NBC's "Sunday Night Football," America's No. 1 primetime television show for a record seven consecutive years, gets "Back to Football" broadcasting 19 NFL games during the 2018 regular season. It all begins with the Philadelphia Eagles raising their first-ever Super Bowl banner at "NFL Kickoff 2018" on Thursday, Sept. 6, as they host the Atlanta Falcons in a Divisional Playoff rematch. Then it's the season opener of "Sunday Night Football" at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Sept. 9, as Aaron Rodgers leads the Green Bay Packers in the first game of their historic 100th season against the rival Chicago Bears.
"Sunday Night Football" will have a new, earlier kickoff time of 8:20 p.m. ET - 10 minutes earlier than last year.
The star-studded "SNF" matchups continue in Week 2 as Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys host Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants. The Sept. 16 Giants-Cowboys game marks the 12th meeting between the clubs on "SNF" - tying with Cowboys-Eagles (Nov. 11) as the most-played matchup in NBC "SNF" history (since 2006). The Sept. 16 contest also marks the fourth Cowboys' home opener in the past six years on "SNF."
In addition to kicking off the 2018 NFL season, NBC will also broadcast a Divisional Playoff game on the weekend of Jan. 12-13, and a Wild Card Playoff game on the Jan. 5-6 weekend.
Highlights of the 2018 "SNF" schedule:
•Every 2017 division winner makes an appearance on "SNF"; 14 of NBC's 18 scheduled games (Week 17 game TBD) involve at least one playoff team from last season, highlighted by rematches of three Divisional Playoff games (Falcons-Eagles on Sept. 6; Saints-Vikings on Oct. 28; and Steelers-Jaguars on Nov. 18). Last year's New Orleans-Minnesota NFC Divisional Playoff became known as the "Minnesota Miracle" after Vikings WR Stefon Diggs' 61-yard catch-and-run as time expired marked the first postseason game in NFL history to end with a winning touchdown on the final play of the fourth quarter.
•Three games each for the Eagles, Patriots, Steelers, Cowboys and Packers.
•Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, winners of a combined five NFL MVP awards, meet for only the second time on Nov. 4 when the Patriots host the Packers. In the first matchup on Nov. 30, 2014, the quarterbacks combined for 613 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 5-point Green Bay victory;
•Other notable matchups: Prescott and the Cowboys visit Deshaun Watson and the Texans in a faceoff of dynamic quarterbacks on Oct. 7; Jimmy Garoppolo (7-0 as a starter in his NFL career) and the 49ers host Jared Goff and the division champion Los Angeles Rams in an NFC West clash on Oct. 21; 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman returns to Seattle to face his former Seahawks teammates on Dec. 2; and on Dec. 16, Goff and Eagles QB Carson Wentz meet in a rematch of 2017's regular-season "game of the year" (Philadelphia came back to win 43-35 in the fourth quarter) as the Rams host the Eagles;
•On the coaching front, new Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who spent the past 14 seasons as an assistant coach with New England, plays host to Bill Belichick and the Patriots on Sept. 23; and new/old Raiders head coach Jon Gruden faces Mike Tomlin for the first time as Pittsburgh visits Oakland on Dec. 9;
•Two big NFC games Thanksgiving weekend - a pair of 2017 NFC South playoff teams meet as the Saints host the Falcons in the first-ever NFL Thanksgiving game in New Orleans; and on Sunday, Nov. 25, new Vikings QB Kirk Cousins hosts Rodgers and the Packers for the first time in a Minnesota uniform;
•Matchup milestones include Cowboys-Eagles on Nov. 11, which marks the 10th consecutive season for the matchup on "SNF" - the longest streak for any matchup on the broadcast primetime package in NFL history (ABC 1970-2005; NBC 2006-present). Ravens-Steelers on Sept. 30 ranks as the most-played AFC matchup on NBC SNF (8th meeting).
•As part of the agreement NBC signed with the NFL in December 2011, NBC will broadcast 19 regular-season games, including 17 regular-season "SNF" games, "NFL Kickoff" 2018, and the annual Thanksgiving night game. NBC's original "SNF" agreement, which began in 2006, included 17 regular-season games. It was increased to 18 games in 2010.
In the preseason, NBC will televise the NFL Hall of Fame Game (Bears-Ravens) in primetime on Thursday, Aug. 2, and Cardinals-Cowboys on Sunday night, Aug. 26.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC games to desktops, mobile, tablets and connected TVs via "TV Everywhere," giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC's broadcasts.
