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FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA [UPDATED]
Air Date: Sunday, December 28, 2014
Time Slot: 7:00 PM-8:20 PM EST on NBC
Episode Title: (#917) "122814"
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

AFC NORTH TITLE AT STAKE ON NBC'S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WHEN BEN ROETHLISBERGER AND PITTSBURGH STEELERS HOST ANDY DALTON AND CINCINNATI BENGALS

Coverage Begins with Football Night In America at 7 p.m. ET on NBC

NBC Sports Live Extra to Live Stream Bengals-Steelers

NFL Turning Point - Tomorrow Night at 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Pro Football Talk - Tonight at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

NBCSN Sunday Sports Report Has Comprehensive Post-Game Coverage Sunday Nights at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. - Dec. 23, 2014 - The AFC North division title will be decided on NBC's Sunday Night Football this week, when Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) host Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals (10-4-1). Sunday night's coverage of Week 17, the final week of the 2014 NFL regular season, begins with Football Night In America at 7 p.m. ET.

The Bengals and Steelers enter Week 17 having already clinched postseason berths, but critical playoff positioning is still at stake. Cincinnati's defense intercepted Broncos QB Peyton Manning four times on Monday night en route to a 37-28 win, securing a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive season. Pittsburgh beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-12 on Sunday to return to the postseason for the first time since 2011.

With a victory on Sunday Night Football, the Steelers would win the AFC North title and the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. A loss would force the Steelers to travel on the road in the Wild Card round as the No. 5 seed.

If the Bengals win on Sunday night, they would be AFC North champions, and could finish as high as the No. 2 seed, if the Broncos lose on Sunday. A loss would send the Bengals on the road in the Wild Card round as the No. 5 seed.

The two teams last met in Week 14 in Cincinnati, when the Steelers offense exploded for 25 points in the fourth quarter in a 42-21 come-from-behind victory.

Calling Bengals-Steelers is seven-time Emmy Award-winner Al Michaels (play-by-play), in his 29th season as the voice of the NFL's premier primetime package; 15-time Emmy Award-winner Cris Collinsworth, who has won the Emmy for Outstanding Event Analyst in each of his five seasons in the Sunday Night Football booth; and two-time Emmy Award-winning sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.

NBC's coverage of Sunday Night Football is led by Emmy Award-winning producer Fred Gaudelli and Emmy Award-winning director Drew Esocoff. Sunday Night Football has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series for a record six consecutive years.

Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, is hosted by 26-time Emmy Award-winner Bob Costas, who will report from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sunday. Costas will be joined on site by Collinsworth, Tafoya, two-time Super Bowl winner Hines Ward, and NBC Sports commentator Josh Elliott.

Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from NBC Sports Group's Studio 1 and will be joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN and NBCSports.com, and Peter King of Sports Illustrated. Carolyn Manno will report from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., on the Panthers-Falcons game, which will decide the NFC South champion.

RODNEY HARRISON AND TONY DUNGY ON BENGALS-STEELERS

Harrison on Bengals: "When A.J. Green wasn't healthy, Mohamed Sanu played a huge role. As soon as he came back, it seems they forgot (Sanu) in the offense. They've got to get him back involved because he can make a lot of plays."

Dungy on Steelers: "They've been up and down, but Mike Tomlin has them playing consistent football this last month."

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

For the seventh consecutive season, Sunday Night Football will be streamed live online. NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group's live streaming product, will stream all SNF games to desktops and tablets. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC's broadcast of SNF. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available at the App Store for iPad and iPod touch, and on select tablet devices within Google Play.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL DIGITAL COVERAGE

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ALL-ACCESS: SNF All-Access includes exclusive photos and videos of the Sunday Night Football production team, look-ins on SNF production meetings, Michele Tafoya's "Ten With Tafoya" interviews with NFL players, and conversations with SNF and FNIA talent.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA:

NBC Sports Group's comprehensive social media coverage includes the Sunday Night Football Facebook page, providing exclusive behind-the-scenes SNF content & digital content from NBCSports.com, SNF All Access, ProFootballTalk.com, and Rotoworld.com, @SNFonNBC, using tweets, photos, Vines and videos & real-time tweets from Michele Tafoya, and a look at SNF through the filters of Instagram.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BUS

NBC Sports Group's Sunday Night Football bus returns this season to travel the country visiting the host cities of all 17 Sunday Night Football games and postseason games, including Super Bowl XLIX. The bus arrives in each city two to three days prior to the game and stops at local landmarks and events, where fans have the opportunity to interact with America's most-watched primetime television show via exclusive memorabilia, and an interactive 55-inch touch screen housing social media elements, photos and video. Fans can digitally follow the Sunday Night Football bus at NBCSports.com/FollowSNF.

"THE SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

For the third consecutive season NBC Sports presents "The Sunday Night Football," a custom-made football from Wilson, which will travel with the SNF crew all season. Fans of SNF on Facebook and Twitter can keep up with "The Sunday Night Football" on the SNF Facebook page, and at the end of each SNF game, "The Sunday Night Football" will be signed by the player of the game.

For more information on Sunday Night Football's comprehensive digital coverage, click here: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/08/28/nbc-sports-group-surrounds-week-1-of-2014-nfl-season-with-nfl-kickoff-2014-and-sunday-night-football/

NFL TURNING POINT - TOMORROW NIGHT AT 10 PM ET ON NBCSN

Tomorrow night's edition of NFL Turning Point, NBCSN's Emmy Award-nominated weekly NFL show co-produced by NFL Films, will feature in-depth analysis of Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers playoff-clinching victory on Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs. Airing tomorrow night at 10 p.m. ET, NFL Turning Point will break down the game and review how the Steelers defense was able to repeatedly stop Alex Smith and one of the best Red Zone offenses in the league.

In addition, the all new episode will examine Cam Newton's return to the Panthers, the Falcons matchup with the Saints in New Orleans, and Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch's 79-yard touchdown run against the Cardinals. NFL Turning Point also features a wired-for-sound segment with Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill and head coach Joe Philbin, as well as an exclusive film study session with Chargers S Eric Weddle.

Hosted by Football Night In America's Dan Patrick, the hour-long program will air throughout the entire NFL season, including the playoffs and Super Bowl.

PRO FOOTBALL TALK ON NBCSN WEEKNIGHTS, 5:30 P.M. ET

Pro Football Talk, NBCSN's daily NFL studio show co-hosted by Mike Florio and Paul Burmeister, airs at 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday (only Monday and Tuesday this week). Pro Football Talk provides all-encompassing coverage of the NFL, and features a roster of NBC Sports football commentators who share a combined eight Super Bowl titles and 169 seasons of NFL experience, including Cris Collinsworth (Thursdays), Tony Dungy (Tuesdays), Hines Ward (Wednesdays), Doug Flutie (Fridays), Jason Taylor, Takeo Spikes, Brian Westbrook, Ross Tucker, Jon Ritchie, NFL coach Kevin Gilbride, and longtime NFL athletic trainer Mike Ryan.

NBC SPORTS SUPER BOWL FAN CHALLENGE

NBC Sports will send two lucky fans to Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz., with the NBC Sports Super Bowl Fan Challenge, as part of its multi-platform promotion leading up to the game on Sunday, Feb. 1, on NBC.

Through Jan. 6, 2015, fans can visit the NBC Sports Super Bowl Fan Challenge and complete weekly challenges for a chance to win the grand prize - VIP access and two (2) tickets to Super Bowl XLIX, as well as hotel and airfare accommodations.

NBCSN SUNDAY SPORTS REPORT - SUNDAY NIGHTS, 11:30 P.M. ET

NBCSN Sunday Sports Report, a new, weekly, one-hour program that showcases the news and highlights of the sports properties that are carried by NBC Sports Group, airs every Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Hosted by Liam McHugh, NBCSN Sunday Sports Report goes in-depth into the high-profile sports properties that primarily air on NBC and NBCSN, including the Olympics, NFL, NASCAR, NHL, Premier League, golf, Triple Crown horse racing, Notre Dame Football, Formula One, IndyCar and more.

NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio will surround the 2014 NFL season with daily coverage on 439 radio affiliates, highlighted by McNabb and Malone; an all-sports show that leverages the unique perspective of two former NFL quarterbacks, and Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison; featuring three-time All Pro and two-time Super Bowl-winner Rodney Harrison.

To listen to a live stream of NBC Sports Radio, or find your local affiliate, visit www.NBCSportsRadio.com

NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS

NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NFL markets such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, will surround the 2014 NFL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most in more than 43 million U.S. households.

2014 SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

NBC will broadcast 19 primetime NFL games during the 2014 regular season.

2014 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
DATE WEEK MATCHUP
*Sun. Dec. 28 Week 17 Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

*Flex Week

Follow "Sunday Night Football" on Twitter @SNFonNBC

Become a fan of "Sunday Night Football" on Facebook at: Facebook.com/SNFonNBC

Follow "Sunday Night Football" on Instagram @snfonnbc

Visit SNF All-Access at: http://snfallaccess.nbcsports.com/

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