ESPN’s ‘First Take’ To Preview NFC Wild Card Matchup Live From Texas

Courtesy: ESPN

The National Football League kicks off its post season this weekend, and ESPN will be on hand to cover the first weekend of the playoffs.

The network announced Monday in a news release, that its hit show First Take will air live from Arlington, Texas where the Dallas Cowboys will host the Seattle Seahawks in one of the weekend’s four Wildcard matchups.  The program’s on-site broadcast marks the third time in as many months that First Take will broadcast from AT&T Stadium.

ESPN Vice President of Production David Roberts said in the release, that Friday’s broadcast will be a positive presentation.

“The energy from the fans at the previous shows in Dallas has been truly unique,” Roberts said.  “Add in that the Cowboys will be playing in a win-or-go-home Wild Card showdown this weekend, and it should make for some unforgettable moments between [Cowboys critic] Stephen A. Smith and the Dallas faithful.”

Friday’s broadcast is free and open to the public.  Doors open at 7:30 a.m. CT/8:30 a.m. ET.  The broadcast starts at 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET and runs until 11 a.m. CT/noon ET.  Friday’s event will air live on ESPN and stream live via the ESPN app.

Friday’s broadcast is just one part of an extensive weekend of NFL coverage from ESPN.  The network’s Monday Night Football broadcast team will cover Saturday’s Wild Card game between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans on ESPN.  Kickoff is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. ET.

In the college ranks, ESPN will broadcast the College Football Championship live Jan. 7.Clemson and Alabama will compete for college football’s top prize in the game.  Coverage is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET.

More information on ESPN’s NFL post season coverage is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.espn.com/nfl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NFLonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNNFL

 

More information on ESPN’s college football coverage is available online now along with all of the latest college football headlines at:

 

Website: http://www.espn.com/college-football

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CFBonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espncfb

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Lions, Cowboys Close Out ESPN’s 2016 ‘MNF’ Broadcast Schedule Monday Night

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN closes out its regular season coverage of the NFL Monday night with an NFC inter-divisional matchup.

The Lions and Cowboys go under the lights Monday night in ESPN’s Monday Night Football season finale.  Monday’s matchup will have major playoff implications for both teams.  Dallas sits atop the NFC standings at 12 – 2 while Detroit (9 – 5) is in a tight three-way battle for second in the conference with Atlanta (9 – 5) and Seattle (9 – 4).

The numbers favor the host Cowboys Monday night.  Dallas is 6 – 1 both at home and on the road this season.  It comes into Monday’s game with some momentum after defeating Tampa Bay in a close 26 – 20 win.  Detroit meanwhile will look to bounce back against the Cowboys after falling 17 – 6 against the Giants last week.  While the numbers seem to favor Dallas, both teams will have plenty to play for, so Monday’s game will be a big one for both teams.

Broadcast for Monday’s game is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m. EST.  Sean McDonough and Jon Gruden will be in the booth for the call while reporter Lisa Salters will be on the sidelines for all of the latest in-game news and interviews.

Monday Night Countdown will precede Monday Night Football.  Suzy Kolber will anchor the broadcast beginning at 6 p.m. EST.  She will be joined by analysts Trent Dilfer, Matt Haselbeck, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson and Steve Young for additional commentary.  NFL Insider Adam Schefter will also be on hand more league news and reports.  Chris Berman will co-host live from ESPN’s studios.  He will be joined by NFL Hall of Fame Lions running back Barry Sanders as his final NFL Legends guest of the season.

More information on Monday’s season finale edition of Monday Night Football is available online now along with all of the latest NFL headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/nfl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NFLonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNNFL

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Carolina, Washington Close NFL’s Week 15 Schedule Live On ESPN

Courtesy: ESPN

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers go under the lights live Monday night on ESPN when they take on the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football.

Last season’s runners-up in the Super Bowl, the Panthers have struggled to repeat last season’s success this season. Carolina sits last in the NFC South at 5 – 8 so far on the season. The “Cardiac Cats” are 4 – 5 in their conference, 1 – 3 in non-conference play, and 2 – 3 in their last five games.  Their last win came last week as they defeated the San Diego Chargers 28 – 16.

A win by the Panthers Monday night coupled with a loss by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday would potentially pull the Panthers out of the NFC South basement.  That’s because both teams sit at 5 – 8 on the season.

The Panthers’ playoff hopes are slim to nil win or lose Monday night.  On the other hand, Monday night’s game has even more importance for Washington, which sits 3^rd in the NFC East at 7 – 5 – 1 so far on the season with its only tie coming earlier in the season against Cincinnati.

Washington’s NFC East opponents, the Dallas Cowboys, have already punched their ticket to the postseason.  Washington comes into Monday night’s game on the heels of a 27 – 22 win over Philadelphia in Week 14.  Washington has also proven better at home on the road this season than on the road, going 4 – 2 at home and 3 – 3 – 1 on the road.

Monday’s NFC Inter-Divisional matchup can go either way.  The Panthers have nothing to lose while Washington has much more to lose.  So each team will be giving its all once the lights go on and the cameras go live.

Sean McDonough will have the call for Monday’s matchup beginning at 8:15 p.m.  He will be joined in the booth by Jon Gruden for additional commentary.  Reporter Lisa Salters will be on the sidelines for all of the latest in-game news and interviews.

Monday Night Countdown will precede Monday Night Football beginning at 6 p.m. EST.  Suzy Kolber will anchor the broadcast live.  She will be joined at the desk by analysts Trent Dilfer, Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson and Steve Young.

NFL features reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter and the MNF broadcast team will also join the broadcast for additional commentary.  Chris Berman and special guest (and with former ESPN NFL analyst) Tom Jackson will offer additional insight and commentary during the broadcast, too.  Jackson’s appearance is part of Berman’s NFL Legends initiative.

Monday’s game will be simulcast in Spanish on ESPN Deportes for the network’s Spanish-speaking audiences.  It will also stream live online on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

More information on ESPN’s upcoming MNF broadcast is available online now along with all of the latest NFL headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/nfl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NFLonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNNFL

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Bengals, Giants Wrap Week 10 In The NFL Monday Night On ESPN

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN will feature a cross-conference matchup Monday night when the Bengals and Giants go under the lights live on Monday Night Football.

Monday’s matchup between Cincinnati and New York will be equally important for both teams.  The Giants (5 – 3 – 0) currently sit second in the NFC East, second only to Dallas.  The team is riding the success of a 3-game win streak coming into Monday night.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati (3 – 4 – 1) has struggled this season in the AFC North.  The team current sits third in the division behind Baltimore and Pittsburgh, who both sit at 4 – 4 on the season so far.

Two weeks ago, Cincinnati’s game against the Washington Redskins in London ended in a 27 all tie after kicker Mike Nugent missed a kick that could have given the Bengals the win.  Nugent since took full responsibility for the missed kick.

Cincinnati had a bye week last week, so it has had time to lick its wounds and figure out how to rebound from that disappointing finish.

Kickoff for Monday’s broadcast, live from New York, is scheduled for 8:15 pm EST.  Sean McDonough will have the call for Monday’s broadcast.  He will be joined in the booth by his broadcast partner Jon Gruden for additional commentary.  Reporter Lisa Salters will be on the sidelines for all of the game’s latest news and interviews.

Monday Night Countdown will precede Monday’s live broadcast between the Bengals and Giants beginning at 6 p.m. EST.  Suzy Kolber will anchor the broadcast.  She will be joined live at the desk by analysts Trent Dilfer, Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson and Steve Young for additional commentary.

Chris Berman will join the broadcast live from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, CT along with NFL features reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter and guest analyst (and Pro Football Hall of Famer) Warren Moon for the broadcast, too.

More information on ESPN’s NFL coverage is available online now along with all of the latest NFL headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/nfl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NFLonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNNFL

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Unveils MNF Preseason Broadcast Schedule

Next Friday, April will already be halfway over.  That means that the year is already almost three and a half months old.  Before long summer will be here and then fall.  And with the return of fall also comes the return of football.  In anticipation of its return ESPN has unveiled its 2016 Monday Night Football preseason broadcast schedule.

The network’s 2016 Monday Night Football preseason broadcast schedule features two games this year.  The first of the games, the league’s annual Hall of Fame game, is a cross-conference matchup between the Colts (AFC) and the Packers (NFC).  That game is currently scheduled for Sunday, August 7^th at 8pm ET.  This year’s broadcast marks the first time that ESPN will have the Hall of Fame game.  The game is typically broadcast on NBC.  However, this year it will carry the Olympics thus leading to the change.

The second game on ESPN’s 2016 Monday Night Football preseason broadcast schedule is just as big as its first game.  That is because it will feature the hugely anticipated return of the Rams to Los Angeles.  The Rams will take on the Cowboys in that game.  It is currently scheduled to air live Saturday, August 13^th at 8pm ET.  Mike Tirico and Jay Gruden will be in the both for both games.  Reporter Lisa Salters will be on the sidelines for all of the latest in-game news, interviews and more during both games.

Both of this year’s Monday Night Football preseason games will be simulcast on ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s 24-hour Spanish-language domestic sports network.  Each game will also be available online via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

The full 2016 ESPN MNF broadcast schedule is expected to be released in the coming weeks.  More information on ESPN’s MNF schedule is available online now along with all of the latest NFL headlines at:

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/nfl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MNF

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNMondayNight

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Bears, ‘Boys Bring ESPN Its Highest Rated MNF Broadcast Of 2013 Season So Far

Courtesy: ESPN

This week’s broadcast of Monday Night Football turned in some big numbers for ESPN.  The matchup between the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys was the network’s highest-rated and most-viewed MNF broadcast of the 2013 season.  The game ranked as the number one show on the night across both cable and broadcasting in households, viewers, and all key adult demos.  The high numbers mean that ESPN took the night on Monday across all networks (broadcast and cable) in the same categories.

Monday night’s game earned a 10.2 U.S. rating.  That means that an average of 11,815,000 households and 16,192,000 viewers (P2+) tuned in to Monday night’s game.  This is according to Nielsen numbers.  Coverage of Monday’s game reached its highest point from 9:45pm ET to 10pm ET with an 11.9 rating.   Before Monday night, ESPN’s September 9^th MNF broadcast was the network’s highest rated MNF game.  That game featured the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Washington Redskins.  It pulled in a 10.1 rating with 16,524,000 viewers.

Dallas viewers gave Monday night’s game a 19.9 rating on ESPN and a 5.8 on KTXD-IND for a combined 25.6 rating in that market.  In Chicago, the broadcast pulled in a 12.9 rating on ESPN and 24.5 on Chicago’s ALS-ABC for a combined 37.4 combined rating in the Chicago market.  ESPN’s MNF average rating through Week 14 of the 2013 NFL season is 8.6.  That equals to an average of 10,012,000 households, and 13,677,000 viewers.  That is an increase of two, four, and four percent respectively against the same period in 2012.

On an even better note, Monday Night’s NFL broadcast on ESPN Deportes was also the most watched NFL game ever on nationally broadcast Spanish language television.  It averaged a 0.7 Hispanic household rating.  That is the equivalent of 105,000 Hispanic households and 174,000 Hispanic viewers.  It marks the second time this season alone that ESPN Deportes has reached this mark.  It bests the network’s previous high mark from the November 18^th match between the Pats and Panthers on November 18^th.  That matchup pulled in a 0.6 Hispanic Household rating for ESPN Deportes, which equals to 90,000 Hispanic households and 157,000 Hispanic viewers.

ESPN Deportes’ Monday Night Football broadcasts are averaging 45,000 Hispanic households and 67,000 Hispanic viewers (P2+) so far in the 2013 season.  Those are increases of twenty-three and thirteen percent respectively.  That is based on a 0.3 Hispanic household rating.

ESPN’s digital numbers for Monday Night Football are also up, along with its television numbers.  To date, WatchESPN has generated an average minute audience of 628,000 during telecasts.  That number is up twenty-eight percent from the same period last year.  WatchESPN viewers logged 13.8 million live minutes 204,000 unique viewers, and an average minute audience of 73,000.  Those are increases of one hundred twenty-seven percent, one hundred-fifteen percent, and one hundred-twenty-percent respectively over the same time last year.  So far this season, WatchESPN is averaging so far this season for its Monday Night Football coverage 186,000 unique viewers, (up 110 percent), 13.0 million live minutes (up 145 percent) and an average minute audience of 66,000 (up 142 percent) per game.

Next on ESPN’s MNF schedule is an interdivisional matchup between the Ravens and Lions with playoff implications on the line.  That game is scheduled for next Monday, December 16^th.  More information on ESPN’s MNF schedule is available online at http://espn.go.com/nfl, http://espn.go.com/nfl/mnf, and http://www.facebook.com/MNF.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Bears, ‘Boys Face Off Monday Night In Pivotal NFC East Battle

Courtesy: ESPN

This week’s broadcast of Monday Night Football on ESPN is going to be another big one as the regular season nears its end.  This week, the Bears and the ‘Boys will face off for control of the NFC East.  Both teams come into Monday Night’s game on their own MNF winning streaks.  The Cowboys’ own a five-game MNF win streak and are second all-time in MNF appearances (74) and wins (43) coming into Monday’s game.  The Bears won their last four home games that aired on Monday Night Football.  Making the night even more special for the Bears is that they will honor Bears legend and current NFL analyst Mike Ditka by retiring his number during the games halftime festivities.

Stuart Scott will anchor Monday night’s pre-game show, Monday Night Countdown.  The broadcast will come live from Soldier Field in Chicago at 6:30pm.  He will be joined by analysts Trent Dilfer, Ray Lewis, and Steve Young.  Contributor Rick Reilly will also be on hand alongside the Monday Night Football team of Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, and Lisa Salters.  Chris Berman will head up the studio portion of the show.  He will be joined by ESPN NFL analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, and insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter.

Monday Night’s game is scheduled for an 8:25pm ET start time on ESPN.  Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden will be in the booth to call the game.  Lisa Salters will be on the sidelines for all of the latest in-game reports.  More information on Mondays game and all things Monday Night Football is available online at http://www.facebook.com/MNF, http://espn.go.com/nfl.mnf, and http://espn.go.com/nfl.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.