Sunday NFL Countdown: Andy Dalton Banners; DeAndre Hopkins with Cris Carter; Rex Ryan on Soundtracks; and More
ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown host Chris Berman, with analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson will preview NFL week 14 on December 13 at 11 a.m. ET. Reporter/host Wendi Nix will host select segments, NFL insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will report the day’s headlines and news, with senior analyst Matthew Berry and special contributor Stephen A. Smith.
The two-hour program will be preceded by NFL Insiders: Sunday Edition at 10 a.m. featuring host Trey Wingo, NFL Insiders Mortensen and Schefter and NFL Front Office Insider Louis Riddick.
Reporter game assignments for week 14:
- Bills at Eagles (Sal Paolantonio)
- Steelers at Bengals (Bob Holtzman)
- Falcons at Panthers (Britt McHenry)
- Cowboys at Packers (Ed Werder)
- Patriots at Texans (Josina Anderson)
Features:
- Andy Dalton Bengals Banners: Section 340, Row 12 at Bengals home games features huge signs with phrases such as “Keep up the Good Work Andy!” and “New Andy Rips, Jukes, and Swags!” These are the handiwork of Bengals super fan Jeff Wagner, who hangs the 40-foot banners above Paul Brown Stadium during each home game to support his favorite team and its Pro Bowl quarterback Andy Dalton. Wagner’s signs have caught the attention of other fans, as well as Bengals quarterback, reports Greg Garber.
- DeAndre Hopkins One on One with Cris Carter: Countdown’s Cris Carter heads to the Lone Star State to visit with the Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins to find out why teammates call one of the league’s best young wide receivers “Spiderman.”
- Dean Edwards – Stephen A visits Marshawn Lynch: Countdown comedian and impressionist Dean Edwards spoofs ESPN First Take commentator Stephen A. Smith visiting Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch at a fitness center as he rehabs his abdominal injury. Dean plays both characters.
- Soundtracks – Rex Ryan: Bills head coach Rex Ryan, wired for in-game audio during last Sunday’s 30-21 home win vs. the Texans, is the subject of this week’s “Soundtracks.”
ESPN’s Monday Night Football: New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins
Ryan Tannehill and the Miami Dolphins host Eli Manning and the New York Giants on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on December 14 at 8:15 p.m. The MNF team of Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters call the game from Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Leading into the matchup, Chris Berman and Suzy Kolber host Monday Night Countdown at 6 p.m. on ESPN. NFL analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson and Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter review Sunday’s games and preview the MNF matchup with Berman in studio, while Trent Dilfer, Ray Lewis, Steve Young and Kolber offer analysis from Sun Life Stadium. MNF is available on ESPN Deportes and will be streamed live on WatchESPN. Highlights:
- Gruden’s Grill Session with Ryan Tannehill: Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill joins MNF’s Super Bowl-winning coach, Jon Gruden, in the bus for this week’s “Gruden’s Grill Session.”
- Odell Beckham Jr. Conversation with Anita Marks: Odell Beckham, Jr. sits down with ESPN New York’s Anita Marks to discuss the Giants up-and-down season and his Monday Night reunion with former LSU teammate and long-time friend Jarvis Landry.
- Rick Reilly Feature – Wide Receiver Gloves: Countdown’s Rick Reilly heads to Miami to investigate benefits of the wide receiver gloves and gets a first-hand look into how much they help wideouts make spectacular catches.
- Soundtracks – Jason Pierre-Paul: After an off-season injury sidelined Jason Pierre-Paul for eight NFL weeks, the Giants defensive end returned to the field week 9 at Tampa Bay. Three games later, week 13 against the Jets, Pierre-Paul was wired for in-game audio – the subject of this week’s Monday Night Soundtracks.
- Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry – Pregame Warmups: Before they became NFL stars, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry were teammates at LSU. Now as they meet on Monday night for the first time as professionals, the self-described best friends are promising a catching contest during warmups and Countdown will be there for an all-access pass to the pregame pass-catching display.
NFL Sundays on ESPN Radio Continue with Undefeated Carolina Hosting Atlanta
ESPN Radio’s national coverage of Sunday afternoon NFL regular-season games will continue Sunday, Dec. 13, at noon when Cam Newton and the undefeated Carolina Panthers host Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons. Marc Kestecher will provide commentary alongside analyst Bill Polian and reporter Ian Fitzsimmons.
Jaws QB Big Board – Third Quarter Rankings Revealed Friday
ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski will release the third quarter rankings for his “QB Big Board” on Friday, Dec. 11. So far, eight quarterbacks have remained in the top 10 through the season’s halfway mark: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson. Jaworski contributes to ESPN’s year-round NFL coverage and makes weekly appearances on NFL Matchup, NFL Live and SportsCenter throughout the season.
NFL Matchup: In-depth Preview of Pittsburgh at Cincinnati; Matchup Extra on Atlanta at Carolina; and More
NFL Matchup host Sal Paolantonio and analysts Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge preview the weekend’s NFL matchups via film-room X’s and O’s analysis Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2 (re-air on ESPN, Sunday at 4 and 6:30 a.m.). Highlights:
- Inside the Matchup and Blitz Breakdown – Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: Jaworski shows how the Bengals defense disguised and baited Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into throwing into double-coverage, leading to an interception by safety Reggie Nelson in their week 8 game. Hoge explains, in detail, a successful blitz by the Steelers defense against the Bengals in the same game.
- Matchup Extra – Atlanta at Carolina: On Thanksgiving Day at the Dallas Cowboys, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly intercepted a Tony Romo pass and returned it for a touchdown. Jaworski explains how the play is a direct result of the Panthers exceptional awareness of route concepts.
- Hoge Breakdown – Dallas at Green Bay: Since week 9 against the Carolina Panthers, Packers running back James Starks has caught 22 passes, 15 on screens. Hoge shows how and why the Packers have implemented this element to their passing game.
E:60 Features Packers Receiver Randall Cobb – Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Though it’s been a season of unexpected ups and downs for the Green Bay Packers offense, wide receiver Randall Cobb has remained confident in his teammates and in his own abilities. That type of loyalty and resilience comes from his upbringing in Alcoa, Tenn., a small manufacturing town outside of Knoxville. In this E:60 exclusive with reporter Chris Connelly, Cobb granted the crew unprecedented access to his family and his hometown, where they captured how the wide receiver’s path to the NFL was paved by the lessons of hard work and commitment he learned early on. Trailer.
ESPN the Magazine: For the Patriots, Winning Is Business, Not Revenge
For the second time in eight years, the New England Patriots are coming off a cheating scandal and dominating, writes Seth Wickersham in the new Ideas of the Year issue of ESPN The Magazine. But what’s fueling Bill Belichick’s team? Story.
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