NFL Network's special Christmas edition of Thursday Night Football
Saturday, Dec. 25 - 7:30 p.m. ET
Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals on NFL Network
Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin joins NFL Network's pregame show on Christmas as guest analyst
Preview of interview with Bears QB Jay Cutler also featured on special Christmas edition of Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears at 5 p.m.
Notable and quotable…
»Preview of sit down interview with Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler for NFL GameDay Morning on the TNF pregame show.
»The crew discusses who should be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys next season, the Green Bay Packers' playoff hopes heading into their game against the New York Giants, and the best destinations for Donovan McNabb,* Terrell Owens* and Randy Moss.
Announcers:
Bob Papa (play-by-play), Matt Millen and Joe Theismann (game analysts); Alex Flanagan (sideline)
Pregame (6 p.m. ET):
Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin (guest analyst), Kara Henderson (on-site reporter)
Pre-kick (8 p.m. ET):
Lexus Pre-Kick Show: Bob Papa, Matt Millen, Joe Theismann, Alex Flanagan, Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Kara Henderson
Halftime:
The Sprint Halftime Show: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson, Alex Flanagan
Postgame:
Kay Jewelers Postgame Show: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kara Henderson, Alex Flanagan
NFL Total Access Postgame Show: Fran Charles, Jamie Dukes, Tom Waddle
Where to watch:
DirecTV - Channel 212 (SD/HD), DISH Network - 154 (SD/HD), Verizon - Channel 88 (SD), 588 (HD), ATT U-Verse - 630 (SD), 1630 (HD), Check your local cable listings, NFL.com LIVE - live "look-ins" at select moments of game, NFL Mobile Live on Verizon Wireless
Local OTA simulcast:
CW Ch. 33 (KDAF), Fox Ch. 45 (KUTP)
Special Christmas edition of Thursday Night Football
The Dallas Cowboys (5-9) and the Arizona Cardinals (4-10) face off in a special Christmas edition of Thursday Night Football on NFL Network on Saturday, Dec. 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium. Quarterback Jon Kitna and running back Felix Jones will aim to win for the fifth time in seven games under interim head coach Jason Garrett, while wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals offense will look to provide some fireworks of their own.
This season marks the NFL Network debut of game analyst* Joe Theismann, who returns to the broadcast booth after a successful stint with ESPN from 1988 to 2006. Alongside Theismann in the booth will be Bob Papa, who returns for his third year as the play-by-play announcer for NFL Network, and second-year game analyst Matt Millen. Alex Flanagan* is in her first season as a sideline reporter on Thursday Night Football, and her fifth season with NFL Network. Additional newcomers include producer* Ed Feibischoff* and director Artie Kempner.
Rich Eisen hosts NFL Network's Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears from the stadium. Eisen, a two-time Sports Emmy nominee in the Studio Host category, is joined by fellow Sports Emmy nominee Steve Mariucci, a former NFL head coach with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions who also served as Brett Favre's quarterback coach in Green Bay; Marshall Faulk, a recently named Hall of Fame semifinalist who won a Super Bowl XXXIV ring with the Rams, earned 2000 NFL MVP honors and three Offensive Player of the Year awards (1999-2001) and has been selected to seven Pro Bowls; Deion Sanders, a recently named Hall of Fame semifinalist, a two-time Super Bowl winner who was 1994 Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time Pro Bowler who holds the NFL record with 19 career return touchdowns; and Michael Irvin, a Hall of Fame and three-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys. Coverage also includes on-site reports from Flanagan and Kara Henderson, who begins her eighth season with NFL Network. The entire pre-game show on Christmas will be from the stadium in Arizona.
NFL.com LIVE at 8 p.m. features live programming including live "look-ins" of Thursday Night Football, game highlights and instant analysis from NFL Network talent. From the NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, Paul Burmeister, Jamie Dukes, Bucky Brooks and Mike Mayock provide expert analysis, commentary and fantasy information with contributions from Faulk, Mariucci and Sanders. Henderson and Steve Wyche will provide live reports from the stadium, while Mayock will return for a second season with 'Instant Playbook' from the NFL Films studios exclusively for NFL.com/LIVE: Thursday Night Football, which provides instant X and O analysis of key plays right after they happen.
After the game at midnight, NFL Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Tom Waddle will join Charles and Dukes for a postgame edition of NFL Total Access Live.