SUPER BOWL MVP PATRICK MAHOMES & CHIEFS HOST DESHAUN WATSON & TEXANS ON NBC TO KICK OFF 2020 NFL SEASON; L.A. RAMS OPEN SOFI STADIUM VS. DALLAS COWBOYS IN SEASON OPENER OF "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

Chiefs, Cowboys, 49ers & Packers Make SNF-High 3 Appearances Apiece

Primetime TV's #1 Show for Unprecedented 9 Consecutive Years Features Star-Studded QB Showdowns:

Deshaun Watson vs. Patrick Mahomes (NFL Kickoff)

Dak Prescott vs. Jared Goff on Opening Sunday

Aaron Rodgers vs. Drew Brees (Sept. 27)

Carson Wentz vs. Jimmy Garoppolo (Oct. 4)

Kirk Cousins vs. Russell Wilson (Oct. 11)

Drew Brees vs. Tom Brady (Nov. 8)

MVP Lamar Jackson vs. Ben Roethlisberger on Thanksgiving Night

Storied Rivalries: Cowboys-Eagles on NBC SNF for Record 14th Time (Nov. 1); Ravens-Steelers (Thanksgiving) for AFC-High 9th Time on SNF; Bears-Packers in Most-Played Matchup in NFL History (Nov. 29)

'90s Greatest Rivalry Rekindled - NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers Visit Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 20

"Viva Las Vegas!" - Last Two Super Bowl-Winning QBs Brady & Bucs (Oct. 25), Mahomes & Chiefs (Nov. 22) Visit Raiders in New Allegiant Stadium on SNF

NBC To Present SNF-High Three Playoff Games, Including First-Ever Primetime Sunday Wild Card Game on Jan. 10; Also on Peacock and Telemundo

STAMFORD, Conn. - May 7, 2020 - NBC Sunday Night Football, America's No. 1 primetime television show for an unprecedented nine consecutive years, gets "Back to Football," broadcasting 19 NFL games during the 2020 regular season, as well as three postseason and two preseason games.

NBC will televise the first game of the NFL season on Thursday, Sept. 10, from Arrowhead Stadium as Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs raise their Super Bowl banner before hosting Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans in NFL Kickoff 2020 at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Texans and Chiefs played twice at Arrowhead last season, with the quarterbacks combining for six touchdowns in an October matchup, including Watson's game-winning touchdown on a fourth-quarter run. In the rematch, in the AFC Divisional Playoff in January, Mahomes led the largest comeback in franchise history (24-0 second-quarter deficit) passing for 321 yards and five touchdowns in a 51-31 victory.

In the season opener of Sunday Night Football on Sunday, Sept. 13, NFL fans will get their first look at the new and spectacular SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, as Jared Goff and the Rams host Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. SoFi Stadium marks the fifth NFL stadium opening on NBC SNF since 2009.

The Watson-Mahomes matchup in the opener is the first of an NBC SNF schedule packed with star-studded quarterback matchups, headlined by two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers visiting NFL all-time passing leader Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 27, and Brees and the Saints visiting four-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady and his new Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates on Nov. 8.

In addition to kicking off the 2020 NFL season, NBC will also televise three playoff games over the Wild Card and Divisional weekends - the most for the network since the debut of NBC's SNF package in 2006.

On the weekend of January 9-10, NBC will broadcast a pair of Wild Card Playoff games, including the NFL's first-ever primetime Sunday Wild Card playoff game, which was added in March, when the NFL announced an expanded 14-team playoff field. The Jan. 10 Wild Card playoff will also be presented on NBCUniversal's new streaming service, Peacock, and in Spanish on Telemundo. NBC culminates its season with the broadcast of a Divisional Playoff game on the weekend of January 16-17.

Highlights of the 2020 NBC Sunday Night Football schedule:

· All 2019 NFL playoff teams are on the NBC SNF schedule, including three games each for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, NFC North champion Green Bay Packers, and the Dallas Cowboys, who have won three of the past six NFC East titles.

· Matchup milestones: The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears renew the NFL's most-played rivalry on SNF, with the 201st meeting in the series on Nov. 29. In addition, Cowboys-Eagles on Nov. 1 is the 14th meeting between the clubs on SNF - ranking as the most-played matchup in NBC SNF history (since 2006). Cowboys-Eagles also marks the 12th consecutive season for the matchup on SNF - the longest streak for any matchup on the broadcast primetime package in NFL history (ABC 1970-2005; NBC 2006-present).

· The NFL's greatest rivalry of the 1990s - San Francisco vs. Dallas - is rekindled on SNF as Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers visit Prescott and the Cowboys on Dec. 20. In total, the two franchises have met in six NFC Championship Games - including "The Catch" game in January 1982. The rivalry reached its height in the 1990s when the teams played nine times overall, and met in three consecutive NFC Championship Games, following the 1992-94 seasons. The winner of each of those three matchups won the Super Bowl.

· On Thanksgiving night, 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens visit Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first-ever Thanksgiving game in Pittsburgh. Ravens-Steelers also marks the ninth meeting between the clubs in the NBC SNF package - tops among any AFC matchup.

· SNF will also twice visit Allegiant Stadium, the new home of Jon Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders, as the last two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks come to town. First, Brady and the Bucs visit on Oct. 25, followed by Mahomes and the Chiefs on Nov. 22.

· Other notable SNF games: In Week 2, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks host the New England Patriots for the first time since the teams met in the thrilling Super Bowl XLIX; and Garoppolo and the 49ers host two October games in three weeks against fellow young quarterback stars Carson Wentz and the Eagles (Oct. 4) and Goff and the Rams (Oct. 18).

· First SNF Game in Buffalo in 13 Years: On Dec. 13, NBC will broadcast its first Bills game in Buffalo since 2007, as Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and Tre'Davious White host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

NBC TO BROADCAST 24 NFL GAMES IN 2020: NBC will broadcast 19 regular-season games, including 17 regular-season Sunday Night Football games, NFL Kickoff 2020, and the annual Thanksgiving night game. NBC's original Sunday Night Football agreement, which began in 2006, included 17 regular-season games. It was increased to 18 games in 2010, and 19 games in 2012. NBC will broadcast a Divisional Playoff game and two Wild Card Playoff games. In the preseason, NBC will televise the NFL Hall of Fame Game (Steelers vs. Cowboys) on Thursday, Aug. 6, and Carolina at Baltimore on Sunday, Aug. 30.

NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP TO LIVE STREAM ALL NBC NFL GAMES: NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC games to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via "TV Everywhere," giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC'sbroadcasts. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.

SNF ON PACE TO BE TELEVISION'S NO. 1 PRIMETIME SHOW FOR RECORD 9TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR: NBC concluded its 14th season of Sunday Night Football in 2019, posting its highest average viewership since the series' record 2015 season, and once again pacing to finish as primetime's #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented ninth consecutive year - adding to its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen. The fall-spring TV season officially ends on May 20.

Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950

9 years in a row - Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2019-20; on pace)

6 years in a row - American Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)

5 years in a row - The Cosby Show (1985-86 through 1989-90)... tied Cheers in '89-90

5 years in a row - All in the Family (1971-72 through 1975-76)

4 years in a row - Gunsmoke (1957-58 through 1960-61)

2020 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thurs. Sept. 10 NFL Kickoff Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs
Sun. Sept. 13 Week 1 Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams
Sun. Sept. 20 Week 2 New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Sun. Sept. 27 Week 3 Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints
Sun. Oct. 4 Week 4 Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers
*Sun. Oct. 11 Week 5 Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks
*Sun. Oct. 18 Week 6 Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers
*Sun. Oct. 25 Week 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Las Vegas Raiders
*Sun. Nov. 1 Week 8 Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
*Sun. Nov. 8 Week 9 New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
*Sun. Nov. 15 Week 10 Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
*Sun. Nov. 22 Week 11 Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders
**Thurs. Nov. 26 Week 12 Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
*Sun. Nov. 29 Week 12 Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Dec. 6 Week 13 Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
*Sun. Dec. 13 Week 14 Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills
*Sun. Dec. 20 Week 15 San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys
*Sun. Dec. 27 Week 16 Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers
*Sun. Jan. 3 Week 17 TBD
*Flex Week
** Thanksgiving Night Game

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 11-17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday or Monday nights.

For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 3. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks, and gives "surprise" teams a chance to play their way into primetime.