NFL Content for Wild Card Weekend on ESPN Media

Mac Nwulu

January 7, 2016

ESPN’s Second NFL Playoff Game – Chiefs at Houston on Saturday
Panthers Josh Norman Returns as Guest Analyst on Countdown

AFC South Champion Houston Texans Host Kansas City Chiefs in Wild Card Game

ESPN will televise the Kansas City Chiefs-Houston Texans Wild Card game Saturday, January 9, at 4:20 p.m. E.T. The AFC matchup will be simulcast on ABC, streamed live on WatchESPN and available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. Monday Night Football’s Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters serve as commentators and will call the game from NRG Stadium in Houston.

To kick off Wild Card Weekend, Chris Berman hosts an hour-long edition of Postseason NFL Countdown on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 12 p.m. on ESPN. Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson will provide analysis, Wendi Nix will host select segments and insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will report the day’s headlines and news. Senior analyst Matthew Berry and special contributor Stephen A. Smith will also join the Countdown crew in studio at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn.

At 3 p.m., Postseason NFL Countdown returns as the on-site team of host Suzy Kolber and analysts Trent Dilfer, Ray Lewis and Steve Young join Berman and the studio crew from Houston. Additionally, Salters and NFL correspondent Ed Werder will provide updates on the Texans and Chiefs, respectively. This edition of Postseason NFL Countdown leads into Chiefs-Texans and will be simulcast on ABC. SportsCenter follows the game.

ESPN’s Wild Card marketing campaign includes this TV spot. ESPN’s Wild Card Weekend Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Program	Network(s)
Sat, Jan 9	5:30 a.m.	NFL Matchup	ESPN, WatchESPN (Reair: ESPN2 at 8:30 a.m.)
	11 a.m.	Fantasy Football Now	ESPN2, WatchESPN
	12 p.m.	Postseason NFL Countdown	ESPN, WatchESPN
	3 p.m.	Postseason NFL Countdown	ESPN, ABC, WatchESPN
	4:20 p.m.	NFL Wild Card Game: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans	ESPN, ABC, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes
	7:25 p.m.	SportsCenter	ESPN, WatchESPN
Sun, Jan 10	12 a.m.	Primetime	ESPN, WatchESPN
	6:30 a.m.	NFL Matchup	ESPN, WatchESPN (Reair: ESPN2 at 7:30 a.m.)
	10 a.m.	NFL Insiders – Sunday Edition	ESPN, WatchESPN
	11 a.m.	Postseason NFL Countdown	ESPN, WatchESPN
	12 p.m.	Fantasy Football Now	ESPN2, WatchESPN
	8 p.m.	Primetime	ESPN, WatchESPN

Saturday and Sunday Editions of Postseason NFL Countdown; Panthers Josh Norman on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Saturday

Ed Werder (Chiefs) and Lisa Salters (Texans) in Houston will report from the early Saturday Wild Card game on ESPN and ABC, with Bob Holtzman at the Steelers at Bengals game.

Postseason NFL Countdown at 12 p.m. on ESPN: Countdown’s Chris Berman visits head coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs to find out how the team went from 1-5 to finish the season with a 11-5 record, earning a spot in the playoffs.
Postseason NFL Countdown at 3 p.m. on ESPN and ABC: Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt will visit MNF’s Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden in his bus for Saturday’s special post-season edition of “Gruden’s Grill Session”

Sunday at 11 a.m.

Sal Paolantonio (Seahawks) at Josina Anderson (Vikings) will report from Minneapolis with Britt McHenry (Packers at Redskins) at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

Panthers cornerback Josh Norman joins Berman, carter, Ditka, Jackson and Johnson on the Countdown set as a special guest analyst.

Norman on Odell Beckham Jr.: Norman will walk the viewers through the sequence of plays that culminated in his on-the-field tussle against Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. during the Panthers at Giants game on Sunday, Dec. 20.
Seahawks’ Late Season Surge: Michelle Beisner travels to Seattle to uncover the secrets to the Seahawks late season surge into the 2015 NFL Playoffs via interviews with Seahawks defensive ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett.

NFL Matchup Previews all Wild Card Games

ESPN NFL Matchup with host Sal Paolantonio and analysts Merril Hoge and Ron Jaworski will air on Saturday at 5:30 a.m. (reairs at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2) and Sunday at 6:30 a.m. (reairs Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on ESPN2). Highlights:

Kansas City at Houston

Matchup Extra & Jaws Playbook: Hoge explains a throw by Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to receiver Jeremy Maclin on a skinny post for a touchdown and shows some of the nuances that led to the play being successful. In his self-titled playbook, Jaworski describe how the Texans ran a well-executed concept that exploited the focus on receiver DeAndre Hopkins and found tight end Ryan Griffin open underneath for a 37 yard gain.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

In the Red-zone & Passing Thought: In the red zone, Jaworski explains a staple play employed by the Bengals offense featuring receivers Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones as well as Tyler Eifert that backup quarterback AJ McCarron exploited for a successful play. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers throw the ball deep on third-and-three or shorter plays more than any other team in the NFL. Jaworski describes a 31-yard reception by receiver Markus Wheaton on Third-and-one play.

Seattle at Minnesota

Matchup Extra & Blitz Breakdown: Hoge explains one of the reasons for the Seahawks late-season resurgence by showing a play where quarterback Russell Wilson looked off a defender to complete a pass to receiver Doug Baldwin. Jaworski shows how the Vikings defense attacks the protections with safety Harrison Smith and linebacker Anthony Barr blitzing from the edge.

Green Bay at Washington

Coaches Clicker & Jaws Playbook: Packers fullback John Kuhn has seen his numbers of snaps rise since head coach Mike McCarthy took over the play calling duties. Hoge revisit the week 14 matchup against the Cowboys where the Packers had a lot of success in 20 personnel runs. And Jaworski shows how the Redskins designed a play using wide receiver Jamison Crowder on a wheel route on third down and explains how quarterback Kirk Cousins connected with the receiver for a 28-yard gain.

NFL PrimeTime will also air two live shows – late Saturday at midnight (9 p.m. PT) with host Trey Wingo and analysts Merril Hoge and Jeff Saturday; and Sunday at 8 p.m. with Berman and Jackson.

ESPN.com and ESPN Insider

ESPN.com and ESPN Insider continue to provide coverage of the 2015 NFL Playoffs. Highlights: