Week 17 NFL Television Coverage: Pats-Bills in the east, Denver in the west on CBS
Week 17 NFL Television Coverage
Usually a Bills-Pats game gets broadcast only in New England and western New York, but it gets a bit more coverage due to the game being shifted to a late afternoon kickoff. Most of the eastern seaboard and as far west as Indiana will air the club's regular season finale.
This week's game against Buffalo was shifted from early to late afternoon so that CBS can broadcast the Pats to a larger audience. This was most likely done so that the network can market and broadcast Tom Brady and Peyton Manning now, in anticipation of their respective teams being off next week with a first round bye. Philadelphia-Dallas was moved to Sunday night; that marks the third consecutive year that the Cowboys will play in the league's regular season finale. The other games moved to late afternoon slots are Tampa Bay at New Orleans (the Saints can finish as high as the number two seed, or miss the playoffs completely) and Green Bay at Chicago. The Packers-Bears and Eagles-Cowboys are both in essence playoff games: the winner continues on to play next week, and the season is over for the loser.
Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts will call the game against Buffalo; they will be the ninth set of announcers to call a Pats game this season. Here is a listing of how many times each broadcastng crew worked a Patriots game this year:
(4) Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf (CBS)
(4) Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (CBS)
(2) Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth (NBC)
(1) Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock (NFLN)
(1) Kevin Burkhardt and John Lynch (FOX)
(1) Thom Brennaman and Troy Aikman (FOX)
(1) Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden (ESPN)
(1) Don Criqui and Steve Tasker (CBS)
(1) Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts (CBS)
Below is a listing of each of Sunday's NFL games, the initial announcement of where they will be air, the broadcast crews (play-by-play, analyst, sideline eye candy), and initial odds as of Tuesday morning.
Early Games on CBS
Baltimore Ravens (8-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (10-5)
Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Bengals favored by 6 with a point total of 44½
- Broadcast in most of New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Boston and Providence) as well as the rest of the United States, except as noted below.
New York Jets (7-8) at Miami Dolphins (8-7)
Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Dolphins favored by 6½ with a point total of 41
- Broadcast in Florida (except Jacksonville), Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Mobile AL and Valdosta GA.
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11) at Indianapolis Colts (10-5)
Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker
Colts favored by 11½ with a point total of 45½
- Broadcast in Indiana, Illinois (except Chicago), Louisville KY, Cape Girardeau MO, Jacksonville FL, and Savannah GA.
Cleveland Browns (4-11) at Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8)
Spero Dedes and Steve Beuerlein
Steelers favored by 7 with a point total of 44
- Broadcast in Pennsylvania (except Harrisburg), West Virginia, and northern Ohio (Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown).
Houston Texans (2-13) at Tennessee Titans (6-9)
Andrew Catalon and Adam Archuleta
Titans favored by 7 with a point total of 44½
- Broadcast in Tennessee, southeastern Texas (Houston, Beaumont, Bryan, Tyler, Victoria), Bowling Green KY and Huntsville AL.
- No early CBS game in Atlanta and Minneapolis per NFL broadcast rules.
Early Games on FOX
Carolina Panthers (11-4) at Atlanta Falcons (4-11)
Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch, Erin Andrews
Panthers favored by 7½ with a point total of 46½
- Broadcast everywhere except as noted below.
Detroit Lions (7-8) at Minnesota Vikings (4-10-1)
Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, Kristina Pink
Vikings favored by 3½ with a point total of 52½
- Broadcast in Michigan, eastern Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Oklahoma, Lacrosse WI and Wausau WI.
Washington Redskins (3-12) at New York Giants (6-9)
Dick Stockton, Ronde Barber, Kris Budden
Giants favored by 3½ with a point total of 45½
- Broadcast in Vermont, Providence RI, Hartford CT, Springfield MA, New York (except the Buffalo area), DC, Maryland and Virginia.
- No early FOX games in Cincinnati, Miami, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Nashville per NFL broadcast rules.
Late Games on CBS
Denver Broncos (12-3) at Oakland Raiders (4-11)
Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Broncos favored by 12½ with a point total of 53½
- Broadcast everywhere except as noted below, i.e., Alaska, Hawaii, everywhere west of the Mississippi (except Seattle, southern California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa).
Buffalo Bills (6-9) at New England Patriots (11-4)
Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
Patriots favored by 9½ with a point total of 47
- Broadcast in Florida (except Miami, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers), Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania (except Pittsburgh), New Jersey, New York, DC and all of new England.
Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) at San Diego Chargers (8-7)
Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Chargers favored by 10 with a point total of 45
- Broadcast in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Maryland, Yuma AZ, Pittsburgh PA, and southern California (San Diego, LA, Palm Springs, Bakersfield).
- No late CBS games in Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago ans New Orleans per NFL broadcast rules.
Late Games on FOX
Green Bay Packers (7-7-1) at Chicago Bears (8-7)
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver
No early line pending status of Aaron Rodgers
edit: opened Thursday as Packers by 3 with a point total of 51½ with news Rodgers will start
- Broadcast everywhere except as noted below.
San Francisco 49ers (11-4) at Arizona Cardinals (10-5)
Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Niners favored by 3 with a point total of 43
- Broadcast in northern California (Chico, Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, Monterey, Fresno, Bakersfield, Eureka, Santa Barbara), Medford OR, Reno NV, Utah and Arizona.
St. Louis Rams (7-8) at Seattle Seahawks (12-3)
Chris Myers, Tim Ryan, Jennifer Hale
Seahawks favored by 10 with a point total of 43
- Broadcast in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, eastern Missouri (St. Louis, Columbia, Cape Girardeau) and southern Illinois.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11) at New Orleans Saints (10-5)
Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, Laura Okmin
Saints favored by 12½ with a point total of 47½
- Broadcast in Arkansas, Louisiana, southeastern Texas (Houston, Beaumont), Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia (except Atlanta), Florida (except Miami and West Palm Beach), South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee (except Nashville).
- No late FOX games in San Diego or Boston per NFL broadcast rules.
Sunday Night Football on NBC
Philadelphia Eagles (9-6) at Dallas Cowboys (8-7)
Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
Eagles favored by 7 with a point total of 52½
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