"NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" FEATURES AFC PLAYOFF REMATCH AS BRONCOS VISIT PATRIOTS

"NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" FEATURES AFC PLAYOFF REMATCH AS BRONCOS VISIT PATRIOTS

NBC's Bettis: "New England always plays well when the lights are on brightest"

Madden: "These are two teams that are always up on top"

NEW YORK � Sept. 20, 2006 � "NBC Sunday Night Football" travels to Foxboro this week as the Denver Broncos (1-1) look to regain their playoff form against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (2-0), Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET presented in high definition. NBC's coverage kicks off at 7 p.m. ET with the "Football Night in America" studio show, a complete recap of the top stories in the NFL, complete with highlights, analysis and reports from around the league.

Al Michaels (play-by-play), John Madden (analyst) and Andrea Kremer (sideline reporter) will call all the action. Bob Costas (host) and Cris Collinsworth (co-host), analysts Sterling Sharpe and Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, and reporter Peter King of Sports Illustrated, comprise the "Football Night in America" studio team.

Bettis think this could be the game where Broncos QB Jake Plummer finds his rhythm: "Jake Plummer is due for a breakout game and I think this could be it. The Patriots will need to play a really good game to win this one � I have some concerns about their defense, especially the secondary. They've given up some points where they shouldn't have the last two games. But New England always plays well when the lights are on brightest."

Madden: "These are two teams that are always up on top. Denver's always close, but without John Elway, they haven't been able to get over that hump. It's not that you beat New England, you go to the Super Bowl, but you beat New England and now you prove, 'Okay, maybe we have taken that step.'"

"NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" CONTINUES RATINGS ROLL

NBC's "Sunday Night Football" Washington-Dallas matchup averaged 18.4 million viewers, up 14 percent from last year's second "Monday Night Football" game (16.1 million), which also featured the Redskins at the Cowboys. The game scored an 11.9 household rating/19 share, up 10 percent � and more than a full ratings point � from the second "MNF" game last season (10.8/18 on 9/19/05 Washington � Dallas). The ratings increase is especially impressive given the Cowboys' lopsided 27-10 win, while last year's game featured a Redskins come-from-behind 4th quarter 14-13 victory.

Forty-five million total, unduplicated viewers watched Sunday night's game, up 15 percent from 39 million on "MNF" a year ago.

After three games, "NBC Sunday Night Football" is averaging a 13.0/21, 9 percent higher than "MNF" after three games in 2005 (11.9/20, averages include Thursday night season openers).

"FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA" STUDIO

The "Football Night in America" studio, just down the hall from the famed Studio 8H, home of "Saturday Night Live," was built in the former studio home of first the Philco Television Playhouse (1948-1955) and later for game shows Concentration (1958-1973) and Jeopardy (1964-1975), and talk shows Donahue (1984-1996) and The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996-2002), and shares the "SNL" control room for the football season. The "Football Night" set was designed and built by Jeremy Conway, the former set designer for "Sex in the City." Two 103" high definition Panasonic plasma screen televisions � roughly the size of a queen-size mattress � are two of the set innovations.

"NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

"NBC Sunday Night Football," the premier primetime game of the week, will be preceded by the "Football Night in America" studio show, which kicks off NBC's regular season coverage each Sunday at 7 p.m. The unprecedented six-year NFL deal includes innovative flexible scheduling and continues through the 2011 season with Super Bowls in 2009 and 2012. NBC has assembled the most honored broadcast team ever: Joining Al Michaels, the commentator called "TV's best play-by-play announcer" by the Associated Press, and John Madden, the most honored NFL broadcaster of all time with 15 Emmy Awards, are Bob Costas, the most honored studio host of all time with 19 Emmy Awards, who will host NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show alongside co-host Cris Collinsworth, the most honored studio analyst in history with six Emmy Awards; and analysts Sterling Sharpe, a five-time Pro Bowler and Jerome Bettis, one of the most popular players in recent NFL history. "NBC Sunday Night Football" coverage also includes sideline and feature reporter Andrea Kremer, whom the Los Angeles Times has called "the best TV interviewer in the business of covering the NFL." Peter King, who covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated and is considered one of the country's foremost NFL reporters, serves as a reporter for the "Football Night in America" studio show.

NBC'S REMAINING 2006 NFL SCHEDULE (Sunday coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with "Football Night in America" studio show)
Sunday, Sept. 24 � Denver at New England
Sunday, Oct. 1 � Seattle at Chicago
Sunday, Oct. 8 � Pittsburgh at San Diego
Sunday, Oct. 15 � Oakland at Denver
Sunday, Oct. 29 � Dallas at Carolina
Sunday, Nov. 5 � Indianapolis at New England
Flexible Scheduling Weeks 10-15
Monday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day) � Philadelphia at Dallas
Flexible Scheduling Week 17