Indianapolis visits Jacksonville on Thursday Night Football followed by a special Saturday edition when New Orleans hosts Dallas
Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci and Rich Eisen go on the road for the pregame show from the Superdome on Saturday
NFL Network adds 20.5 hours of special Colts-Jaguars and Saints-Cowboys programming to schedule this week
Two 13-0 teams pursuing perfection and two teams battling for playoff spots are featured this week on NFL Network's Thursday Night Football schedule.
MVP candidate Peyton Manningleads the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts into Jacksonville to face Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jaguars, who are fighting to stay in the hunt for an AFC playoff spot, on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET. Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears pregame show begins at 6 p.m. ET from the studio in Los Angeles.
A special Saturday edition of Thursday Night Football on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET features Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys looking to improve their NFC playoff position when they travel to New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the undefeated Saints. The high-scoring Saints can move closer to homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a victory.
Bob Papa (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (analyst) call the action on both games for NFL Network this week.
For the Saturday game, NFL Network's Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears pregame show goes on location to the Superdome. Host Rich Eisen will be joined by analysts Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci and New Orleans native Marshall Faulk on the field for the two-hour pregame show starting at 6 p.m. ET followed by the halftime and postgame shows. Thursday Night Kickoff includes a feature on Brees meeting New Orleans music legend and Saints fan Harry Connick Jr.
In addition to the games on Thursday and Saturday, NFL Network is adding 20.5 hours of special programming to the schedule as well as focusing on the matchups on the nightly NFL Total Access at 7 and 10 p.m. ET. On Tuesday night, Dec. 15, NFL Replay features the Colts' win over the Broncos from Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the Saints' three-point victory over the Falcons at 9:30 p.m. ET. Playbook, the weekly X's and O's show that uses coaches tape to analyze the matchups, on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET will be dedicated entirely to the Colts-Jaguars and Cowboys-Saints games. Brian Billick, Mike Mayock and Solomon Wilcots are featured on Playbook on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Two new NFL Films produced half-hour shows make their debut this week on Friday night. Path to Perfection: 2009 Indianapolis Colts begins at 8 p.m. ET followed by Path to Perfection: 2009 New Orleans Saints at 9 p.m. ET. These shows feature the award-winning NFL Films behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive sound from the Colts and the Saints from this memorable season.
The following is the schedule of the additional shows featuring the four teams on NFL Network's schedule this week:
Thursday, Dec. 17:
1:30 p.m. ET -- NFL Replay - Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sept. 21, 2008) - David Garrard answers Peyton Manning's fourth-quarter come-from-behind drive with one of his own, leading the Jaguars 47 yards in the final minute to set up the game-winning field goal.
3 p.m. ET -- Super Bowl XLI: Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears - Peyton Manning leads the Indianapolis Colts past the Chicago Bears and wins Super Bowl MVP honors.
3:30 p.m. ET -- America's Game: 2006 Indianapolis Colts - Re-live the story of the 2006 Colts through the eyes of Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and Jeff Saturday. Narrated by Donald Sutherland.
4:30 p.m. ET -- Playbook - Find out who will win and why when NFL experts analyze tonight's game between the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars.
8 p.m. ET -- Thursday Night Football - Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars. Bob Papa and Matt Millen call the action.
Friday, Dec. 18:
8 p.m. ET -- Path to Perfection: 2009 Indianapolis Colts - A recap of the Indianapolis Colts' exciting run to an undefeated record including the memorable come-from-behind win against the New England Patriots.
8:30 p.m. ET -- Game of the Week - 2006 Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
9 p.m. ET -- Path to Perfection: 2009 New Orleans Saints - A recap of the New Orleans Saints' unexpected run to a perfect record behind the leadership of Drew Brees and a stifling defense.
9:30 p.m. ET -- NFL Replay - New Orleans vs. Miami Dolphins (Oct. 25, 2009) - The Saints score 22 points against the Dolphins in the fourth quarter to keep their perfect record intact. A pick-six from CB Tracy Porter with less than two minutes remaining sealed the victory in Miami.
1 a.m. ET -- Path to Perfection: 2009 Indianapolis Colts - A recap of the Indianapolis Colts' exciting run to an undefeated record including the memorable come-from-behind win against the New England Patriots.
1:30 a.m. ET -- Game of the Week - 2006 Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
2 a.m. ET -- Path to Perfection: 2009 New Orleans Saints - A recap of the New Orleans Saints' unexpected run to a perfect record behind the leadership of Drew Brees and a stifling defense.
2:30 a.m. ET -- NFL Replay - New Orleans vs. Miami Dolphins (Oct. 25, 2009) - The Saints score 22 points against the Dolphins in the fourth quarter to keep their perfect record intact.
Saturday, Dec. 19:
7 a.m. ET -- NFL Films Presents: Triplets - This 30-minute show features Steve Sabol interviewing the triplets - Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin. The show focuses on their careers and their impact on the Cowboys Dynasty of the 90's.
7:30 a.m. ET -- America's Game: 1992 Dallas Cowboys - Re-live the story of the 1992 Cowboys through the eyes of Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Ken Norton Jr. The 1992 Cowboys were voted as the fifth greatest Super Bowl-winning team of all-time by a panel of football experts. Narrated by Alec Baldwin.
8:30 a.m. ET -- America's Game: 1993 Dallas Cowboys - Re-live the story of the 1993 Dallas Cowboys through the eyes of Emmitt Smith, Bill Bates and Jimmy Johnson. Narrated by Ed Harris.
9:30 a.m. ET -- America's Game: 1995 Dallas Cowboys - Re-live the story of the 1995 Cowboys through the eyes of Darren Woodson, Rich Dalrymple, Daryl Johnston and Larry Brown. Narrated by Ed Harris.
10:30 a.m. ET -- NFL Replay - Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints (Nov. 8, 2009) - The Saints score 24 points in the second half to rally past the Panthers in New Orleans. Drew Brees passed for 330 yards and a touchdown.
12 p.m. ET -- NFL Replay - New England Patriots vs. New Orleans Saints (Nov. 30, 2009) - In a battle of two of the top offenses, New Orleans outlasts the Patriots for a 38-17 victory. QB Drew Brees passed for 371 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
1:30 p.m. ET -- NFL Replay - New Orleans Saints vs. Washington Redskins (Dec. 6, 2009) - The Saints kick the game-winning FG in OT to clinch the NFC South title. Robert Meachem scored Saints touchdowns on a fumble return for a TD and a game-tying scoring catch at the end of regulation.
3 p.m. ET -- Game of the Week - 2006 Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
3:30 p.m. ET -- Game Changers: New Orleans - Drew Brees and Harry Connick Jr. - Follow Harry Connick Jr.'s trip to his old stomping grounds in New Orleans and witness his much-anticipated encounter with QB Drew Brees following the Saints' thrilling *MNF* victory over the Patriots.
4 p.m. ET -- Path to Perfection: 2009 New Orleans Saints - A recap of the New Orleans Saints' unexpected run to a perfect record behind the leadership of Drew Brees and a stifling defense.
4:30 p.m. ET -- Top 10 Dallas Cowboys - The bright lights of 'Big D' have been home to big talent like Tony Dorsett, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. NFL's Top 10 reveals the biggest stars to don the star with a countdown of the Top 10 Dallas Cowboys.
5:30 p.m. ET -- Playbook - Find out who will win and why when NFL experts analyze tonight's game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints.
8 p.m. ET -- Thursday Night Football - Special Saturday Edition - Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints. Bob Papa and Matt Millen call the action.
