'Sunday Night Football' bus makes first stops of season

"SNF" bus journeys from "NFL Kickoff" to Super Bowl XLIX to bring fans closer to show

NBC Sports Group's "Sunday Night Football" bus returns this season to travel the country, visiting the host cities of all 17 "SNF" games, the "NFL Kickoff" game in Seattle, and NBC's Wild Card and Divisional Playoff games. The "SNF" bus also will be on-site all week leading up to the crowning of the Super Bowl XLIX champion in Arizona on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015.

The tour begins this week in Seattle leading up to the "SNF" opener, Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. The bus stopped at "NFL Gameday Village" in Pioneer Square today. It will make its way to Century Link Field for the game tomorrow.

The bus will arrive in each city two to three days prior to the game, making stops at local landmarks and events before heading to the game site. Once at the stadium, the "Sunday Night Football" bus will give fans the opportunity to interact with America's most-watched primetime television show. The bus offers exclusive activities, memorabilia and an interactive, 55-inch touch screen housing social media elements, photos and video.

As the "SNF" bus makes its way from "NFL Kickoff" to the Super Bowl, it will be traveling with a replica Vince Lombardi Trophy that will be available for fan photos. From the life-size images of NFL players and Carrie Underwood on the outside, to the Vince Lombardi Trophy and "Photo Bomb" wall featuring NFL players on the inside, fans will have numerous opportunities to interact and share memories from the bus.

Following each Sunday night game, the stars of the game will autograph "The Sunday Night Football," which will be displayed on the bus alongside the footballs signed by the 2012 and 2013 "SNF" players of the game. In addition, key highlights from last season's "SNF" will be shown on the bus' TV, and a photo of each 2014 "SNF" Player of the Game will be added to the "SNF" schedule display on the outside of the bus.

The 'Sunday Night Football' bus by the numbers

•The "SNF" bus will drive more than 40,000 miles across the country through the season, and cross the country at least three times.

•There will be 21 gameday stops over 22 weeks (for the 2014 "SNF" schedule, click here).

•The bus will make multiple stops in each local market.

Social media

The "Sunday Night Football" bus will incorporate social media both inside and out. "SNF's" Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts along with the #SNF hashtag will be displayed on the exterior.

Fans can digitally follow the "SNF" bus at NBCSports.com/FollowSNF. The site will include an interactive map of where the bus has been, and where it's traveling next, allowing fans to take a virtual #SNFRoadTrip, beginning with "NFL Kickoff" on Sept. 4, all the way to the ultimate Sunday night of them all, Super Bowl XLIX (#SB49). In addition, fans can participate in a tweet contest to show their team pride and see who's leading each week.

A dedicated producer will be collecting photos and creating videos of the bus' travels and the cast of characters it encounters along the way. Life on the road with the "SNF" bus will be featured on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as aggregated on www.NBCSports.com/FollowSNF using #SNFRoadTrip.

^{The 'Sunday Night Football' bus. (Credit: NBC Sports Group)}