FOOTBALL IN HIGH HEELS: NBC NFL SCHEDULE 12/8 AND 12/11
STAMFORD, Conn. – December 6, 2016 – NBC Sports in the next five days presents the most prolific pair of primetime matchups ever in an NFL week. For the first time, two night games in a single NFL weekend each feature opponents combining for at least a 19-5 record (.792).
First, on NBC’s Thursday Night Football, the top two teams in the AFC West meet in Kansas City as the Chiefs (9-3) host the Oakland Raiders (10-2). The Chiefs topped the Raiders 26-10 in Week 6.
On NBC’s Sunday Night Football three nights later, the Dallas Cowboys, with an NFL-best 11-1 record, visit their second-place division rival New York Giants (8-4). The Giants are the only team to defeat the Cowboys this season, with a 27-26 victory in the season opener in Arlington, Texas.
Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will be in the broadcast booth for both of this week’s marquee matchups.
“Truly great games are rare. This week on NBC we get one on Thursday and another three days later,” Collinsworth said. “The Raiders and Cowboys have lost a combined three games, but two of those loses were delivered by their division rivals and opponents this week — Kansas City and the New York Giants. Young stars Derek Carr and Dak Prescott will try to prove that they are ready for a Super Bowl run. But, this is the time of year that veteran QBs like Eli Manning and Alex Smith prove that unless you can win in cold, frigid weather, you cannot claim to be a Super Bowl favorite. Great week of football on NBC.”
Super Bowl-winning and Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy will be on location on Thursday for Football Night in Kansas City before returning to the studio for Football Night in America on Sunday.
“Both teams that lost the previous games (Oakland and Dallas) should feel good heading into these games,” he said. “Both made uncharacteristic mistakes, and even though they’re on the road for this one, I think they’ll play better and will be confident they can win. Both games will be very, very close.”
Dungy also took a closer look at the matchups.
“The Raiders moved the ball well in their first matchup against the Chiefs, but couldn’t score,” he said. “The Chiefs were able to produce points with their intermediate offensive attack. I expect both defenses to play better in this game, and the cold weather should contribute to low scoring. The Raiders defense has improved significantly since the last game.”
“For Dallas, it was Dak Prescott’s first game,” Dungy added. “The Cowboys moved the ball well, but were conservative in the red zone, resulting in field goals. Their offense has improved dramatically and this time they’ll be confident that they can score touchdowns.”
“The Giants’ defensive line did a good job against the Cowboys’ outstanding offensive line in the first game. They will need to step up again,” he continued. “Eli Manning produced some big plays and the Giants had one of their best rushing games of the season in that game (113 yards, 4.7 yards/carry). It’s going to be interesting to see what adjustments each team makes for this game.”
