Saints Head Coach Sean Payton to Join ESPN’s Postseason NFL Countdown as Guest Analyst on Sunday in New Orleans

Photos via ESPN Images

• ESPN Countdown Travels to the College Football Playoff National Championship for Two NFL Divisional Weekend Shows – Sat. (10 a.m. ET) and Sun. (12 p.m.) from Jax Brewery
• Features on Richard Sherman, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and more

ESPN’s Postseason NFL Countdown will travel to the College Football Playoff National Championship in New Orleans for two shows during the NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend, Jan. 11-12. The Saturday (10 a.m. ET) and Sunday (12 p.m. ET) editions of Countdown hosted by Sam Ponder and featuring ESPN’s full set of analysts and experts at Jax Brewery (600 Decatur Street) will be part of ESPN’s extensive coverage of both the NFL and college football playoff weekend.

Ponder will host a two-hour show on Saturday and the usual three-hour edition on Sunday in the heart of the French Quarter with Tedy Bruschi, Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss, Rex Ryan, Louis Riddick, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton – who led the Saints to a championship in Super Bowl XLIV and NFC South division titles the past three seasons – will be a special guest analyst on Sunday’s Countdown show. Members of ESPN’s college football team will also be part of Countdown as a preview to Monday’s LSU vs. Clemson National Championship matchup. (Of note: ESPN’s Randy Moss is the father of standout LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss.)

This is Countdown’s first trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship. The show recently travelled to Philadelphia in December and will be in South Florida for Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2.

Countdown Features (Saturday):

• Unit 1b: Before his press conferences, 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman always gives a shout out to unit 1b, a section of a correctional facility he visits each week in an effort to give incarcerated youth hope. Ryan Clark reports.
• Lamar’s Learning Experience: Lamar Jackson’s first playoff game last year was a humbling experience as he fumbled three times and threw an interception before halftime. Jackson talks about John Harbaugh sticking with him and what that trust has meant to him.

Countdown Features (Sunday):

• Dual-Threat QBs: Legendary QBs – including Randall Cunningham, Steve Young, Kordell Stewart and Donovan McNabb – discuss how what they started has become the norm with an explosion of dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL.
• Patrick Mahomes Conversation Part II: The reigning MVP sits with Chris Berman to discuss his favorite throws and the quarterbacks he’s modeled his game after.
• Deshaun Watson Conversation Part II: The Texans quarterback sat with Matthew Hasselbeck to talk about his ability to make plays on his feet and about his relationship with his draft classmate Patrick Mahomes, whom he faces head-to-head on Sunday.
• Matt LaFleur: The first-year Packers head coach talks to Booger McFarland about following in the footsteps of Green Bay coaching legends and about putting his own imprint on Titletown.

ESPN reporters for the Divisional Playoff games:

• Saturday – Dan Graziano (Vikings-49ers); Sal Paolantonio (Titans-Ravens)
• Sunday – Ed Werder and Dianna Russini (Texans-Chiefs), and Josina Anderson and Jeff Darlington (Seahawks-Packers)

ESPN coverage of the NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend also includes:

• NFL Matchup (Saturday, 4 and 6:30 a.m. ET, ESPN and 8:30 a.m., ESPN2) will preview all four weekend games with host Sal Paolantonio and analysts Matt Bowen and Greg Cosell.
• Two weekend editions of NFL Rewind on ESPN (Sunday, 12 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET) with hosts Trey Wingo (Sat.) and John Anderson (Sun.), and analysts Tim Hasselbeck and John Fox will offer full highlights of the games and look ahead to the Conference Championship weekend.
• Two weekend editions of NFL PrimeTime on ESPN+ (Sunday, 12 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET) with hosts John Anderson (Sat.) and Kenny Mayne (Sun.) and analyst Jeff Saturday will recap the Divisional games and preview the Conference Championship matchups. Both episodes will be available for streaming after their live airings on ESPN+.
• ESPN+ offers a vast library of original NFL programming, including the season-long series Peyton’s Places – with the latest episode featuring Tom Brady, NFL’s Greatest Games, NFL Films Presents, Sound FX, and more.   
• ESPN NFL Nation reporters will be staffing every playoff game this weekend. In addition, ESPN.com features a variety of NFL Playoff stories, including: Emily Kaplan on Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones; Ravens team reporter Jamison Hensley on how Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh is motivating his team with his t-shirts, and Dotun Akintoye on Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, who leads Seattle thru his positivity.

ESPN NFL shows on NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend (Jan. 11-12):

Date	Start (ET)	Episode Title	Net
Sat, Jan. 11	4 a.m.	NFL Matchup * re-airs at 6:30 a.m. (ESPN) and 8:30 a.m. (ESPN2)	ESPN
	10 a.m.	Postseason NFL Countdown (from New Orleans)	ESPN
Sun, Jan. 12	12 a.m.	NFL Rewind	ESPN
	12 a.m.	NFL PrimeTime on ESPN+	ESPN+
	7:30 a.m.	NFL’s Greatest Games: 2014 NFC Championship (Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks)	ESPN2
	12 p.m.	Postseason NFL Countdown (From New Orleans)	ESPN
	10 p.m.	NFL Rewind	ESPN
	10 p.m.	NFL PrimeTime on ESPN+	ESPN+

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