Bill Belichick faces former defensive coordinator & new Lions HC Matt Patricia
In Week 3 of NBC's "Sunday Night Football," QB Tom Brady and the New England Patriots visit QB Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit. Coverage begins with "Football Night in America" this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by a new, earlier "SNF" kickoff time of 8:20 p.m.
This week's edition of "SNF" is highlighted by the head coaching matchup, as Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who spent the past 14 seasons as an assistant coach with New England, faces Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and his former team for the first time.
Calling Patriots-Lions is Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his record 33rd season as the voice of the NFL's premier primetime package; 16-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth; and two-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. This marks the 10th season Michaels and Collinsworth will serve as the announce team in the NBC broadcast booth. In addition, three-time Super Bowl referee and "SNF's" new rules analyst, Terry McAulay, will join Michaels and Collinsworth in the booth.
The Patriots travel to Detroit for the first time since Thanksgiving 2010, and this Sunday marks the first time the Lions and Patriots face off since November 2014. The Patriots are 7-4 in regular season games against the Lions.
Stafford passed for 347 yards with three touchdowns last week, while WR Golden Tate led Detroit with seven catches for 109 yards. Tate had 97 receiving yards in the Lions' last game against New England, and aims for his third straight home game with more than seven catches and a touchdown. For the Patriots, Brady has 995 pass yards with six touchdowns in his past three games against Detroit. RB James White led the Patriots with seven catches for 73 yards last week, and, since 2015, leads all NFL RBs with 13 touchdown catches.
Mike Tirico will host "Football Night in America" alongside Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, and NFL insider Mike Florio from NBC Sports' International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Connecticut. Liam McHugh will co-host "FNIA" on-site from Ford Field.
