classic]] (with a sneak two days before during a [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey|Notre Dame hockey]] game on Versus), the graphics of all of NBC Sports' productions were updated to a new package intended to unify the graphical image between both the network and the rebranded [[NBCSN|NBC Sports Network]], which relaunched that same day. Subsequently, on Wild Card Saturday (January 7), the network's NFL presentation was changed to the new graphical styling to match the style and layout of the then-recently christened NBC Sports Network. Most of the banner's styling remains the same, but with a cleaner and larger font for readability and a more neutral NBC logo to the left rather than the "aggressive peacock" used since 2006. Elements such as team and individual player stats take on team colors (main color as the background, secondary color as the accent), and the down/yardage/possession graphic also takes on team coloring, with neutral team comparison stats and other elements having a gold/blue/black coloring. Additionally, the play clock appeared directly above the game clock throughout the entire game.

Beginning with the 2014 Hall of Fame Game on August 3, 2014, the play clock was moved to the right side, next to the down/yardage graphic, of the bottom-screen score banner, which itself remained in the 4:3 safe area. In addition, beginning with the ''NFL Kickoff Special'' on September 4, 2014, an electronic green-colored line-of-scrimmage marker was added to the virtual on-field graphic. NBC's ''Sunday Night Football'' was also the last of the five NFL broadcast partners to switch to a full 16:9 letterbox presentation on its 4:3 [[standard-definition television|standard-definition]] feed, a downscaled version of the HD feed's native 16:9 format (utilizing the [[Active Format Description]] #10 flag), following Fox (2010), ESPN's ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' (2011), NFL Network's ''[[Thursday Night Football]]'' (2012) and CBS (2013). Some of the graphics were also re-positioned.

===2015–2017===
On January 3, 2015, during the [[2014–15 NFL playoffs|Wild Card playoffs]], ''Sunday Night Football'' introduced a refresh of NBC Sports' graphics that was first launched on January 1, carrying a brighter visual appearance.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Teti |first=John |title=Everybody was excited about NBC's updated football graphics last weekend |language=en-US |work=The AV Club |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/everybody-was-excited-about-nbcs-updated-football--213616 |access-date=2018-03-14}}</ref> A dedicated graphics package was introduced specifically for NBC-produced ''Thursday Night Football'' games during its tenure as a rightsholder.

===2018–2021===
NBC debuted a new graphics package specifically for ''Sunday Night Football'' during [[Super Bowl LII]], began to be used full-time 2018 season. Producer Fred Gaudelli stated that the network wanted ''SNF'' to have a more distinctive presentation to set them apart from other NBC Sports telecasts.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/tech-media/2018/02/05/super-bowl-lii-nbc-broadcast-blackout-cris-collinsworth-al-michaels|title=Grading NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl LII|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=2018-03-14|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Dachman |first=Jason |title=NFL Kickoff 2018: From Green Zone to Dual SkyCams, NBC Sports Has Big Plans for Sunday Night Football |language=en |work=Sports Video Group |url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/09/06/nfl-kickoff-2018-from-green-zone-to-dual-skycams-nbc-sports-has-big-plans-for-sunday-night-football/ |access-date=2018-11-21}}</ref> For the 2018 season, NBC also debuted a new on-air feature known as the "green zone"; on third and fourth downs, the distance from the line of scrimmage to the first down line is digitally shaded on the field to be a darker shade of green. The feature received mixed reviews from critics and viewers, who considered it distracting and redundant to the existing yellow [[first down line]] that had historically been a standard feature of U.S. football telecasts. ''[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]''{{'}}s Rodger Sherman considered it "the ultimate conclusion of graphics creep". Gaudelli stated that the green zone was developed for when Skycam is used as a primary camera angle, but it was decided to use the effect on all games.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/6/17830436/nbc-green-zone-eagles-falcons-first-down|title=NBC's "Green Zone" Is the Ultimate Conclusion of Graphics Creep|work=The Ringer|access-date=2018-11-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2018/08/27/nbc-sunday-night-football-green-zone-reaction|title=I'm here to defend NBC's 'green zone' -- sort of|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=2018-11-21|language=en}}</ref>

===2022–present===
NBC debuted a new on-air graphics package for ''Sunday Night Football'' during [[Super Bowl LVI]], including a "pod"-like scoreboard in the center of the screen (reminiscent of one introduced by Fox in 2020, and one initially used by ''Monday Night Football'' upon its move to ESPN) anchored by a circular hub containing the game clock, and capable of retracting itself to the side of the screen to fit statistical graphics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bupp |first=Phillip |date=2022-02-13 |title=NBC debuts a more centered scorebug for the Super Bowl |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/nbc/nbc-debuts-a-more-centered-scorebug-for-the-super-bowl.html |access-date=2022-10-12 |website=Awful Announcing |language=en-US}}</ref> For the first time, NBC also introduced a new logo for ''Sunday Night Football'' and its associated programs, replacing the previous [[pentagon]]-shaped "shield" logo used since its premiere with a more minimalistic wordmark better-suited for multi-platform usage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |date=2022-09-07 |title=NBC's 'Sunday Night Football' Kicks Off Season With Logo Change |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/nbc-sunday-night-football-logo-design-change-1235362390/ |access-date=2022-10-12 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> The new logo also [[Soft launch|soft launched]] a refresh of the network's long-time [[NBC logo|peacock logo]], whose official rollout began in earnest in late-December 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradley |first=Bill |title=NBC's Brand Refresh |url=https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/nbc-brand-refresh/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=Adweek |date=December 21, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

A variant of these graphics with a more rectangular appearance were adopted by NBC's [[College Football on NBC Sports|college football broadcasts]] (which had continued to use the 2015 graphics since) in 2023, coinciding with the debut of its new ''Big Ten Saturday Night'' broadcasts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bucholtz |first=Andrew |date=2023-08-26 |title=NBC debuts new score bug on Navy-Notre Dame game |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/college-football/nbc-score-bug-notre-dame-navy.html |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=Awful Announcing |language=en-US}}</ref>

For Spanish broadcasts on [[Telemundo Deportes|Telemundo]], the network's [[Telemundo|stylized "T" logo]] was used instead of its sister network's peacock logo.

==International broadcasts==
In Canada, ''Sunday Night Football'' is aired by [[The Sports Network|TSN]], as well as [[CTV 2]] for [[simsub]] purposes since the 2017 season under the NFL's current media rights. It is also aired in the UK by [[Sky Sports]], corporate sibling to NBC since Comcast's acquisition of Sky, and in Australia by [[7mate]].

In Brazil, ''SNF'' is broadcast on [[ESPN Brasil]], with the original English audio available as a separate feed via second audio program. Brazilian Portuguese audio is hosted by Fernando Nardini on play-by-play and Paulo Antunes as color commentator; Ari Aguiar/Renan do Couto fills in occasionally as play-by-play and Antony Curti as color commentator.

The ''Sunday Night Football'' telecasts are also aired in Latin America by [[ESPN Latin America]], with Álvaro Martín as play-by-play announcer and [[Raúl Allegre]] providing color commentary.

In the Philippines, Sunday Night Football, alongside other primetime games, is aired by [[Premier Sports (Philippine TV channel)|Premier Sports]] beginning with the 2021 season.

==Nielsen ratings==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! Season
|Sunday, October 12
! Total viewers<br>{{small|(in millions)}}
|8:15 PM
! Rating
|[[New England Patriots]]
! Share
|align="center"|
|[[San Diego Chargers]]
|[[Qualcomm Stadium]]
|-
|-
|| [[2006-07 United States network television schedule|2006]] || 17.5 || 11.0 || 18
|Sunday, October 19
|8:15 PM
|[[Seattle Seahawks]]
|align="center"|
|[[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]
|[[Raymond James Stadium]]
|-
|-
|| [[2007-08 United States network television schedule|2007]] || 16.0 || 10.0 || 16
|Sunday, November 2
|8:15 PM
|[[New England Patriots]]
|align="center"|
|[[Indianapolis Colts]]
|[[Lucas Oil Stadium]]
|-
|-
|| [[2008-09 United States network television schedule|2008]] || 16.6 || 10.2 || 16
|Sunday, November 9
|8:15 PM
|[[New York Giants]]
|align="center"|
|[[Philadelphia Eagles]]
|[[Lincoln Financial Field]]
|-
|-
|| [[2009-10 United States network television schedule|2009]] || 19.4 || 11.7 || 19
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Sunday, November 16
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|8:15 PM
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Dallas Cowboys]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Washington Redskins]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[FedEx Field]]
|-
|-
|| [[2010-11 United States network television schedule|2010]] || 25.8 || 13.0 || 21
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Sunday, November 23
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|8:15 PM
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Indianapolis Colts]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[San Diego Chargers]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Qualcomm Stadium]]
|-
|-
|| [[2011-12 United States network television schedule|2011]] || 21.5<ref>{{cite web|title=Complete List Of 2011-12 Season TV Show Ratings: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'American Idol,' 'The Voice' & 'Modern Family'|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/24/final-list-of-2011-12-season-tv-show-ratings-sunday-night-football-tops-followed-by-american-idol-the-voice-modern-family/135747/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525183657/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/24/final-list-of-2011-12-season-tv-show-ratings-sunday-night-football-tops-followed-by-american-idol-the-voice-modern-family/135747/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 25, 2012|first=Bill|last=Gorman|work=[[TV by the Numbers]]|publisher=[[Zap2It]] ([[Tribune Media|Tribune Company]])|date=May 24, 2012|access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref> || 12.9 || 20
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Sunday, November 30
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|8:15 PM
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Chicago Bears]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Minnesota Vikings]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]]
|-
|-
|| [[2012-13 United States network television schedule|2012]] || 21.4<ref>{{cite web|title='Sunday Night Football' on NBC is Once Again Primetime Television's Number 1 Show|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/03/sunday-night-football-on-nbc-is-once-again-primetime-televisions-number-1-show/163621/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106095951/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/03/sunday-night-football-on-nbc-is-once-again-primetime-televisions-number-1-show/163621/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 6, 2013|first=Sara|last=Bibel|work=TV by the Numbers|publisher=Zap2It (Tribune Company)|date=January 3, 2013|access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref> || 12.8 || 20
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Sunday, December 7
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|8:15 PM
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[New England Patriots]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Seattle Seahawks]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Qwest Field]]
|-
|-
|| [[2013-14 United States network television schedule|2013]] || 21.495<ref>{{cite magazine|title=100 most-watched shows on broadcast TV|url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/12/18/100-most-watched-shows-on-broadcast-tv/?u|first=Lynette|last=Rice|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=December 18, 2013}}</ref> || 12.8 || 21
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Sunday, December 14
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|8:15 PM
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[New York Giants]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Dallas Cowboys]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Texas Stadium]]
|-
|-
|| [[2014–15 United States network television schedule|2014]] || 21.3<ref>{{cite web|title=NBC's 'Sunday Night Football' Concludes Regular Season as Primetime Television's #1 Show|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/30/nbcs-sunday-night-football-concludes-regular-season-as-primetime-televisions-1-show/344772/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103100828/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/30/nbcs-sunday-night-football-concludes-regular-season-as-primetime-televisions-1-show/344772/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 3, 2015|first=Amanda|last=Kondolojy|work=TV by the Numbers|publisher=Zap2It (Tribune Company)|date=December 30, 2014}}</ref> || 12.5 || 21
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Sunday, December 21
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|8:15 PM
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[San Diego Chargers]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Raymond James Stadium]]
|-
|-
|| [[2015–16 United States network television schedule|2015]] || 22.5 || 13.0 || 22
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Sunday, December 28
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|8:15 PM
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[St. Louis Rams]] or [[Detroit Lions]] or [[Chicago Bears]] or [[New York Giants]] or [[Carolina Panthers]] or [[Dallas Cowboys]] or [[Washington Redskins]] or [[Seattle Seahawks]] or [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] or [[New England Patriots]] or [[Kansas City Chiefs]] or [[Tennessee Titans]] or [[Miami Dolphins]] or [[Cleveland Browns]] or [[Oakland Raiders]] or [[Denver Broncos]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Atlanta Falcons]] or [[Green Bay Packers]] or [[Houston Texans]] or [[Minnesota Vikings]] or [[New Orleans Saints]] or [[Philadelphia Eagles]] or [[San Francisco 49ers]] or [[Arizona Cardinals]] or [[Baltimore Ravens]] or [[Buffalo Bills]] or [[Cincinnati Bengals]] or [[Indianapolis Colts]] or [[New York Jets]] or [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] or [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] or [[San Diego Chargers]]
|bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|[[Georgia Dome]] or [[Lambeau Field]] or [[Reliant Stadium]] or [[Metrodome]] or [[Superdome]] or [[Lincoln Financial Field]] or [[Monster Park]] or [[University of Phoenix Stadium]] or [[M&T Bank Stadium]] or [[Ralph Wilson Stadium]] or [[Paul Brown Stadium]] or [[Lucas Oil Stadium]] or [[Giants Stadium]] or [[Heinz Field]] or [[Raymond James Stadium]] or [[Qualcomm Stadium]]
|-
|-
|| [[2016-17 United States network television schedule|2016]] || 28.7 || 18.3 || 23
|}

====Postseason====
{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|<small>'''[[Overtime (sports)|Overtime Result]]'''</small>
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
|-
|| [[2017–18 United States network television schedule|2017]] || 18.2 || 10.3 || 20
!Game
!Date
!Kickoff time
!Visiting Team
!Final Score
!Host Team
!Stadium
|-
|-
| [[2018–19 United States network television schedule|2018]] || 20.0 || 16.1 || 20
|'''[[Wild card (sports)|Wildcard Game]]'''
|Saturday, January 3
|4:30 PM
|TBD
|align="center"|
|TBD
|TBD
|-
|-
| [[2019–20 United States network television schedule|2019]] || 20.5 || 11.3 || 26
|'''[[Wild card (sports)|Wildcard Game]]'''
|Saturday, January 3
|8:00 PM
|TBD
|align="center"|
|TBD
|TBD
|-
|-
| [[2020–21 United States network television schedule|2020]] || 17.4 || 9.3 || 20
|'''[[Super Bowl XLIII]]'''
|Sunday, February 1
|6:25 PM
|[[American Football Conference Championship Game|AFC Champions TBD]]
|align="center"|
|[[National Football Conference Championship Game|NFC Champions TBD]]
|[[Raymond James Stadium]],<br> [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], [[Florida]]
|-
|-
| [[2021–22 United States network television schedule|2021]] || 19.3 || 9.9 || 23
|'''[[2009 Pro Bowl]]'''
|-
|Sunday, February 8
| [[2022–23 United States network television schedule|2022]] || 18.4 || 9.8 ||
|
|-
|[[American Football Conference|AFC]]
| [[2023–24 United States network television schedule|2023]] || || ||
|align="center|
|-
|[[National Football Conference|NFC]]
| [[2024 NFL season|2024]] || || ||
|[[Aloha Stadium]],<br> [[Honolulu, Hawaii|Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]]
|}
|}


Through the first four weeks of the 2010 NFL season, ''Sunday Night Football'' had an average total viewership of 22.9 million viewers, the most for the first four weeks of a prime time NFL package in 14 years (since ABC earned a 24.0 million average viewership in 1996 on four broadcasts of ''Monday Night Football'').<ref>{{cite web|title='Sunday Night Football': Best Average Viewership in 14 Years|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/10/05/sunday-night-football-best-average-viewership-in-14-years/66688|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024144638/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/10/05/sunday-night-football-best-average-viewership-in-14-years/66688/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 24, 2012|first=Robert|last=Seidman|work=TV by the Numbers|publisher=Zap2It (Tribune Company)|date=October 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="Sunday Night Football" No. 1 Show Of Primetime Season; Undefeated vs. Competition In 2010|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/01/05/%e2%80%9csunday-night-football%e2%80%9d-no-1-show-of-primetime-season-undefeated-vs-competition-in-2010/77378/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108192012/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/01/05/%E2%80%9Csunday-night-football%E2%80%9D-no-1-show-of-primetime-season-undefeated-vs-competition-in-2010/77378|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 8, 2011|first=Bill|last=Gorman|work=TV by the Numbers|publisher=Zap2It (Tribune Company)|date=January 5, 2011}}</ref>
==Similarity to ABC==
Eighty percent of NBC's ''Sunday Night Football'' crew comes from ABC/ESPN, including [[Fred Gaudelli]] and [[Drew Esocoff]] (producer and director, respectively), as ESPN moved most of its ''Sunday Night'' production crew to ''[[Monday Night Football]]''. Michaels, Madden and Kremer also come to NBC directly from ABC/ESPN, and ''[[Football Night in America|Football Night in America's]]'' Sterling Sharpe was a member of ESPN's ''[[Sunday NFL Countdown]]'' in recent years (calling several [[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday night games]] for the network in [[2005 NFL season|2005]]).<ref name="NBC primetime">{{cite news | url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4194021.html | title=Grading NBC in prime time | first=David | last=Barron | publisher=[[Houston Chronicle]] | date=2006-09-18 | accessdate=2006-09-18}}</ref> [[NBC Sports]] chairman [[Dick Ebersol]] on using ABC/ESPN talent:


The [[Washington Redskins]]&ndash;[[Dallas Cowboys]] game on December 30, 2012, was the highest-rated ''Sunday Night Football'' broadcast ever, earning 30.426 million viewers (22.074 million during the period from 8:31 to 11:25&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time) and a household rating of 12.7.<ref>{{cite web|title=Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'Crimetime Saturday' Programming Block is the Only Non-Sports Original in Week 14|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/14/live7-dvr-ratings-crimetime-saturday-is-the-only-non-sports-original-program-in-week-14/165264|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116174818/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/14/live7-dvr-ratings-crimetime-saturday-is-the-only-non-sports-original-program-in-week-14/165264/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 16, 2013|first=Amanda|last=Kondolojy|work=TV by the Numbers|publisher=Zap2It (Tribune Company)|date=January 14, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cowboys-Redskins is Most-Watched & Highest Rated NBC Regular-Season Primetime Game Ever|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/03/cowboys-redskins-is-most-watched-highest-rated-nbc-regular-season-primetime-game-ever/163618|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111131432/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/03/cowboys-redskins-is-most-watched-highest-rated-nbc-regular-season-primetime-game-ever/163618/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 11, 2013|first=Sara|last=Bibel|work=TV by the Numbers|publisher=Zap2It (Tribune Company)|date=January 3, 2013}}</ref> This also made it the most watched regular-season primetime game in 16 years, since a November 18, 1996 ''Monday Night Football'' game on ABC between the Green Bay Packers and the Cowboys (which was watched by 31.5 million viewers).<ref>{{cite web|title=NBC Wins the Primetime Week of December 24–30 in All Key Measures|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/03/nbc-wins-the-primetime-week-of-december-24-30-in-all-key-measures/163672|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108035317/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/03/nbc-wins-the-primetime-week-of-december-24-30-in-all-key-measures/163672/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 8, 2013|first=Sara|last=Bibel|work=TV by the Numbers|publisher=Zap2It (Tribune Company)|date=January 3, 2013}}</ref>
{{cquote|''I was not interested in the quote, unquote vanity of starting anew. . . There's not a lot of room for experimentation.''<ref name="NBC primetime"/>}}


For the 2013 season, ''Sunday Night Football'' averaged 21.9 million viewers (for 15 broadcasts, as well as the Turkey Bowl) in 2013, up 5% versus its viewership in 2012, and an increase of 3% with a 12.9 household rating. In terms of sheer reach, this marked the highest average viewership for an NFL prime time package since 1996. Its highest rated game telecast was the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts on October 20, 2013, which was watched by 26.9 million viewers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fox's National NFL Games Are the Biggest Draw on TV|url=http://adweek.com/news/television/fox-s-national-nfl-games-are-biggest-draw-tv-154442|first=Anthony|last=Crupi|work=[[AdWeek]]|date=December 11, 2013}}</ref>
Also, NBC has the starters introduce themselves, much as ABC did in the last few years of its run, and the short postgame show (so affiliates can get to their late newscasts) follows a similar format to ABC's.


==See also==
Michaels and Madden ended each telecast in the [[2007 NFL season|2007]] NFL season by selecting an [[Most Valuable Player|MVP]] for that night's game to receive the ''Horse Trailer'' award (with a photo of each recipient being affixed to the side of a production truck, also known as a "horse trailer"). This concept originated on ABC's ''MNF'', although in the 2006 season, it was altered to the ''Rock Star of the Game'', with the player's photo mounted on a rooftop display at NBC's headquarters, [[GE Building|the GE Building]] (aka "30 Rock") in New York.
* ''[[NFL on NBC]]''
* ''[[NFL on CBS]]''
* ''[[NFL on Fox]]''
* ''[[NFL on Westwood One Sports]]'' (Sunday Night Football on radio)
* ''[[Thursday Night Football]]''


==Theme music==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Academy Award]] winner [[John Williams (composer)|John Williams]] composed the instrumental theme music<ref>[http://www.imeem.com/people/Mbqas_/music/AqT9uvdc/john_williams_sunday_night_football_theme/ John Williams Sunday Night Football Theme - Song - MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> for ''Sunday Night Football''. Singer [[Pink (singer)|Pink]] sang the theme song for the broadcast<ref>[http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2006/08/from_hank_to_pi.html From Hank to . . . Pink?: NFL Sunday Night Adds Unneeded Girl Power]</ref>in 2006, a reworking of the [[Joan Jett]] song "I Hate Myself For Loving You" retitled "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night".<ref name="Pink">{{cite news | url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-pinksingssundaynightfootballtheme,0,4215656.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines | title='Sunday Night Football' Thinks Pink | publisher=Zap2it.com | date=2006-08-30 | accessdate=2006-09-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20060830nbc01 | title=Multi-platinum pop singer Pink performs "NBC Sunday Night Football" opening music | publisher=''NBC'' | date=[[2006-08-30]] | accessdate=2006-11-01}}</ref> Several alternative versions were used throughout the season, substituting different lyrics when appropriate, e.g. "Waiting All Year For Opening Night."


==Further reading==
On the selection of Pink, ''NFL on NBC'' producer Fred Gaudelli had this to say:
*{{Cite news |last=Rosen |first=Jody |date=2023-12-02 |title=Behind the Scenes of the Most Spectacular Show on TV |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/02/magazine/sunday-night-football.html |access-date=2023-12-11}}
{{cquote|''A football fan knows the anticipation of waiting all day for the big game. When you hear this song on Sunday nights you'll know the big game is about to kick off. ... We chose Pink as the signature voice because she is a tremendous talent with a crossover appeal that makes her relevant to all segments of our audience.<ref name="Pink"/>}}

Country singer [[Faith Hill]] replaced Pink as the singer of the opening theme in the [[2007 NFL season|2007 season]]; the theme still resembled the Joan Jett song.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20498058/ | title=Faith Hill to sing ''Sunday Night Football'' theme | publisher=''The Associated Press'' | date=[[2007-08-30]]}}</ref>

==Show opening==
The song is at the centerpiece of the opening montage, which has also changed in 2007. For the first season, Pink appeared to sing from the top of a [[skyscraper]] as a [[helicopter]] zoomed down on a city [[skyline]] and the field, the results of [[Computer-Generated Imagery]]. A television monitor, which resembles NBC's monitor at [[Times Square]], showed game preview footage and opening credits.

In 2007, [[Faith Hill]] sings on a stage while some of the key players in the game and announcers Michaels and Madden arrive in [[limousine]]s and walk on a [[red carpet]] as they head to a simulated [[theater]]. Also, some of the lyrics have been changed slightly and the musical arrangement tilts toward [[country music|country]] more than [[rock music|rock]], to reflect the change in singers. The marquee outside the theater shows the logo of [[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]], which paid a [[product placement]] fee, and one of the "bystanders" records the red carpet scene on a Sprint [[camera phone]]. ''[[Access Hollywood]]'' co-hosts [[Shaun Robinson]] and [[Tony Potts]] also appear in the opening.

In both cases, Williams' music then plays in the background over the official welcome.

==Graphics==
NBC's ''Sunday Night Football'' graphics, logos and scoreboard were designed by Troika Design Group, along with the city skyline graphics used in the introductions to both ''[[Football Night in America]]'' and the game itself.<ref>[http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060919005448&newsLang=en Troika Design Group Creates New Identity and Packaging for "NBC Sunday Night Football"]</ref> NBC's game telecasts use the same type of bottomline scoreboard that ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' used in the [[2005 NFL season]] (and was subsequently used by [[ESPN on ABC#ABC_Sports|ABC Sports]] until its [[ESPN on ABC|demise]] in [[August 2006]]). The bottomline was also used on NBC's own coverage of [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] football and the annual [[Bayou Classic]] game, and the package's look and font has also transitioned to other NBC Sports broadcasts such as the network's [[NHL on NBC|NHL]] coverage, ''[[Poker After Dark]]'' (which airs in the late overnight hours Monday-Saturday), [[figure skating]] specials, and video reports on [http://www.nbcsports.com NBCSports.com]. All NBC Sports presentations now use the package, with the network's golf coverage using it beginning in early February 2007 with their coverage of the [[FBR Open]], though it has been slightly modified for golf coverage due to readability concerns.

[[USA Network]], a "[[NBC Universal|sister]]" cable network, also uses the graphics to cover the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] [[tennis]] tournament.

== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

== See also ==
* ''[[NFL on NBC]]''
* ''[[Monday Night Football]]''


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/sunday-night-football}}
*[http://www.snfonnbc.com/ ''NBC Sunday Night Football'' &ndash; official website]
* {{IMDb title|0905590}}
*[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2006-08-03-weekend_x.htm New NBC talking heads have history across NFL telecasts]
* [http://www.sportsbusinessnews.com/_news/news_352560.php NBC a much happier NFL TV Partner] -- ''[[Sports Business News]]'' [[October 27]], [[2006]]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=R05j1qJ23G0 ''NBC Sunday Night Football'' theme song by Pink]


{{start box}}
{{S-start}}
{{s-ach|records}}
{{succession box|before=[[ESPN Sunday Night Football|ESPN]]| title=[[National Football League|NFL]] Sunday Night Football broadcaster| years=[[2006 NFL season|2006]] - Present| after=Incumbent}}
{{Succession box|before=''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football]]''|title=[[National Football League|NFL]] Sunday Night Football broadcaster|years=[[2006 NFL season|2006]]–present|after=Incumbent}}
{{end box}}
{{S-end}}


{{NBC Sports}}
{{NBC Sports}}
{{NFL on NBC}}
{{NFL on NBC}}
{{NBCNetwork Shows (current and upcoming)}}
{{Football Night in America}}
{{National Football League on television and radio}}
{{Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series}}
{{TopUSTVShows}}


[[Category:2006 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:2010s American television series]]
[[Category:NFL on NBC|Sunday Night Football]]
[[Category:Nielsen ratings winners]]
[[Category:Sunday Night Football]]
[[Category:Sunday Night Football]]
[[Category:NBC network shows|Sunday Night Football]]
[[Category:NBC original programming]]
[[Category:2006 television series debuts]]
[[Category:NBCSN shows]]
[[Category:2000s American television series]]
[[Category:Telemundo]]
[[Category:NBC Sports|Sunday Night Football]]
[[Category:NBC Sports]]
[[Category:National Football League on television]]

[[ja:NBCサンデーナイトフットボール]]

Latest revision as of 06:01, 16 May 2024

NBC Sunday Night Football
Current SNF logo, in use since 2022
Also known asSunday Night Football on NBC
SNF
GenreAmerican football telecasts
Directed byDrew Esocoff
Presented byCommentators:
Mike Tirico
Cris Collinsworth
Noah Eagle (select games)
Todd Blackledge (select games)
Jason Garrett (select games)
Reporters:
Melissa Stark
Kathryn Tappen (select games)
Kaylee Hartung (select games)
Rules analyst:
Terry McAulay
Spanish commentators:
Miguel Gurwitz
Rolando Cantú
Theme music composerJohn Williams (2006–2011) & Joel Beckerman (Super Bowl XLVI–present) (main theme)
Opening theme"Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" by Carrie Underwood
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons17+
No. of episodes307+ (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerFred Gaudelli
ProducerRob Hyland
Production locationsVarious NFL stadiums (game telecasts and Super Bowl pre-game shows)
Pre-game show:
NBC Sports Headquarters, Stamford, Connecticut
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time210 minutes or until game ends (inc. adverts)
Production companiesNational Football League
NBC Sports
Original release
NetworkNBC
Peacock
Telemundo or Universo (Spanish audio/broadcast)
ReleaseAugust 6, 2006 (2006-08-06) –
present
Related

NBC Sunday Night Football (abbreviated as SNF) is an American weekly television broadcast of National Football League (NFL) games on NBC and Peacock in the United States. It began airing on August 6, 2006, with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game,[1] which opened that year's preseason. NBC took over the rights to the Sunday prime time game telecasts from ESPN, which carried the broadcasts from 1987 to 2005. At the same time, ESPN began broadcasting Monday Night Football when it was dropped from sister network ABC. Previously, NBC had aired American Football League (AFL), and later American Football Conference (AFC), games from 1965 until 1997, when CBS took over those rights.

During the 2011–12 season, Sunday Night Football became the first sports program to hold the position as Nielsen's most-watched program on U.S. network television during the year,[2] beating American Idol, which held that honor for eight consecutive seasons beginning in 2004;[3] Sunday Night Football repeated this feat three years running, beginning with the 2013–14 season.

Upon NBC's assumption of the Sunday prime time game rights, Al Michaels, John Madden, Fred Gaudelli, and Drew Esocoff, who served as the respective play-by-play announcer, color commentator, lead producer, and director, joined SNF in the same positions they held during the latter portion of the ABC era of Monday Night Football. Madden retired prior to the 2009 season,[4] and was succeeded in that role by Collinsworth. Tirico succeeded Michaels following Super Bowl LVI in February 2022.

Since 2014, sister cable channel Universo has carried Spanish-language simulcasts of select games, after years of aborted attempts to simulcast the games on Telemundo. As with the NFL's other television partners, NBC provides Spanish-language audio feed of the game broadcasts via second audio program (SAP), formerly noted as being "provided by Telemundo" before the rebranding of that entity's sports division to Telemundo Deportes. With the former mun2's relaunch on February 1, 2015, Universo began to carry the full season with the start of the 2015 season and simulcast Super Bowl XLIX, the channel carrying Spanish-language simulcasts of NFL games and NBC Sports properties. Telemundo would later carry Spanish language broadcasts of select games, beginning in 2021, with an NFL Super Wild Card game. Telemundo also broadcast Super Bowl LVI in 2022.

Studio show[edit]

NBC's broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time with its pre-game show, which runs until kickoff (which usually occurs around 8:20 p.m. Eastern). The show serves the same purpose as NFL Primetime did for ESPN, offering recaps of the early action as well as a preview of the game to come. The show emanates from the NBC Sports studios in Connecticut as well as at the game site. Maria Taylor, Chris Simms, Jason Garrett, Devin McCourty, Mike Florio, and Matthew Berry broadcast from the studio while Jac Collinsworth, Tony Dungy, and Rodney Harrison report from the game. Tirico, Collinsworth, and Stark will also appear.

In 2021, a post-game show began airing on NBC's Peacock streaming service under the name Peacock Sunday Night Football Final.[5] Originally hosted by Kathryn Tappen and Simms, it is currently hosted by Jac Collinsworth, Dungy, and Harrison.

Contract[edit]

The network's current[as of?] NFL contract includes the rights to the season-opening Thursday night NFL Kickoff Game, another game played on Thanksgiving Night, and three playoff games, two in the Super Wild Card round and one in the Divisional Playoffs. Under the initial 6-year deal, the network was also awarded the rights to two Super Bowl games, following the 2008 (Super Bowl XLIII) and 2011 (Super Bowl XLVI) seasons, and the Pro Bowl games in the years which NBC was slated to air the Super Bowl and two more Pro Bowls in 2013 and 2014. Beginning in 2012, through an extension to the contract that runs through 2022, NBC also gained the rights to air a primetime Thanksgiving game (which had previously been part of NFL Network's Thursday Night Football package), one divisional playoff game in lieu of a Wild Card game in the postseason, and the rights to Super Bowls held in 2015 (Super Bowl XLIX), 2018 (Super Bowl LII), and 2022 (Super Bowl LVI). However, the Pro Bowl is not excluded in the new contract as ESPN was set to gain exclusive rights to the game in 2015, with NBC's broadcast of the 2014 Pro Bowl being the final time the game would air on broadcast television prior to ABC's simulcast with ESPN on the 2018 edition. NBC regained rights to air two Super Wild Card games, beginning with the 2020–21 postseason. The Sunday Night game also aired on Telemundo, NBC's Spanish network, and was able to be streamed on NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock. On March 18, 2021, a new television deal with the NFL was reached with CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN/ABC. The new deal allows NBC to retain its NFL rights with a continuation of Sunday Night Football, including the Kickoff Game and the annual Thanksgiving Night game, expanded streaming rights for Peacock, which includes an additional game for the first 6 seasons of the new deal. NBC also gained three more Super Bowls, which air in 2026 (for Super Bowl LX), 2030 (for Super Bowl LXIV), and 2034 (for Super Bowl LXVIII), all in Winter Olympic years. The new deal will run through 2033.

NBC is the current[as of?] home of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, which begins the NFL's preseason each August. Usually the game is aired on the Sunday after the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony the night before. In 2017, the game was moved to the Thursday before the Induction Ceremony, which made the game the official start of Hall of Fame Weekend. Due to NBC's broadcast commitments to the Summer Olympics, every four years the game is moved to either the NFL Network or in 2021, Fox Sports. One preseason game (the Hall of Fame game). But only one preseason game was shown in 2021. The Thursday night season opener was retained as part of the new contract that began in 2014. The Thursday Night season opener and the Thanksgiving Night Game will be retained as part of the new contract beginning in 2023.

From 2006 until 2013, NBC's contract included the rights to both Saturday wild card playoff games that had been previously aired by ABC as part of its Monday Night Football contract. Tom Hammond provided play-by-play for the early game until 2012, with Dan Hicks taking the position in 2013. Cris Collinsworth was the initial color commentator for these broadcasts, doing so until 2008 when he replaced John Madden as lead analyst in 2009. Mike Mayock, NBC's Notre Dame color commentator until 2012, took over as color commentator in 2013. In 2020, NBC gained rights to the Saturday and Sunday night Super Wild Card games, with one of those games being called by the Notre Dame Football crew consisting of Mike Tirico (calling his first NFL playoff game since the 2015–16 postseason when he was at ESPN/ABC, and first at NBC), and Tony Dungy (calling his first ever NFL playoff game).

Scheduling[edit]

Opening game[edit]

The first regular season game to be shown by NBC under this contract, between the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers, aired on September 7, 2006, followed by the first Sunday-night game – between the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants – on September 10, 2006. The actual first game of the run – the 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles – was televised on August 6, 2006.

Flexible scheduling[edit]

NBC Sunday Night Football is the beneficiary of the league's new flexible-scheduling system. Since the NFL now considers SNF to be its featured game of the week, for the final seven weeks of the season (seven of the final eight weeks during the 2006, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2022, and 2023 seasons because of Christmas weekend), the NFL has the flexibility in selecting games that are more intriguing and typically have playoff implications to air on Sunday night.

Connections to other sports[edit]

World Series conflicts[edit]

In its first four seasons of Sunday night coverage, NBC took one week off in late October or early November, so as not to conflict with Fox's coverage of baseball's World Series. In 2006, NBC did not air a game on October 22, which was the scheduled date for Game 2 of the 2006 World Series, but a potential conflict still existed on October 29 had the series gone to a game seven (the conflict never arose, however, as the Cardinals won the World Series in five). With the change in World Series scheduling beginning in 2007, NBC did not air an NFL game in order to avoid a conflict with Game 4 of the World Series, which is the first chance a team would have to clinch the series. In 2007, there was no game on October 28; in 2008, there was no game on October 26; and, in 2009, there was no game on November 1. Although no games aired on these nights, Football Night in America still aired as scheduled at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

NBC televised a game on October 31, 2010, and again on October 23, 2011, opposite Game 4 of the World Series on Fox in both cases. Both games featured the New Orleans Saints at home, first in 2010 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, then in 2011 against the Indianapolis Colts. New Orleans and Indianapolis do not have a Major League Baseball team, and the Pittsburgh Pirates had poor seasonal performances in those recent years, at the time having not recorded a winning record since 1992. However Indianapolis has a Minor League Triple AAA team that is affiliated with the Pirates, and New Orleans has a Triple AAA team affiliated with the Miami Marlins.

Ratings have been mixed for these results, with the NFL winning the night in 2010 while MLB won in 2011. While the Saints won both games, the 2010 matchup featuring a major rating draw in the Steelers, combined with the 2011 matchup against the Colts being a 62–7 blowout while Game 4 of the 2011 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers was a more closely contested game, causing the ratings to slip in 2011.[6]

In 2012, the NFL once again scheduled the New Orleans Saints to play on SNF in late October, this time against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 28 (Denver does have an MLB team, the Colorado Rockies, that had limited success in recent seasons, though they did not contend for the National League West in 2012). The game wound up being scheduled opposite the fourth (and final) game of the 2012 World Series.

For 2013, SNF aired the Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings rivalry game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on October 27, opposite Game 4 of the 2013 World Series. Both the Packers and Vikings have a baseball team in their respective home states (Wisconsin's Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota's Twins), but the two Major League Baseball teams struggled in 2013.

The 2014 game, between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, was scheduled against Game 5 of the 2014 World Series, which under the seven-game format would be played only if necessary (a split in the first two games between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals assured the series would need at least five games to determine a champion). Major League Baseball moved the start of the series to a Tuesday instead of Wednesday so it could avoid competing with the NFL on Thursday and Monday nights in addition to Sunday night.[7]

In 2015, the NFL once again scheduled the Green Bay Packers to play on SNF, this time against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 1. Both the Packers and the Broncos entered the game undefeated at 6-0. However, the game wound up being scheduled opposite the fifth (and final) game of the 2015 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets that night. Both the Packers and the Broncos have a baseball team in their respective home states (Wisconsin's Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado's Colorado Rockies), but both of those MLB teams performed poorly that season.

For 2016, SNF aired the Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys rivalry game at AT&T Stadium on October 30, opposite to Game 5 of the 2016 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs. Both the Eagles and the Cowboys have a baseball team in their respective home cities (Philadelphia's Phillies and Dallas's Texas Rangers, the latter plays their home games at nearby Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas). The Phillies did not contend for the National League East in 2016, while the Rangers won the American League West title that season, but they lost in three games to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS; on the other hand, the Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Bears, the NFL franchises of the participating World Series cities, were performing at the bottom of its respective divisions in recent years, with the Browns' issues dating back to the team's return to the league in 1999. As for the two games that aired simultaneously on October 30, the Cubs beat the Indians, 3-2, to force a Game 6 of the World Series on November 1, while the Cowboys beat the Eagles, 29-23, in overtime.

In 2017, the NFL once again scheduled the Pittsburgh Steelers to play on SNF, this time against the Detroit Lions on October 29. This game aired opposite Game 5 of the 2017 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros. Both the Steelers and the Lions have a baseball team in their respective home cities (Pittsburgh's Pirates and Detroit's Tigers, the latter plays their home games at nearby Comerica Park in Detroit), but neither of their baseball counterparts did well that season; as for the NFL franchises of the participating World Series cities, the Los Angeles Rams (who moved back to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016) were in contention for the NFC West through Week 8 of the 2017 season (meanwhile, Los Angeles' other team, the Los Angeles Chargers, who moved from San Diego in 2017, were struggling at that same point of the season) while the Houston Texans, who had reached the playoffs the previous two seasons, also struggled. As for the two games that aired simultaneously on October 29, the Steelers beat the Lions, 20-15, while in Game 5 of the World Series, the Astros beat the Dodgers, 13-12, in 10 innings, however, the win was brought under heavy scrutiny after it was discovered the Astros used whistles to tip off hitters of what pitch was coming during the game, as well as using trash cans during the season.

In 2018, for the fifth time, the NFL scheduled the New Orleans Saints to play on the Sunday Night World Series competition game, this time, against the Minnesota Vikings, in a rematch of the Minneapolis Miracle game. However this game wound up being scheduled opposite the fifth (and final) game of the 2018 World Series, between the Los Angeles Dodgers season and the Boston Red Sox that night. The city of Minneapolis does have an MLB team, however, the Minnesota Twins failed to qualify for the postseason in 2018. As for the city of New Orleans, they do not have an MLB team. As for the teams that are playing, the Red Sox, put up the best record in MLB, while the city's football team, the New England Patriots, were riding a 5–2 record through 7 games. The Dodgers meanwhile clinched the National League pennant for the second consecutive year, as for the city's two teams, the Los Angeles Rams were at the time, the last undefeated team in the NFL at 7-0, while the Los Angeles Chargers started 5-2 and were half a game back with the arch-rival Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West race (the Chiefs won the AFC West title that season before losing to the eventual Super Bowl LIII champion Patriots in the AFC Championship Game). The Rams would go on to controversially win the NFC Championship Game against the Saints in overtime, but then lose to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.

In 2019, for the fourth time, the NFL scheduled the Green Bay Packers to play on the Sunday Night Football–World Series competition game, this time against the Kansas City Chiefs, in a rematch of Super Bowl I. This game aired opposite Game 5 of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals. Both the Packers and the Chiefs have a baseball team in their respective home states (Wisconsin's Milwaukee Brewers made the postseason but lost to the eventual World Series Champion Nationals in the NL Wild Card Game, and Missouri's Kansas City Royals, failed to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season). As for the two games that aired simultaneously on October 27, the Packers beat the Chiefs, 31–24, while in Game 5 of the World Series (of which the series itself was tied at 2–2), the Astros beat the Nationals, 7–1 heading into Game 6 of the World Series on October 29.

In 2020, for the first time, the NFL flexed a game that was scheduled against the Fall Classic. The league flexed the Seattle Seahawks-Arizona Cardinals game to the Sunday Night Football–World Series competition game, in place of the originally scheduled Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Las Vegas Raiders game which was flexed out due to the Raiders having a COVID-19 outbreak. This game aired opposite Game 5 of the 2020 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Las Vegas does not have an MLB team, while Arizona, Seattle, and Tampa Bay all have teams. As for those two games the Cardinals came from behind to beat Seattle 37–34 in overtime, while in Game 5 of the World Series (of which the series itself was tied at 2–2), the Dodgers beat the Rays, 4–2. Two days later, the Dodgers won again by a score of 3–1, giving the franchise its first championship since 1988.

For the 2021 season, the NFL scheduled the Dallas Cowboys-Minnesota Vikings game as the Sunday Night Football World Series competition game. This was the first time since 2016 and 2018 respectively that both teams played on SNF against the Fall Classic. This game aired opposite Game 5 of the 2021 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros. While Dallas and Minnesota have MLB teams in their respective home states, both the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins performed poorly that season. The Astros won that game, 9-5, to stay alive in the series, but lost two days later as the Braves won their first title since 1995.

In the 2022 season, for the first time since 2009, there was not one occurrence in which both an SNF game and a World Series game occurred on the same day, but the first time in which only the NFL games were played. Originally, the NFL had scheduled the Green Bay Packers-Buffalo Bills game as the competing contest, to be played on October 30; however, with Major League Baseball starting the World Series on October 28, and in part due to the lockout before the season and the expansion of the postseason to 12 teams (which includes a best of three wild card series), that day became a travel day. The 2022 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros began on a Friday instead of Tuesday, as in past years. Since Minute Maid Park, the venue at which the series began, has a retractable roof, as expected neither of the first two games were postponed. However, Game 3 (the first game after the series shifted to Philadelphia) was postponed on October 31; at that time, MLB announced that all remaining games would be played one day later than scheduled. This created a possible conflict between Game 7 and the November 6 contest between the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs. But this was averted when, on November 3, the Astros defeated the Phillies 4-1 to win the title, their second in six seasons with the other being in the infamous 2017 season. (Ironically this clashed with a Thursday Night Football game between the NFL franchises where the Astros and the Phillies are located). The closest MLB team to the Packers is the Milwaukee Brewers, in a market officially shared with them, while the Bills' closest MLB neighbors are the Toronto Blue Jays. The latter two cities are interconnected in both sports; the 2020 and 2021 teams played some home games in Buffalo due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the Bills once played select home games at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Tennessee doesn't have a neighboring MLB team, while the Kansas City Royals, the neighboring MLB team in Kansas City, had a non-winning record for the seventh season in a row in 2022, covering every season since its last World Series title in 2015.

For 2023, Major League Baseball announced that it would not schedule a World Series game against SNF for the second straight season, barring any game postponements due to inclement weather, which did not occur.[8]

With NASCAR[edit]

On October 23, 2022, for the first time, NBC showed a NASCAR Cup Series race and an SNF game from the same metropolitan area on the same day. In a race that started at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, Kyle Larson won the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead–Miami Speedway; then in a game that kicked off at 8:25 (a few minutes later than usual due to ceremonies honoring the 1972 Miami Dolphins, still the only NFL team to complete an undefeated season including playoffs), the Miami Dolphins defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-10 at Hard Rock Stadium. Both venues are in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

With the NHL[edit]

The SNF game on September 27, 2020, between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints prompted the National Hockey League (NHL) to schedule games 4 and 5 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals on the previous two days back-to-back, as NBC was contractually required to air all potential series-clinchers over-the-air. This was the result of the NHL season being paused for over four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic earlier, causing an atypical conflict between the sports. The Packers and Saints do not have NHL teams in their market, while the 2 teams in the Stanley Cup Finals (Dallas Stars) and (Tampa Bay Lightning) do have NFL teams in their market (Dallas Cowboys) and (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The Cowboys missed the playoffs while the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl a few months later in February.

With the NBA[edit]

In the same 2020 NFL season, two games of the NBA Finals, broadcast on ABC, went up against SNF games: Philadelphia Eagles versus San Francisco 49ers on October 4 (Game 3) and Minnesota Vikings versus Seattle Seahawks on October 11 (Game 6, which was also the clinching win for the Los Angeles Lakers). This was the result of the NBA season being suspended for more than four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic earlier, causing an atypical conflict between the sports. The Eagles, 49ers, and Vikings have NBA teams in their markets (Philadelphia 76ers), (Golden State Warriors), and (Minnesota Timberwolves), but only the 76ers made the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round, the Warriors were prior western conference champions had the worst record in the league, and the Timberwolves had limited success. The Seahawks used to have an NBA team in their market (Seattle SuperSonics), but they relocated to Oklahoma City to become the Oklahoma City Thunder.

2000s[edit]

2006[edit]

In the 2006 season, in addition to the World Series off-week, there was no game scheduled for Christmas Eve night; NBC broadcast that week's game (Eagles at Cowboys) on Christmas afternoon instead. A half-hour version of Football Night in America aired before the Christmas game and the two "Wild Card Saturday" games. During the 2006 season, no game was initially scheduled for NBC in the affected weeks – instead, the schedule slot for the NBC game was left vacant, with one Sunday afternoon game being moved to the primetime slot (the schedule for the affected weeks simply read "one of these games will move to 8:15 Eastern"). CBS and Fox could each protect four of its games during Weeks 10 through 15 and also each protect one of its games for Week 17; however, these two networks had to decide which games to protect in early October 2006, after Week 4 of the NFL season.

2007[edit]

For the first time since NBC gained the rights to SNF, a tentative full-season schedule was unveiled, including games in the last seven weeks of the season. Those games could be replaced under flexible scheduling if the need arose. The same rules under which CBS and Fox protect games for their own packages still apply.

Three of the games in the last seven weeks of the season were eventually replaced with more compelling matches. This resulted in the situation – twice – of having a team playing on consecutive Sunday nights. New England had consecutive Sunday nighters: the November 18 New England at Buffalo game was moved to prime time and was followed on November 25 by the already-scheduled Philadelphia at New England game. Likewise, the Washington Redskins played a scheduled game at the New York Giants on December 16, and their December 23 game in Minnesota was moved to prime time. For the last week of the season, the Tennessee TitansIndianapolis Colts game was moved, switching places with the Kansas City ChiefsNew York Jets game that was originally scheduled in the Sunday night slot; the Titans needed a win to secure the final AFC playoff spot.

In addition, the annual preseason Pro Football Hall of Fame Game telecast was shifted to NFL Network, in anticipation of NBC airing the China Bowl contest from Beijing; however, the China Bowl was canceled.

2008[edit]

The 2008 schedule, released on April 15, continued the 2007 practice of a scheduled game possibly being moved in favor of a more compelling one during Weeks 11 through 16 (November 16 through December 21), but left the slot open on the final Sunday, December 28. The NFL Kickoff Game between the Washington Redskins and defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants that was played on September 4 started at 7 p.m. Eastern Time instead of the normal 8:30 p.m. time in order to avoid conflict with the nomination speech that John McCain gave at the Republican National Convention that night; the game ended at 10:01 p.m. Eastern Time, averting any conflict.

As had happened in 2007, a team played on consecutive Sunday nights due to a game being moved into the Sunday night time slot. The originally scheduled New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game on December 14 was followed by a flexed December 21 home game for the Giants against the Carolina Panthers; the Giants-Panthers game was flexed because it carried serious playoff implications, as the winner clinches the NFC's top seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. This was the second of three flexed games, with a December 7 inter-conference match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins displacing a New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks game. The league filled the open spot on December 28 with a game between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers with major playoff implications, as the winner of that game would win the AFC West while the loser would be eliminated.

2009[edit]

The 2009 schedule, released on April 14, continued the 2007 and 2008 practice of scheduling a game every Sunday night during the season (except during the World Series) but declaring the games in Weeks 11 through 16 (November 22 through December 27) subject to change, should a more compelling matchup arise. The pattern of the 2007 and 2008 schedules was continued, as the slot for the final Sunday night of the season – January 3, 2010 – was left vacant. Two games were "flexed" in the 2009 season, as the Minnesota VikingsArizona Cardinals game replaced the original December 6 matchup between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.

To fill the vacant game slot for the last week of the season, NBC was given the matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets that was originally scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Eastern on CBS, with this game having playoff implications for both teams. For the Jets, a win would have put them in the playoffs, while the Bengals had the potential to improve their seeding for the playoffs with a victory. The Jets-Bengals game ended up being the last game played at Giants Stadium (the Jets could have hosted the AFC Championship Game, but the Baltimore Ravens lost in the Divisional Round to the Indianapolis Colts).

2010s[edit]

2010[edit]

The 2010 schedule, released on April 20, placed a Sunday night game (Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints) against a World Series game for the first time since the NBC Sunday night contract began. It also continued the previous practice of scheduling a Sunday night game during every week of the season and declaring the games in Weeks 11 through 16 (November 21 through December 26) as "flex games", meaning they reverted to Sunday afternoon if a more attractive matchup arose.

The Week 16 game, between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles, originally scheduled for December 26, was moved to December 28 due to a major blizzard that affected most of the Eastern United States. The NFL postponed the game after Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter declared a snow emergency for the city.[9][10] It was the 23rd NFL game to be played on a Tuesday, but the first since 1946.[9][10] This was the only game, outside of the final Sunday night, to be "flexed" in the 2010 season; the original schedule called for the San Diego Chargers to play the Bengals in Cincinnati (the game was moved to CBS and was indeed blacked out in Cincinnati). Because of this, a full 90-minute edition of Football Night aired on December 26, with a short five-minute pre-game leading into the game on the 28th, while Faith Hill's introduction was not played due to time constraints before kickoff.

For the Week 17 matchup, NBC featured the 7–8 St. Louis Rams playing the 6–9 Seattle Seahawks in a win-and-in game, where the winner of the game would qualify for the playoffs as the NFC West champion while the loser would be eliminated. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the St. Louis Rams by a score of 16–6, thus advancing to the playoffs whilst the Rams were eliminated from playoff contention.[11]

2011[edit]

The 2011 schedule, released on April 19, once again placed a Sunday night game (Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints on October 23, the fourth straight time these teams played each other on national television) opposite a World Series game. Sunday night games between November 13 and December 18 (inclusive) were "flex games", which could have reverted to Sunday afternoon if a more competitive matchup arose (one was; see below). The final Sunday night of the season – January 1, 2012 – was likewise a "flex game"; the slot, vacant when the schedule was released, was filled by the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants (see below). The Hall of Fame Game scheduled for August 7, and to be shown on NBC, was canceled due to the lockout that offseason; it was the only game to be affected.

The NFL announced on November 8 that the Week 13 rivalry game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots was moved to 1 p.m. Eastern on CBS, while a replacement game would be announced by November 22.[12] This was due to the Colts struggling without their star quarterback Peyton Manning (without him, the Colts lost 62–7 to the New Orleans Saints in a Sunday night game on October 23). This also marked the first time the NFL announced that a Sunday night game was being moved to the afternoon without simultaneously announcing a replacement. On November 21, the matchup between the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints was flexed into the Sunday night slot.[13] As compensation to Fox because they only had two other games in the early time slot, the league gave them the Denver BroncosMinnesota Vikings game that was originally to air on CBS. This was the first time that the league moved an inter-conference telecast to the home team's Sunday afternoon regional broadcaster.[14][15]

On November 14, the NFL decided to keep the Week 12 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs on November 27 in place after the league considered flexing it out for other matchups, particularly the AFC East showdown between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets and the interconference matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans, due to the AFC West (of which the Chiefs are a member) being a weak division for 2011.[16]

On December 7, the NFL ended up keeping the Week 15 match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Diego Chargers on December 18, a decision that came a day late due to the NFL Committees meetings that took place on the day before. NBC wanted the game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos as it featured a matchup between Tom Brady and Tim Tebow, two players with high popularity. While CBS did not protect that game, the network was fighting to keep the game since they had lost the aforementioned Week 13 Broncos-Vikings game to Fox, denying the network the earlier chance to capitalize on Tebow's marketability.[17]

For the second consecutive season, and third overall, the last Sunday night game that was flexed in featured a contest in which the winner became the division champions and earned a home game in the playoffs while the loser was eliminated. This particular matchup was for the NFC East between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium, a rematch of Week 14's Sunday night broadcast.[18] This was the first time NBC had shown both meetings of division rivals during a regular season.[19]

The 2011 season ended with an average of 20.7 million viewers and was the highest-rated program of the 2011–12 television season, dethroning American Idol, which was the highest-rated program for eight consecutive seasons. As a further result, Sunday Night Football became the first-ever television sports series of any kind to finish a television season as the most-watched show.

2012[edit]

The 2012 schedule, released on April 17, once again placed a Sunday night game (New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos) against a World Series game. This was the third straight year a World Series game competed against a Sunday night game. During the halftime of that game, NBC News aired a brief special report regarding Superstorm Sandy, anchored by Brian Williams. Sunday night games between November 18 and December 23 (inclusive) were "flex games"; they would revert to Sunday afternoon if a more competitive matchup arose.

The only flexed game of the season that displaced a scheduled game took place on December 23; the San Diego Chargers at New York Jets game reverted to the afternoon, and the San Francisco 49ers played in Seattle that night. This resulted in the 49ers playing on consecutive Sunday nights, both on the road (the team played in New England the previous Sunday night, December 16). A portion of the 49ers-Patriots game aired on the NBC Sports Network and CNBC due to NBC News' live coverage of Barack Obama's speech following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The final Sunday night of the season – December 30, 2012 – likewise was a "flex game"; the slot was left vacant when the schedule was released, as has been the practice of the past four seasons. It was filled by the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. Usually announced on the Tuesday before game day (but sometimes before), the game typically highlighted a situation in which the winner advanced to the playoffs while the loser did not; the winner of this flex game would win its division, although the Redskins would have still advanced to the playoffs as a wild card team – even if the team lost – if certain other teams lost. After the first 15 games were played that day, which included the Minnesota Vikings clinching the #6 seed in the NFC with a win, the game turned out to be a winner-take-all, in which the winner clinched the No. 4 seed in the NFC and the loser was eliminated regardless. The Redskins eventually defeated the Cowboys 28–18 and clinched their first NFC East crown since 1999.

2013[edit]

The 2013 schedule, released on April 18, once again placed a Sunday night game (Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings) against a World Series game. This was the fourth straight year that a World Series game competed against a Sunday night game. Sunday night games between November 17 and December 22 (inclusive) were "flex games", they would revert to Sunday afternoon if a more competitive matchup arose. The final Sunday night of the season – December 29, 2013 – likewise was a "flex game"; the slot was left vacant when the schedule was released, as has been the practice of the past five seasons. The game site (and, by extension, its teams) was determined after the completion of most Week 16 games. It was filled by the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.

The league announced on November 1, 2013, that the Week 11 Kansas City ChiefsDenver Broncos game, originally scheduled as CBS's only late 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time single-header game, was flexed into the Sunday Night Football, replacing the originally scheduled Green Bay PackersNew York Giants game. CBS originally selected the Chiefs–Broncos match-up as one of their "protected games" from flex-scheduling, but later allowed the league to flex it so it could be seen by a national audience.[20] This would be one of two cases of a team playing on consecutive Sunday nights due to one of the games being moved into the Sunday night slot (as the Broncos would play the New England Patriots the following Sunday night); the Philadelphia Eagles, the other team to play on consecutive Sunday nights, played at home against the Chicago Bears on December 22 and played in Dallas on December 29.

On December 2, 2013, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported (via Twitter) that the Week 15 rivalry game between the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals for December 15 would remain in the Sunday night slot, a report later confirmed by the NFL. The league had considered flexing the game out due to the Steelers starting the season 0–4, which included a 20–10 loss to the Bengals on Monday Night Football earlier in the season that was more of a blowout than the final score indicated. Ultimately, it was decided to keep the rematch in the Sunday night slot due to the Steelers making a late playoff push, the team's fanbase that provides high ratings regardless of how well the Steelers are doing, as well as a lack of compelling match-ups for the week, with only two other pairings that did not have a team with a losing record by the flex deadline (Patriots at Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens at Detroit Lions, the latter being a Monday night game which could not be flexed out of its slot).[21]

On December 10, 2013, the NFL decided to flex the Week 16 Chicago Bears-Philadelphia Eagles matchup into the Sunday night slot, replacing the New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens match-up, which moved to the late afternoon slot on CBS. The move surprised many in the television industry, as all four teams were strong playoff contenders. Some have speculated that since the Patriots had an opportunity to lock up the AFC East before their game in Baltimore (the Patriots were ultimately upset by the Dolphins 24-20),[22] while the other three teams would not be able to clinch playoff spots (nor would they be eliminated) before Week 16, that the Bears-Eagles match-up might be more compelling. There was also speculation that moving the Patriots-Ravens game to the late afternoon slot on CBS would give that network a more compelling match-up in their week to have a doubleheader, as the other two match-ups scheduled to air on CBS in the late afternoon slot featured teams that were having down years (Steelers-Packers) or weren't expected to contend for the playoffs and only appealed to their home markets (Raiders-Chargers);[23] the Patriots-Ravens match-up ultimately received CBS's lead broadcasting crew (Jim Nantz and Phil Simms) and national coverage outside the local markets and blacked out markets of the other late games.[24] John Ourand of SportsBusiness Journal reported that the league wanted to keep the total number of games taken from CBS and Fox, dating back to the start of the current television contracts, roughly equal. Otherwise, an obscure rule in the broadcast contracts would have prevented the league from possibly flexing a Week 17 AFC game, originally scheduled to be televised on CBS, to the final Sunday night slot.[25]

No Sunday night Game was originally scheduled for Week 17 of the NFL season, thus allowing the ability to move the most intriguing and playoff-relevant matchup of the week to the Sunday night time slot. The final game of the 2013 NFL regular season was played on December 29, 2013, between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys to determine the NFC East division champion while the loser was eliminated. The Eagles won 24–22, thus advancing to the playoffs, eliminating the Cowboys.

2013 Sunday Night Football "flex schedule" games
Week Planned game Selected game Ref.
11 Packers at Giants Chiefs at Broncos [26]
12 Broncos at Patriots [27]
13 Giants at Redskins [28]
14 Falcons at Packers Panthers at Saints [29]
15 Bengals at Steelers [30]
16 Patriots at Ravens Bears at Eagles [31]
17 no game scheduled Eagles at Cowboys [32]

2014[edit]

When the 2014 NFL schedule was released on April 23, it placed a Sunday night game (Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints) against a World Series game for the fifth straight year. Starting with this season, NBC was permitted to begin flexing games as soon as Week 5, with the restriction that no more than two games may be flexed between Weeks 5 and 10.[33] The final Sunday night of the season – December 28, 2014 – likewise was a flex game; the slot was left vacant when the schedule was released, as had been the practice of the past six seasons. The game's teams (and, by extension, its location) were announced after most of week 16 games it was filled by the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. Country/pop superstar Carrie Underwood continued her role as the performer of the Sunday Night Football opener.

On November 11, 2014, the NFL announced that the November 23 game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants game would air as scheduled, even though the Detroit LionsNew England Patriots game was considered to be a better match-up, citing that the Cowboys are one of the most popular NFL teams playing in the country's largest media market.[34]

For the first time since flexed scheduling went into effect, no Sunday night games were flexed during the season other than Week 17 (where the match-up is usually determined as late as six days prior to the Sunday of Week 17).[35][36]

On December 21, 2014, the NFL announced that the rivalry game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals would be flexed into the Week 17 Sunday Night Football slot, with the winner clinching the AFC North. The league considered flexing the Atlanta FalconsCarolina Panthers game into the Sunday night slot as it decided the NFC South while the loser was eliminated, but the division being historically weak (it was assured to have a division winner with a losing record by the end of Week 16), combined with the Steelers being a major draw, led to the league's decision. With the Steelers and Bengals clinching a playoff spot in Week 16, it also marked the first time since the NFL scheduled all-intradivisional match-ups in Week 17 in 2010 that a game flexed to the Week 17 slot featured at least one team (in this case both) that was already in the playoffs.[37] It was later reported by Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King that the league chose to flex the Steelers-Bengals game because CBS has not had a game flexed in the Week 17 slot since 2009; the aforementioned Falcons-Panthers match-up was later flexed to CBS as part of the new television contract that allows intraconference match-ups to be flexed between CBS and Fox.[38]

2015[edit]

The 2015 schedule was released on April 21, 2015.[39] The defending Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots faced the Pittsburgh Steelers during the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 10, 2015. Other notable games included the Seattle Seahawks versus the Green Bay Packers (Week 2) and the New England Patriots versus the Indianapolis Colts (Week 6) in a rematch of their respective conference championship games. It also placed a Sunday night game (Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos) against a World Series game for the sixth straight year. The final Sunday night game of the season – January 3, 2016 – likewise was a flex game; the slot was left vacant when the schedule came out as has been the practice over the past seven seasons. The game's teams (and by extension, its location) were announced after most Week 16 games. It was filled by the Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers. The Arizona Cardinals wound up playing on consecutive Sunday nights — at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10 and then, at home against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11 (Cardinals won both of those games), with the latter being flexed into the Sunday night slot. The December 20 game (Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers) reverted to the afternoon, replaced by the Arizona Cardinals-Philadelphia Eagles game. The Minnesota Vikings ended up playing on consecutive Sunday nights beginning in Week 16 at home against the New York Giants and on the road in Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers.

2016[edit]

The 2016 schedule was released on April 14, 2016.[40] NBC's first telecast of the season featured a rematch of Super Bowl 50 when the Denver Broncos played host to the Carolina Panthers, the first time the Super Bowl participants faced each other in Week 1 of the subsequent year since 1970. It also placed a Sunday night game (Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys) against a World Series game for the seventh straight year. The Thanksgiving night match-up featured the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Indianapolis Colts, and for the first time since 2011, NBC carried a Christmas Day game as the Broncos traveled to play the Kansas City Chiefs, a rematch of the Week 12 game in Denver that was flexed into that week's Sunday night slot. In addition, NBC carried five late-season Thursday Night Football games in conjunction with NFL Network in a similar arrangement to the one NFLN has with CBS. As before, flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5, with Week 16 excluded because the majority of the schedule was played on Christmas Eve. The final Sunday night game of the season – Sunday, January 1, 2017 – likewise was a flex game; the slot was left vacant when the schedule came out as has been the practice over the past eight seasons. The game's teams (and by extension, its location) were announced after most Week 16 games. It was filled by the Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions.

Also this season, NBC was home to two Super Bowl rematches. As previously mentioned, the Carolina vs. Denver game was a rematch of Super Bowl 50. Then, 9 weeks later on a Sunday night, the Patriots hosted the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, a game that was also seen on NBC, on February 1, 2015.

The Week 5 game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers was placed against the second presidential debate. The debate did not air on NBC due to contractual obligations; however, it was carried by several other channels including sister networks CNBC and MSNBC.

The Week 7 game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals ended in a 6–6 tie following a missed field goal from each team in the last minutes of overtime. This became not only the first tie to be featured on Sunday Night Football, but also the first tie not to see a touchdown since 1972, as well as the lowest scoring tie, and the second lowest score in the prime time slot.[41]

After the addition of Thursday Night Football to NBC's rights holdings, the network elected to give Al Michaels time off. Mike Tirico, who left ESPN to become the heir apparent to Michaels at NBC,[42] called select telecasts in his place.[43]

On November 14, 2016, the NFL announced that it had flexed the Chiefs-Broncos game into the Sunday night slot for Week 12, replacing the originally scheduled New England Patriots-New York Jets game, which was moved to the 4:25 p.m. ET slot as the second game of the doubleheader on CBS. With the aforementioned Week 16 matchup between the Broncos and the Chiefs already being scheduled for Christmas night (December 25), that was the second time that NBC has shown both meetings of division rivals during a regular season.

On December 4, 2016, the NFL announced that it had flexed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Dallas Cowboys game into the Sunday night slot for Week 15, replacing the originally scheduled Pittsburgh Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals game, which was moved to the 1 p.m. ET slot as the early game on CBS. As a result, the Cowboys wound up playing on consecutive Sunday nights — on the road against the New York Giants in Week 14 (which they lost, 10-7) and then at home against the Buccaneers in Week 15 (which they won, 26-20), and as a result, the Cowboys wound up playing back-to-back-to-back games on NBC, beginning with their post-Thanksgiving Thursday Night Game against Minnesota, their scheduled Week 14 game against the Giants, as mentioned, and their Week 15 Game against Tampa Bay, which was also previously mentioned.

On January 15, 2017, NBC was scheduled to carry an AFC divisional playoff game with the Chiefs at home against the Steelers in the afternoon; on January 13, the NFL announced that game would move to primetime on NBC the same day due to an ice storm affecting the Kansas City area which would cause perilous travel for fans if the game went on as regularly scheduled, and thus becoming an unexpected bonus Sunday Night Football broadcast in its regular timeslot. NBC filled the vacated afternoon timeslot with an NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals.[44]

2017[edit]

The 2017 NFL schedule was released on April 20. NBC's first telecast of the season featured the NFL Kickoff Game between Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs.

In Week 7, a Sunday night game was scheduled between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots in a highly-anticipated rematch of Super Bowl LI thus making 2017 the second consecutive season in which a rematch of the previous year's Super Bowl was played during the regular season. This was completely coincidental, as inter-conference opponents only meet once every four years during the regular season. The Patriots won the rematch by a score of 23–7. The television broadcast was noted for its extensive use of the Skycam for game coverage after fog made it impossible to use other cameras.[45]

It also placed a Sunday night game (Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions) against a World Series game for the eighth straight year. Both the Lions and Steelers have MLB teams in their respective hometowns, but both struggled to get into the playoffs, especially the Pirates, who missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, and the Tigers, who haven't been to the playoffs since winning the AL Central in 2014.

The Thanksgiving night game featured the New York Giants against the Washington Redskins.

In Week 16, because Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday, the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers aired on Saturday, December 23.

For the second time since flex scheduling went into effect, no Sunday night games were flexed during the season—including (for the first time since NBC got the Sunday night package) Week 17.

This was NBC's second year of producing Thursday Night Football with CBS and NFL Network. In addition to airing 5 Thursday night games, NBC along with NFL Network also aired the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Houston Texans on Christmas Day. NBC/NFL Network simulcasts started in Week 10 with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the Arizona Cardinals. The NBC Sports-produced Thursday night games on NFL Network began in Week 2, with the Texans battling the Cincinnati Bengals.

Week 17 on December 31 had a full Sunday schedule of games, with the Sunday night game slot originally left blank as has been done the previous nine seasons. After all of the Week 16 Sunday games were played, the NFL determined that many of the teams with playoff implications would have been affected by the results of other football games, and moving a single game to the Sunday night slot impacted competitive balance (along with the possibility of that game having little to no effect on playoff positioning at all, in addition to negative impacts on rating as a result of the game ending close to the stroke of midnight for the New Year for the Eastern time zone). As a result, the NFL decided to instead set up a schedule for that year's Week 17 where all games would be played at 1 p.m. ET and 4:25 p.m. ET time-slots between CBS and Fox (equivalent to soccer's English Premier League scheduling their last week's matches in the same manner), and no Sunday Night Football game would be played for the first time since 2009.[46]

This season also marked the year that NBC broadcast Super Bowl LII.

In addition, this season featured four Super Bowl rematches on Sunday Night Football, as well as a fifth in the Super Bowl broadcast itself. First, in Week 3, the Oakland Raiders traveled to Washington to face the Washington Redskins, in a rematch of Super Bowl XVIII. Three weeks later, the New York Giants faced the Denver Broncos, in a rematch of Super Bowl XXI. Then, as previously mentioned, a week later, the Atlanta Falcons went to New England and faced the defending champions New England Patriots, in a rematch of Super Bowl LI. Then in Week 12, the Green Bay Packers faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rematch of Super Bowl XLV, in what was supposed to be a quarterback battle between Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, that turned into a quarterback battle between Roethlisberger and Brett Hundley due to Rodgers suffering a broken collarbone in Week 6 that ruled him out for all but one game the rest of the season. And on NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl LII, the Philadelphia Eagles faced the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX.

2018[edit]

The 2018 NFL season schedule was released in April. NBC's first telecast of the season was on September 6, 2018, and featured the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Atlanta Falcons.

For the ninth season in a row, the NFL placed a game against a World Series game, with the (New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings), going up against the fifth (and final) game of the Fall Classic, between the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Boston Red Sox.

This was also the first season since 2015, that TNF was not on NBC, as it moved to fellow NFL broadcaster Fox for the next five years. Despite the loss of TNF, NBC still broadcasts the Kickoff Game and the Thanksgiving prime-time games (both on a Thursday night) as they fall under the current NBC contract.

This marked the seventh year in the Sunday night package that a prime-time Thanksgiving game was shown on NBC which featured the Atlanta Falcons against the New Orleans Saints. However, the studio team of Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, and Rodney Harrison called the game in place of Michaels and Collinsworth.

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5. If a more compelling matchup arose as the season progressed, the previously scheduled Sunday night matchup could have been swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. This occurred several times during the season:

  • On October 9, NBC and the league announced that the previously scheduled Rams-49ers match-up was moved to a 4:25 p.m. ET start time on CBS, and flexed out for the Bengals-Chiefs match-up, originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start, also on CBS. This meant that the Chiefs wound up playing on back-to-back Sunday nights. Also, this set a new mark for becoming the earliest game to be flexed into SNF, in NBC's whole tenure of covering Sunday Night Football.
  • On November 5, the league announced that the previously scheduled Steelers-Jaguars match-up was moved to a 1 p.m. ET start time on CBS, and flexed out for the Vikings-Bears match-up, originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start on Fox. And on November 8, the league announced that the Packers-Vikings match-up remained in place, meaning that the Minnesota Vikings also wound up playing on back-to-back Sunday Nights.
  • On November 14, two more games were flexed into the SNF prime time slot. In Week 13, the 49ers again were flexed out of their original SNF slot, this time, against the division rival Seahawks. It was the second time that the 49ers were flexed out of SNF this season, as their Week 7 game between the NFC West-leading Rams was flexed out for the Bengals-Chiefs game. This game was replaced with the Steelers hosting the 8-3 Los Angeles Chargers, who made their first SNF appearance since 2014.
  • In Week 14, the Los Angeles Rams, 7 weeks after having their first SNF game flexed out of primetime, traveled to Chicago to take on the NFC North-leading Bears, who hosted their 2nd SNF game in 4 weeks. This game replaced the game featuring the Steelers against the 2-10 Oakland Raiders. Those moves also meant that the city of Los Angeles also had back-to-back Sunday Night Football appearances. With that game, and their home game against the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles in the Week 15 slot, the Rams wound up playing on back-to-back SNF appearances and the city of Los Angeles had 3-straight weeks with a team on SNF.
  • On December 23, the NFL finalized the Week 17 schedule, which included a win-and-in game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans being flexed into that week's SNF slot, with the winner clinching the AFC's final playoff spot and the loser being eliminated. This game marked the Titans' first appearance on SNF since 2009 (coincidentally, also against the Colts).

In addition, SNF scheduled several rematches from last season's playoffs, including the Saints-Vikings game, the Steelers-Jaguars AFC Divisional game (which was eventually flexed out), and the Falcons-Eagles NFC Divisional game.

SNF had a rules analyst for the first time in program history, as the network added former referee Terry McAulay, who retired after the 2017 season. McAulay has worked three Super Bowls in his tenure as an NFL referee. Also that same year, McAulay worked the Notre Dame Football games for NBC, with FNIA studio host, Mike Tirico.

2019[edit]

The 2019 schedule was released on April 17. However, on March 25, the NFL announced that, in a break from tradition, the Kickoff Game would not be hosted by the reigning Super Bowl champions and would instead feature the Chicago Bears who hosted the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on September 5, with the game aired on NBC as part of many matchups throughout the league's 100th season celebrating critical games and rivalries through the league's history. The New England Patriots instead hosted the first SNF game of the season against Pittsburgh Steelers during Week 1 on NBC.

For the tenth season in a row the NFL placed a game against a World Series game with the Green Bay Packers against the Kansas City Chiefs, going up against the fifth game of the Fall Classic between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros.

Thanksgiving featured a rematch of the previous season's primetime Thanksgiving game between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons. It was the eighth time that the Thanksgiving game was part of the SNF package shown on NBC.

For the second consecutive season, the FNIA team of Tirico, Dungy, and Harrison was assigned to work the Thanksgiving primetime game

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling match-up arose as the season progressed. The previously scheduled Sunday Night game could be swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. This occurred several times during the season.

2020s[edit]

2020[edit]

The 2020 schedule was released on May 7. The Kickoff game was on September 10, which featured the Super Bowl LIV Champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans. The Thanksgiving Night game was supposed to feature the Baltimore Ravens versus the Pittsburgh Steelers; the ninth time that the Thanksgiving game would have been part of the SNF package shown on NBC. A COVID-19 outbreak on the Baltimore Ravens forced the postponement of the game to the following Sunday afternoon, which was then postponed to the following Tuesday night, and then finally to Wednesday afternoon.[50][51] It was shown on NBC as scheduled, but KWQC-TV - the NBC affiliate for the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois - opted not to show the game. Before this occasion, the last Wednesday night game played in the NFL was also a special edition of primetime on NBC - the 2012 Kickoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants that was scheduled as such to avoid a conflict with Obama's renomination speech at that year's Democratic National Convention.

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling game arose. The scheduled SNF game could have been swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. The final game of the season, on Sunday, January 3, 2021, likewise was a flex game. The slot, left blank when the schedule came out, was filled by the game between the Washington Football Team and the home team Philadelphia Eagles. A Washington win gave them the NFC East Division title.

Mike Tirico substituted for Al Michaels on a select number of games this season, which started with the September 27 game between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints. Tirico was initially slated to call the Thanksgiving game this season but was assigned instead to call the Week 12 SNF game between the Packers and the Chicago Bears with Tony Dungy and Kathryn Tappen. Tirico was eventually given the assignment to call the rescheduled Ravens–Steelers game with Collinsworth after it was postponed from Sunday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon. Tirico has also called NBC's two wild-card playoff games in January.

The aforementioned Packers–Saints game took place while the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals (rescheduled from its normal late May–early June schedule) were ongoing; Dallas (Stars) and Tampa Bay (Lightning) also have NFL teams in the Cowboys and Buccaneers. As NBC was also the rightsholder to National Hockey League games in the U.S., the league was compelled to play Games 4 and 5 (September 25–26) of the finals on consecutive nights to avoid conflict with SNF.

For the season, the customary talking head introduction of the offensive and defensive starters was scrapped due to production limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first time in the history of SNF, NBC aired games against an NBA Finals game in back-to-back weeks; this is usually a non-issue as the NBA Finals traditionally take place in June but were moved to the fall due to the NBA suspending their season. This occurred on October 4 with the Eagles playing the 49ers on the same day as Game 3, and on October 11, with the Vikings playing the Seahawks on the same day as Game 6 (the eventual last game of the series). Although Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Minnesota all have NBA teams, only the 76ers qualified for the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, defeated the Miami Heat in six games, claiming their 17th championship in franchise history, tying the Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history.

In Week 7, the game between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals was flexed into the Sunday night slot from 4:05 p.m., trading places with the scheduled matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders. The shift was not performance-related, as both teams had winning records going into the game. After six Raiders were placed on the COVID-19 list, there were concerns that the game would not be played on Sunday and leave NBC without a broadcast.[52] The Week 7 game marked the eleventh straight year an NFL game aired opposite the World Series.

The Week 15 contest between the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants was moved to Sunday night from a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, replacing the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. It was the first time in the history of SNF that Dallas was flexed out of primetime.[53] Michaels' inability to clear NBC protocol for COVID-19 resulted in Tirico working the broadcast with Collinsworth, while Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports broadcaster Joe Davis took Tirico's place on an NFL Network broadcast the previous day.[54]

2021[edit]

The 2021 schedule was released on May 12. The Kickoff game, an NBC staple since 2006, was held on September 9. The defending Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by Tom Brady, hosted the Dallas Cowboys, led by Dak Prescott, which resulted in a 31–29 win for Tampa Bay. For the 12th straight year, NBC aired a Sunday night game against a World Series game. This year's game featured Prescott and the Cowboys against Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota Vikings. Thanksgiving Night featured an interconference showdown between Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills against the New Orleans Saints.

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling game arose as the season progressed. The scheduled Sunday Night game could be swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. The last game of the season Sunday, January 9, 2022, likewise was a flex game. The slot was left blank when the schedule came out. It was filled by the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders.

After a one-season hiatus due to COVID-19 production concerns, SNF's trademark "talking heads" introduction for each team's starters was reinstated.

This season marked the year NBC broadcast Super Bowl LVI, the network's fifth Super Bowl under the SNF banner, and the 20th overall. Super Bowl LVI was also scheduled to be the first Super Bowl to be played during an ongoing Olympics event, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The rights to the game were originally assigned to CBS, but on March 13, 2019, CBS agreed to trade it to NBC in exchange for Super Bowl LV.[55] With NBC airing both the Olympics and the Super Bowl on the same weekend, the network announced that Mike Tirico would work both events. Tirico started by flying out to Beijing for the first few days of the Games, then flying back to Los Angeles to host primetime coverage and Super Bowl LVI from SoFi Stadium. Tirico then flew east to Stamford, Connecticut, where NBC Sports' main headquarters are, to host the rest of the Olympics.

As with the previous season, Tirico filled in for Al Michaels in select SNF games, including the Thanksgiving game. Maria Taylor, who joined NBC from ESPN/ABC, became the secondary studio host in games Tirico does play-by-play. In addition, Drew Brees was added as a second analyst, both in the studio and in-game. Kathryn Tappen, NBC's sideline reporter for Notre Dame Football games, filled in for Michele Tafoya on the sidelines during Weeks 12-14.

On November 23, 2021, NFL announced a rivalry game between the 49ers and Seahawks was the only game flex out in favor of a Broncos and Chiefs game due to an injury to Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and after the Seahawks' loss against Steelers in overtime 23–20.

The talking heads introductions were not used in the Saturday AFC Wild Card Playoff game, but it was used in the Sunday Night AFC Wild Card and NFC Divisional Round. The music used was "The Way You Move".

Coincidentally, the first Super Bowl aired on NBC (in a simulcast with CBS), and this season's Super Bowl, were both played in Los Angeles, with Super Bowl I being played at the LA Coliseum, and Super Bowl LVI being played at SoFi Stadium. Super Bowl LVI was also the final game for Tafoya and Michaels.

2022[edit]

The 2022 schedule was released on May 12, 2022. The Kickoff game was held on September 8, 2022, with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams hosting the Buffalo Bills, which resulted in a 31–10 win for Buffalo. After six years of waiting to take over full-time, Mike Tirico replaced Al Michaels as lead play-by-play after the latter left for Amazon, while NFL Network's Melissa Stark replaced Michele Tafoya on the sidelines. However, Michaels will be on select SNF and playoff telecasts in an emeritus role and a fill-in for Tirico.

This season marked the first time that SNF did not go head-to-head with a World Series game as Major League Baseball scheduled a travel day for the American League's Houston Astros and the National League's Philadelphia Phillies on October 30, between Games 2 and 3. With Game 3 scheduled for October 31 postponed the following day due to rain in Philadelphia and every subsequent game pushed back by one day, the Week 9 SNF contest featuring the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs would compete with Game 7 of the World Series should the latter game be necessary. However, the seventh game became moot when the Astros won the championship in six games.

In Week 11, the NFL announced a scheduling change that flexed out a rivalry game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers in favor of a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers. As the Chargers had back-to-back games on Sunday night after the Week 10 game against the San Francisco 49ers, this was the first time in 4 years that a team has played back-to-back Sunday Night Football games since the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams.

In Week 14, the NFL announced a scheduling change that flexed out a rivalry game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos in favor of the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Chargers. This was the Dolphin's second appearance on SNF after they beat the Steelers in Week 7 and also the second time in 4 weeks that the Chargers have hosted a Sunday Night Football game.

In Week 15, the NFL announced a scheduling change that flexed out a game between the New England PatriotsLas Vegas Raiders game that was flexed out in favor of the New York GiantsWashington Commanders. This marked the Commanders' first appearance as a new name. This also marked the Giants' return to SNF in 2 years.

On Christmas Day, the NFL announced a scheduling change in Week 17. The Los Angeles RamsLos Angeles Chargers game was flexed out in favor of the Pittsburgh SteelersBaltimore Ravens game due to the Rams QB injury Matthew Stafford (as the only game for Rams on NBC after they lost against the Bills 31–10). This marks the 11th time a rivalry game between the Steelers and the Ravens will be seeing each other again on SNF (last SNF game in 2020 the Steelers beat the Ravens 19–14). This also marked the Steelers' second appearance after they lost against the Dolphins and got flexed out against the Bengals and the Raven's second appearance after they beat the Bengals.

Thanksgiving Night featured an interconference matchup between Mac Jones and the New England Patriots against Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota Vikings.

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling game arose as the season progressed. The scheduled SNF game reverted to the afternoon the scheduled game could've been swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. The last game of the season Sunday, January 8, 2023, likewise was a flex game the slot was left blank when the schedule came out. It was filled by the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. (For the first time since SNF began, neither team that participated in the final telecast qualified for the playoffs that season. The Lions, which had been eliminated earlier in the day when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams, beat the Packers, 20-16; the result qualified the Seahawks for the playoffs.)

In addition, there are four Super Bowl rematches on Sunday Night Football for the 2022 season. The first one in Week 3 featured a rematch of Super Bowl XXIV between the 49ers and the Broncos. The second one in Week 4 was a rematch of Super Bowl LV between the Chiefs and the Buccaneers. In Week 10, the 49ers hosted the Chargers in a rematch of Super Bowl XXIX. Finally, Week 13 featured a rematch of Super Bowl V between the Colts and the Cowboys.

Al Michaels' lone appearance on NBC throughout the season came during the 2022 AFC Wild Card game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, alongside Tony Dungy and Kaylee Hartung.

2023[edit]

The 2023 schedule was released on May 11, 2023. The Kickoff Game was held on September 7, 2023, with the defending Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions. which resulted in a 22–21 win for Detroit.

Thanksgiving Night featured a divisional rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. Also during Week 12, Jason Garrett filled in for Collinsworth during a Sunday night game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers.

For the first time, Peacock streamed an exclusive Saturday night game in Week 16, that featured the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers. The main SNF team of Tirico, Collinsworth, and Stark were assigned to call the game. As a result, no Sunday night game was given to NBC on Christmas Eve and was assigned to NFL Network as its Christmas Exclusive Game. Instead, NBC was given a Saturday afternoon game featuring division rivals Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. That game would be called by the Big Ten Saturday Night team of Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen. Peacock will also stream one Wild Card game. From Week 16 onward, Ahmed Fareed served as the studio host due to Maria Taylor's maternity leave.

The only Sunday Night game flexed prior to week 18 (where the match-up is usually determined as late as six days before the Sunday of Week 18).

Flexible scheduling rules went into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game reverted to the afternoon if a more compelling game arose as the season progresed. The scheduled SNF game would revert to the afternoon the scheduled game could've been swapped with the more competitive game's time slot. The final game of the season Sunday, January 7, 2024, likewise was a flex game the slot was left blank when the schedule came out. It was filled by the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins.

This is also the first year since NBC took over SNF in 2006 that Al Michaels did not call at least one game for the network. Instead, Eagle, Blackledge, and Tappen would serve as the #2 team during NBC's Wild Card playoff coverage, and were assigned the Cleveland Browns at the Houston Texans. Tirico called two Wild Card games with two different broadcast crews: the Peacock-exclusive Saturday game between the Dolphins and the Chiefs with Garrett and Hartung, and the Sunday night game between the Lions and the Los Angeles Rams with Collinsworth and Stark.

2024[edit]

The 2024 schedule was released on May 15, 2024. The Kickoff Game will be held on September 5, 2024, with the defending Super Bowl LVIII champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens, in a rematch of the previous season's AFC Championship Game. The following day, NBC will produce the first NFL game played in South America as the Philadelphia Eagles will host the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. That game will air exclusively on Peacock, the second exclusive regular season game the streaming service will air live, and simulcast on NBC in both Green Bay and Philadelphia.

For the twelfth time in the package history, NBC will present a game on Thanksgiving Night, with the Miami Dolphins in Green Bay against the Packers.

NBC also gained rights to broadcast an additional Saturday afternoon game in Week 16, which will feature two teams that will also play on Christmas Day. It will be the first time since 1997 that NBC airs Week 16 games on both Saturday and Sunday, as the network retained their Week 16 SNF game that week.

As has been the case since 2014, flexible scheduling rules will go into effect in Week 5; the scheduled game will revert to the afternoon or to either Monday Night Football or Thursday Night Football, if a more compelling game arises as the season progresses. The final night of the season, Sunday January 5, 2024, likewise is a flex game, and the slot will be left blank when the schedule comes out.

NBC will only carry two playoff games this season (one Super Wild Card game and one Divisional game), the least amount of playoff games the network has carried since the 2019-20 playoffs, after Prime Video picked up the rights from Peacock to exclusively stream one Super Wild Card playoff game, and CBS holding the rights to air two of the other Super Wild Card playoff games.

Similarities to ABC's NFL coverage[edit]

Much of NBC's SNF production crew comes from ABC/ESPN, including Fred Gaudelli[56] and Drew Esocoff (who respectively serve as producer and director of the broadcasts), as ESPN moved most of its previous Sunday night crew over to Monday Night Football. Michaels, Madden and Andrea Kremer also came to NBC directly from ABC/ESPN, and Football Night in America's Sterling Sharpe was a member of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown in recent years (calling several Sunday night games for the network in 2005).[57] With regard to using ABC/ESPN talent, NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said, "I was not interested in the quote, unquote vanity of starting anew ... There's not a lot of room for experimentation."[57]

In addition, NBC has the starters for each team introduce themselves on each side of the ball (though the strict "player name/position/playing college" introductions of the past have been relaxed, and now players can list their birthplace or high school in the last part rather than their playing college, or even their college's common nickname, such as Miami (FL)'s "The U"), much as ABC did in the last few years of its run, and the short post-game show (done to allow affiliates to start their late newscasts) follows a similar format to ABC's. As of Week 9 of the 2016 NFL season, this practice was also used on the NBC-produced Thursday Night Football broadcasts on NBC and/or NFL Network.

Michaels and Madden ended each telecast in the 2007 and 2008 NFL seasons by selecting an MVP for that night's game to receive the Horse Trailer award (with a photo of each recipient being affixed to the side of a production truck, also known as a "horse trailer"). This concept originated from Madden's days with CBS, where he invented the similar "Turkey Leg Award" for the Thanksgiving Day game in 1989 (he later took the concept to Fox, then expanded it to every game of the year with the Horse Trailer Award when he joined ABC in 2002). In the 2006 season, the MVP concept was modified slightly, where the game's MVP was called the "Rock Star of the Game" and had his photo placed on a display at the "Top of the Rock" observation deck atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NBC's New York headquarters, in New York. When Madden retired following Super Bowl XLIII, the Horse Trailer Player of the Game award was discontinued.

The following local TV stations have carried both MNF and SNF during their histories. (Unless otherwise noted, these stations have been NBC affiliates for the entire run of SNF.)

Theme music[edit]

Academy Award winner John Williams composed the instrumental theme music, titled "Wide Receiver,"[58] for Sunday Night Football. For Super Bowl XLIII, NBC commissioned Joel Beckerman[59] of Man Made Music to create new instrumental cues adding techno and rock elements around the main brass melody. These cues replaced the original Williams arrangements full-time at the start of the 2009 season.

In 2006, singer-songwriter Pink reworked the lyrics of the Joan Jett song "I Hate Myself for Loving You" into a Sunday Night Football theme song, retitled "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night."[60] Pink also performed the theme song for the 2006 season.[61][62] Several alternative versions were used throughout the season, substituting different lyrics when appropriate (such as "Waiting All Year For Opening Night" (During the Kickoff game of each season) or "Waiting All Day For A Wild Card Fight").

In 2007, country singer Faith Hill replaced Pink as the singer of the opening theme, and a new arrangement of the Joan Jett song coincided with her debut.[63] The Faith Hill intro, in particular, was not without criticism[64][65][66][67] and parody. The intro was lampooned in the October 9, 2010, episode of Saturday Night Live, with host Jane Lynch as Hill (with Jason Sudeikis as Al Michaels and Bill Hader as Cris Collinsworth).[68][69] In the 30 Rock episode "Season 4", the character of Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) sings what appears to be an allusion to the Faith Hill intro for NBC's fictional Tennis Night in America[70][71] program. In the South Park episode entitled "Faith Hilling", Eric Cartman sings an obvious spoof of Hill's actual Sunday Night Football song. On April 15, 2013, Hill announced that she would no longer sing the intro song for Sunday Night Football.[72]

The use of the reworked Joan Jett song is another similarity to ABC's Monday Night Football coverage. From 1989 to 2011 and again beginning in 2017, Hank Williams Jr. opens MNF with a reworking of his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" entitled "All My Rowdy Friends Are Back for Monday Night (Are You Ready for Some Football?)".

On October 7, 2012, The Soul Rebels had a featured performance on Sunday Night Football, performing the show's theme song.[73]

It was announced May 7, 2013, that Carrie Underwood would take over singing the theme song.[74]

A new Carrie Underwood-sung theme known as "Oh, Sunday Night", which takes elements from her 2014 duet hit with Miranda Lambert, "Somethin' Bad", premiered with the opening game of the 2016 season on September 11.[75]

For NBC's coverage of Thursday Night Football in 2016 and 2017, A capella group Pentatonix sang the opening theme song called "Weekend Go." The song is a reworked version of their original song "Sing." NBC also used the TNF main theme music called "Can't Hold Us Down," performed by members of the Broadway orchestra for Hamilton.

In 2018, Underwood, along with songwriters Chris DeStefano and Brett James, wrote and recorded a brand new song for SNF, called "Game On", replacing "Oh, Sunday Night," which had been the opening theme since 2016. In addition, Joel Beckerman, who had orchestrated the main theme since Super Bowl XLIII, reorchestrated the main theme, for the first time since Super Bowl XLVI. The previous orchestration of the SNF theme continues to be heard on air, mostly during in-game promotions for the game being broadcast the next week.

Underwood faced criticism over the song, which led to her, NBC, and the NFL being sued by singer Heidi Merrill for plagiarism. NBC followed this up by reinstating "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" as the opening theme for the first time since 2015. Underwood returned, and in 2019, the open featured Joan Jett, and her band The Blackhearts. The open was shot inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which was the first time that the SNF open was shot inside of an NFL stadium, instead of a soundstage. Underwood later returned to filming in soundstages in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then from 2022 on, due to her residency, Underwood filmed the opening from the Resorts World Las Vegas Theatre.

A similar approach to “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” was made for NBC’s new Big Ten Saturday Night package, as rock band Fall Out Boy performed the theme song, a cover of "Here Comes Saturday Night" by Italian band Giuda. The instrumental version of the song is also heard during the broadcast as the main theme.

Show opening[edit]

The song is at the centerpiece of the opening montage, which has changed several times over the years. Carrie Underwood's music has always played in the background over the official welcome after the opening is completed and the teams take the field.

Pink[edit]

2006[edit]

For the first season, Pink appeared to sing from the top of a skyscraper as a helicopter zoomed down on a city skyline with enlarged players Shaun Alexander, LaDainian Tomlinson and Tom Brady and the field, the results of computer-generated imagery. A television monitor, which resembles the monitor at Times Square leased at the time by NBC, showed game preview footage and opening credits.

Faith Hill[edit]

2007[edit]

Faith Hill, who replaced Pink as the theme song's performer, sang on a stage while some of the key players in the game and announcers Al Michaels and John Madden arrived in limousines and walk on a red carpet as they head to a simulated theater. The marquee outside the theater showed the logo of then-official NFL communications partner Sprint, which paid a product placement fee, and one of the "bystanders" recorded the red carpet scene on a Sprint camera phone. Access Hollywood co-hosts Shaun Robinson and Tony Potts also appeared in the opening. In addition, some of the lyrics were changed slightly and the musical arrangement tilts toward country more than rock, to reflect the change in singers.

2008[edit]

The 2008 opening, which debuted on September 7, takes place in a stadium. Hill performed and danced surrounded by video screens with simulated game action, and the song ended with a computer-generated fireworks display. Once again, a Sprint camera phone was used, this time by a fan. Among the spectators were NFL stars Ray Lewis and Antonio Gates. Again, there were some lyrics changes, among them was the substitution of the lyrics "last one standing better turn out the lights".[76]

Super Bowl XLIII[edit]

A special intro sequence was used for Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009. Hill performed with CGI blue neon lights and video screens in the settings of the background and at the end of the video, the Vince Lombardi Trophy entered through pouring water, showing the trophy in front of the city of Tampa (the host city of Super Bowl XLIII).

2009[edit]

For 2009, Hill appeared in the intro sequence performed in a closed-studio setting, surrounded by video monitors, neon lights and a message board that displayed the names of the production staff. Sprint returned for more product placement, as a branded cell phone appeared to give an alert that the game was about to start.

2010[edit]

Hill was seen in front of a Ford Mustang convertible as the song began, overlooking a bluff; the scene was taped in the Hollywood Hills in California. A number of NFL stars appeared in front of various landmarks throughout the United States, including Peyton Manning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Eli Manning at Times Square, DeSean Jackson at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Larry Fitzgerald in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Drew Brees on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Hill herself drove down a road with some simulated billboards with the opening credits and a product placement ad for Verizon (which replaced Sprint as the league's telecommunications sponsor) and was also seen at the Washington Monument. Some of the lyrics changed yet again; for example, the opening line once again asked, "Alright, Sunday night, where are you?" Hill gathered with the NFL stars on a football field inside a stadium at the end of the video.

In Week 16, the introduction did not air due to the game moving to Tuesday night and time constraints.

2011[edit]

There were a few significant changes from the previous year, including Hill (who herself returned for her fifth year as part of the telecast's opening) arriving in a motorcycle. In addition, Verizon returned for more product placement. Most of the scenes, including the NFL stars' appearances in front of various landmarks throughout the U.S. and Hill at the Washington Monument (with the minor difference being her wardrobe), were repeated from 2010, however several new NFL stars appeared, including Adrian Peterson and Brian Urlacher; in the last few seconds of the sequence, all of them gathered on a computer-generated football field. In another notable change, the opening credits were dropped for the season. J. Ivy, a spoken word poet from Chicago who has worked with Kanye West and Jay-Z, also appears during the opening.

Super Bowl XLVI[edit]

Hill performed another special Super Bowl version of the song at the start of the network's broadcast of Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012. With computer-generated technology, this was filmed in a closed-studio setting, with her walking surrounded by video screens showing clips from past Super Bowl games. A Verizon smartphone (product placement) was seen at the beginning of the video sequence.

2012[edit]

Some changes were made to the show's opening for the 2012 season, which included Hill walking through the tunnel towards the stage. She then performed with a rock band in front of a live audience, with video screens in the background. Shortly after the start of the song, guests appeared on the computer-generated video screens each week (such as three of the judges from The Voice for Week 1, the Chicago Fire Department for Week 3 and the girls Goldie Rocky and Shania from The New Normal for Week 5) singing the line, "We want it too!" The live audience used their smartphones to form the Verizon logo. NFL stars were also seen going through the tunnel with moving CG images of city landmarks, players and team logos. Initially, the stars presented were Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers), Clay Matthews (Packers), Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens), Patrick Willis (San Francisco 49ers), Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints), DeMarcus Ware (Dallas Cowboys), Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions), Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals), Jared Allen (Minnesota Vikings), Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots), Darrelle Revis (New York Jets) and Eli Manning (New York Giants). The opening itself was remixed with Nick Mangold (Jets) and LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles) filling in for Ray Lewis and Darrelle Revis.

Beginning with this season, the opening title sequence was not used at the start of the NBC Sunday Night Football Thanksgiving Special broadcast. This opening was also not used on December 16, 2012, two days after the Sandy Hook shooting.

Carrie Underwood[edit]

2013[edit]

Carrie Underwood became the performer for the theme song for the 2013 season, replacing Faith Hill. Her intro debuted on September 8, with the theme arrangement itself tilted even more towards country to reflect the change in singers. In this animation sequence, Carrie Underwood performed on stage inside a computer-generated stadium. Verizon also returned for more product placement. Some of the NFL stars appearing in this opening included Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts), Eli Manning (Giants), Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos), Clay Matthews (Packers) and J. J. Watt (Houston Texans). The animation ended with the NBC Sunday Night Football logo written in laser lighting.

Beginning with this season, the opening was not used for any and all playoff games aired on NBC with the exception of the Super Bowl.

2014[edit]

Underwood continued her role as Sunday Night Football's show opener, which debuted on September 7. Once again, Verizon returned to provide product placement. Some of the NFL stars that were represented in the opening were Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers), Luke Kuechly (Carolina Panthers), DeMarcus Ware (Broncos), Clay Matthews (Packers), Brandon Marshall (Chicago Bears), Jimmy Graham (Saints), LeSean McCoy (Eagles) and Colin Kaepernick (49ers). This time, she was seen performing on a computer-generated stage. In another major tweak, the lyrics toward the end of the song changed, with the commentators' first names (Al and Cris) being replaced with "come on along with the best on TV."

Super Bowl XLIX[edit]

Underwood performed a special Super Bowl version of the song at the start of the network's broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, 2015. In this version, she is performing with a rock band in concert with video screens showing scenes from past Super Bowl games inside a CGI rendering of University of Phoenix Stadium, the site of Super Bowl XLIX. The Patriots' Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Darrelle Revis, as well as the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson and Kam Chancellor, appeared in the opening. Verizon provided product placement.

2015[edit]

Underwood returned for her third year as part of the show's opening on September 13. Once again, she was seen performing on a computer-generated stage. Product placement was once again provided by Verizon, which introduced its newest company logo that September.

2016[edit]

Underwood returned for her fourth season on September 11, with "Oh, Sunday Night" replacing "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night" as the new intro for SNF. In this open, Underwood was seen at the stadium entrance in front of a bus. Upon entering the stadium, she goes into the SNF broadcast booth with Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (color). She was then seen going down the steps before entering the locker room with the players and then walking past a row of cheerleaders. Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter) also appears in the open, as does product placement by Verizon. As Underwood left the computer-generated stadium at the end of the open, the SNF logo was lit up between the two computer-generated pyrotechnics displays and finally, the sliding doors seen above the logo slid open while going into a live shot.

2017[edit]

Underwood returned for her fifth season on September 10. The opening sequence began with a skyline and a Verizon logo (product placement) on the lower left of the screen. Underwood was seen wearing a red dress while walking down the street before performing on stage. Various NFL stars also appeared in the opening.

Super Bowl LII[edit]

Rather than singing a special version of "Oh Sunday Night", done in previous years with "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night", Underwood recorded, and performed "The Champion" featuring rapper Ludacris as the opening sequence to Super Bowl LII, with product placement by Verizon.[77]

2018[edit]

Underwood returned for her sixth season on September 9. "Game On" replaced "Oh Sunday Night" as the opening theme. In the open, she was joined by several NFL stars before the cheerleaders joined her. The open ended with Underwood on the rooftop of a skyscraper. In another significant change, the logo of Pepsi (the official soft drink of the NFL, which paid a product placement fee) was shown. It replaced Verizon as the product placement sponsor in the SNF open.[78] Although the Kickoff Game had no intro, NBC used a snippet of Underwood's song The Champion, to commemorate the Eagles' Super Bowl Championship, which then led into the championship banner unveiling, the singing of "Fly, Eagles Fly", and the introduction of the Super Bowl Champion Eagles, all led by Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins.

As in recent years, the intro was not seen before the Thanksgiving game. However, NBC created a special intro featuring chef Emeril Lagasse and New Orleans-born jazz musician Trombone Shorty.

2019[edit]

Underwood returned for her seventh season on September 8, when her new intro for SNF debuted during Week 1. As previously mentioned, she teamed with rock music legend Joan Jett for the return of the original SNF opening theme song, "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night." Product placement was once again provided by Pepsi and the opening sequence was filmed inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, making this the first time the open was filmed inside an actual NFL stadium.

As in recent years, the intro was not seen before the Thanksgiving game. However, like the year before, NBC created a special intro for the game. This year, the intro featured Atlanta-based country group Zac Brown Band performing a rewritten version of their song Chicken Fried.

2020[edit]

Underwood returned for her eighth season on September 13. This season's intro was very unique, as due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, an intro could not be filmed. Instead, the intro was filmed remotely, with players and fans making cameos from home.

NBC had also planned to air a special intro for the Thanksgiving game for the third straight year, this year, starring Milo Ventimiglia from NBC's hit show This is Us. However, because the game was postponed to the Wednesday afternoon after Thanksgiving, the intro was scrapped altogether.

2021[edit]

Underwood returned for her ninth season on September 12. This season's intro was featured with NFL players along with reporters, fans tailgating in the parking lot and some of SNF's finest moments. Also, Uber Eats replaced Pepsi as the sponsor of the Sunday Night Football open. The intro ends with a computer-generated fireworks display, similar to that of 2008.

The Thanksgiving Night intro returned for 2021. This year featured New Orleans native Branford Marsalis narrating a special video essay.

Super Bowl LVI[edit]

In lieu of a special recording of "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night", as the case in previous Super Bowl broadcasts, NBC's opening started with an impromptu commercial for Visit California and features movie clips of famous football movies, clips from previous Super Bowl games and cameo appearances by Hollywood actors and Super Bowl luminaries, starring actress Halle Berry. Underwood did make a cameo in the commercial, singing a parody of her hit song "Before He Cheats" related to The Blind Side (acting as if it was a musical), with the title line being changed to "Maybe next time he'll beg before he calls a sneak".

A snippet of Ludacris's verse in Underwood's song, The Champion, was used for the first half highlights and "The Buzz" segment during the broadcast prior to the second half kickoff.

2022[edit]

Underwood returned for her 10th season on September 11. This season's intro underwent an overhaul to match the new logo and package introduced for SNF. The intro starts with a computer-generated fireworks display before panning down towards a concert venue where Underwood performs, cutting between the performance and clips of the teams. Aspects of previous SNF intros made their return, with some melodies from previous years being reintroduced. The intro ends with a pan up towards the fireworks display with the new SNF logo.

Minnesota Vikings legend John Randle starred in the special intro on Thanksgiving Night before his Vikings hosted the New England Patriots.

2023[edit]

Underwood returned for her 11th season on September 10. For this season, an updated version of "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" is used, with the intro consisting of a concert performance interspersed with augmented reality highlights displayed on a halo scoreboard similar to that of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood as well as a yet unnamed surprise element.[79] Geico would replace Uber Eats as the sponsor for the show open.

The opening was not used for the Christmas games.

Graphics[edit]

2006–2008[edit]

The scoring banner used from 2006 to 2008.
The 2008 variation of the 2006-2022 logo.

The graphics, logos and scoreboard for NBC's Sunday Night Football telecasts were designed by Troika Design Group, along with the city skyline graphics used in the introductions to both Football Night in America and the games proper.[80] It was effectively the first time the network used permanent time/score boxes throughout any of their sports broadcasts outside of Olympic Games broadcasts, where permanent scoring displays were compulsory; prior to 2006, the network continued the previous mode of presenting the scores on-screen for a short time every few minutes or so, a method common in American sports broadcasting until Fox introduced constant scoring displays in 1994.

NBC's game telecasts use the same type of horizontal bottom-screen scoreboard that Monday Night Football used in the 2005 NFL season (and was subsequently used by ABC Sports until its rebranding in August 2006). After its debut, the graphics also began to be phased in across other NBC Sports properties, including its coverage of Notre Dame football and the annual Bayou Classic game (which uses exactly the same graphics used on SNF broadcasts), National Hockey League coverage (which uses the SNF graphics but with a scoreboard on the top), and tennis and golf (which use a modified version influenced by the look, but with bolder text for readability purposes). NBC's Olympics coverage continues to use a different package mixed between NBC's graphics and those of the IOC's world feed. The NBC football graphics are also used, in some form or another, on certain locally produced preseason telecasts carried by NBC owned-and-operated stations and affiliates that serve as flagship outlets for NFL teams (such as New York Giants preseason games on WNBC, and the Minnesota Vikings on KARE-TV).

2009–2011[edit]

The scoring banner used from 2009 to 2011 (regular season).

NBC's bottom-line scoring banner underwent a significant revamp for the 2009 season, although it debuted during the network's Super Bowl XLIII coverage on February 1, 2009. The changes included presenting downs and yardage in a feather derived from NBC's iconic peacock logo in the colors of the team currently on offense. In addition, when a team scores a touchdown, the banner will open, the team's logo and initials will slide to the left of the banner and "TOUCHDOWN" is displayed in the remainder of the banner. After a few moments, the banner will show the drive information. Then the banner returns to normal and show the change in the team's score. Additionally (beginning with Week 9), timeout indicators were added below each team's respective scores. For the 2010 season, the timeout indicators were changed to three white trapezoids below the team abbreviations, and the play clock was moved from above the team in possession of the football to above the game clock (for the final two minutes of regulation and if necessary, overtime). The down markers also changed in 2010, which is now featuring the team logo next to the down marker.

2012–2014[edit]

The scoring banner used from 2012 to 2014, starting with the 2011 NFL Wild Card playoffs to Week 17 of the 2014 NFL regular season. Notice the addition of timeout indicators at the bottom, and the cleaner and larger looking font in the team's initials.

On January 2, 2012, during the NHL Winter Classic (with a sneak two days before during a Notre Dame hockey game on Versus), the graphics of all of NBC Sports' productions were updated to a new package intended to unify the graphical image between both the network and the rebranded NBC Sports Network, which relaunched that same day. Subsequently, on Wild Card Saturday (January 7), the network's NFL presentation was changed to the new graphical styling to match the style and layout of the then-recently christened NBC Sports Network. Most of the banner's styling remains the same, but with a cleaner and larger font for readability and a more neutral NBC logo to the left rather than the "aggressive peacock" used since 2006. Elements such as team and individual player stats take on team colors (main color as the background, secondary color as the accent), and the down/yardage/possession graphic also takes on team coloring, with neutral team comparison stats and other elements having a gold/blue/black coloring. Additionally, the play clock appeared directly above the game clock throughout the entire game.

Beginning with the 2014 Hall of Fame Game on August 3, 2014, the play clock was moved to the right side, next to the down/yardage graphic, of the bottom-screen score banner, which itself remained in the 4:3 safe area. In addition, beginning with the NFL Kickoff Special on September 4, 2014, an electronic green-colored line-of-scrimmage marker was added to the virtual on-field graphic. NBC's Sunday Night Football was also the last of the five NFL broadcast partners to switch to a full 16:9 letterbox presentation on its 4:3 standard-definition feed, a downscaled version of the HD feed's native 16:9 format (utilizing the Active Format Description #10 flag), following Fox (2010), ESPN's Monday Night Football (2011), NFL Network's Thursday Night Football (2012) and CBS (2013). Some of the graphics were also re-positioned.

2015–2017[edit]

On January 3, 2015, during the Wild Card playoffs, Sunday Night Football introduced a refresh of NBC Sports' graphics that was first launched on January 1, carrying a brighter visual appearance.[81] A dedicated graphics package was introduced specifically for NBC-produced Thursday Night Football games during its tenure as a rightsholder.

2018–2021[edit]

NBC debuted a new graphics package specifically for Sunday Night Football during Super Bowl LII, began to be used full-time 2018 season. Producer Fred Gaudelli stated that the network wanted SNF to have a more distinctive presentation to set them apart from other NBC Sports telecasts.[82][83] For the 2018 season, NBC also debuted a new on-air feature known as the "green zone"; on third and fourth downs, the distance from the line of scrimmage to the first down line is digitally shaded on the field to be a darker shade of green. The feature received mixed reviews from critics and viewers, who considered it distracting and redundant to the existing yellow first down line that had historically been a standard feature of U.S. football telecasts. The Ringer's Rodger Sherman considered it "the ultimate conclusion of graphics creep". Gaudelli stated that the green zone was developed for when Skycam is used as a primary camera angle, but it was decided to use the effect on all games.[84][85]

2022–present[edit]

NBC debuted a new on-air graphics package for Sunday Night Football during Super Bowl LVI, including a "pod"-like scoreboard in the center of the screen (reminiscent of one introduced by Fox in 2020, and one initially used by Monday Night Football upon its move to ESPN) anchored by a circular hub containing the game clock, and capable of retracting itself to the side of the screen to fit statistical graphics.[86] For the first time, NBC also introduced a new logo for Sunday Night Football and its associated programs, replacing the previous pentagon-shaped "shield" logo used since its premiere with a more minimalistic wordmark better-suited for multi-platform usage.[87] The new logo also soft launched a refresh of the network's long-time peacock logo, whose official rollout began in earnest in late-December 2022.[88]

A variant of these graphics with a more rectangular appearance were adopted by NBC's college football broadcasts (which had continued to use the 2015 graphics since) in 2023, coinciding with the debut of its new Big Ten Saturday Night broadcasts.[89]

For Spanish broadcasts on Telemundo, the network's stylized "T" logo was used instead of its sister network's peacock logo.

International broadcasts[edit]

In Canada, Sunday Night Football is aired by TSN, as well as CTV 2 for simsub purposes since the 2017 season under the NFL's current media rights. It is also aired in the UK by Sky Sports, corporate sibling to NBC since Comcast's acquisition of Sky, and in Australia by 7mate.

In Brazil, SNF is broadcast on ESPN Brasil, with the original English audio available as a separate feed via second audio program. Brazilian Portuguese audio is hosted by Fernando Nardini on play-by-play and Paulo Antunes as color commentator; Ari Aguiar/Renan do Couto fills in occasionally as play-by-play and Antony Curti as color commentator.

The Sunday Night Football telecasts are also aired in Latin America by ESPN Latin America, with Álvaro Martín as play-by-play announcer and Raúl Allegre providing color commentary.

In the Philippines, Sunday Night Football, alongside other primetime games, is aired by Premier Sports beginning with the 2021 season.

Nielsen ratings[edit]

Season Total viewers
(in millions)
Rating Share
2006 17.5 11.0 18
2007 16.0 10.0 16
2008 16.6 10.2 16
2009 19.4 11.7 19
2010 25.8 13.0 21
2011 21.5[90] 12.9 20
2012 21.4[91] 12.8 20
2013 21.495[92] 12.8 21
2014 21.3[93] 12.5 21
2015 22.5 13.0 22
2016 28.7 18.3 23
2017 18.2 10.3 20
2018 20.0 16.1 20
2019 20.5 11.3 26
2020 17.4 9.3 20
2021 19.3 9.9 23
2022 18.4 9.8
2023
2024

Through the first four weeks of the 2010 NFL season, Sunday Night Football had an average total viewership of 22.9 million viewers, the most for the first four weeks of a prime time NFL package in 14 years (since ABC earned a 24.0 million average viewership in 1996 on four broadcasts of Monday Night Football).[94][95]

The Washington RedskinsDallas Cowboys game on December 30, 2012, was the highest-rated Sunday Night Football broadcast ever, earning 30.426 million viewers (22.074 million during the period from 8:31 to 11:25 p.m. Eastern Time) and a household rating of 12.7.[96][97] This also made it the most watched regular-season primetime game in 16 years, since a November 18, 1996 Monday Night Football game on ABC between the Green Bay Packers and the Cowboys (which was watched by 31.5 million viewers).[98]

For the 2013 season, Sunday Night Football averaged 21.9 million viewers (for 15 broadcasts, as well as the Turkey Bowl) in 2013, up 5% versus its viewership in 2012, and an increase of 3% with a 12.9 household rating. In terms of sheer reach, this marked the highest average viewership for an NFL prime time package since 1996. Its highest rated game telecast was the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts on October 20, 2013, which was watched by 26.9 million viewers.[99]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

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Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Records
Preceded by NFL Sunday Night Football broadcaster
2006–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent