Reminder: Outside the Lines today at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) will focus on NFL legends receiving their diagnosis of signs of CTE. Host Bob Ley will interview former All-Pro Mark Duper, recently diagnosed with the ailment. Preview
Sunday NFL Countdown: Jaworski Previews Chiefs at Broncos; Berman’s Conversation with Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid; and More
Sunday NFL Countdown host Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson and Ray Lewis, will preview the NFL games on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 10 a.m. Senior fantasy sports analyst Matthew Berry, providing fantasy football updates and insight, and NFL insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will report the day’s headlines and news across the league during the three-hour pregame program.
Countdown’s Suzy Kolber and Ron Jaworski will be in Denver for one of the biggest games of the season when Broncos (8-1) host AFC West rival Chiefs (9-0).
Sunday NFL Countdown will also feature updates from reporters at games, including:
- Josina Anderson (Ravens at Bears)
- Sal Paolantonio (Redskins at Eagles)
- Bob Holtzman (Chargers at Dolphins)
- Ed Werder (49ers at Saints)
- Kolber and Jaworski (Chiefs at Broncos – the weekend’s top NFL matchup)
Features:
- Chiefs’ Turnaround: How did Kansas City go from having the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft to becoming so far the NFL’s only remaining undefeated team? Countdown host Chris Berman sits with head coach Andy Reid for a conversation on the turnaround in his first season.
- The Curse of Bobby Layne: When former Lions quarterback Bobby Layne was traded to Pittsburgh in 1958, he reportedly reacted by proclaiming the Lions would not win for 50 years. Since then, the team has only one playoff win. Fifty-plus years after the “Curse of Bobby Layne,” quarterback Matthew Stafford has many fans thinking about the end of the curse. As ESPN.com’s Greg Garber reports, Stafford is about to face the Steelers just 58 yards short of Layne’s franchise record.
- Frank Caliendo Plays Adam Schefter: Frank Caliendo, comedian and impressionist, takes a unique look at ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter recreating the AT&T “It’s Not Complicated” commercials.
Cam Newton and the Panthers Host Tom Brady and the Patriots on ESPN’s Monday Night Football
Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers (6-3) host Tom Brady and the AFC East-leading New England Patriots (7-2) on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on November 18 at 8:25 p.m. ET. Play-by-play commentator Mike Tirico will call the game with analyst Jon Gruden and sideline reporter Lisa Salters. This game is the Panthers’ 11th appearance on MNF and their first MNF home game since 2008, when they faced Gruden’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Prior to the game, Stuart Scott hosts Monday Night Countdown (6:30 p.m., ESPN) from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte with analysts Trent Dilfer, Lewis and Steve Young, contributor Rick Reilly and MNF’s Tirico, Gruden and Salters. The Countdown team will be joined by Bristol, Conn.-based host Berman and analysts Carter, Ditka, Jackson and Johnson and insiders Mortensen and Schefter.
NFL Matchup: Kaepernick’s Struggles; The Saints Third-Level Stretch; Defending Peyton Manning and the Broncos; and More
NFL Matchup host Paolantonio and analysts Jaworski and Merril Hoge will preview the weekend’s key matchups by taking viewers inside the film room with X’s and O’s analysis on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2 (re-air on ESPN, Sunday at 6:30 a.m.). Highlights:
- The Money Down – Calvin Johnson on 3rd Down: Calvin Johnson is having another unbelievable year and with last week’s victory over the Bears, the Lions are in first place in the NFC North. This season, 93 percent of Johnson’s third down catches have gone for first downs. Jaworski analyzes Johnson and how he is able to move the sticks for the Lions offense.
- Hoge Breakdown – Robert Griffin / Pierre Garcon: Coming off a heartbreaking loss last week to Minnesota, Washington needs to start winning Sunday in Philadelphia if it wants to make a run in the playoffs. Hoge breaks down the Redskins offense and shows how it is tough for opposing teams to prepare for and defend against.
- Jaws Playbook – Saints Third-Level Stretch: Last week, New Orleans Saints set a franchise record 625 yards in offense against the Cowboys defense. Jaworski goes to the playbook to show how the Saints successfully use the ‘Third-Level Stretch’ passing concept, a staple of their pass game, to create mismatches against opposing defenses.
- Let’s See It Hoge – Colin Kaepernick’s Struggles: In the last eight games, Colin Kaepernick is averaging 157 yards through the air. Hoge explains Kaepernick’s struggles and shows that what was once clear is now blurry for the young 49ers quarterback.
- Blitz Breakdown – Defending Peyton Manning and the Broncos: How can the Kansas City Chiefs defense slow down Peyton Manning and the explosive Broncos offense? Hoge explains what the Colts defense did against Manning to show how to slow down the Broncos offense.
- Shot Play – Alex Smith and the Chiefs Offense: The Kansas City Chiefs have the fewest pass plays in the second half of any AFC team. Jaworski explains why the Chiefs offense does not take deep shots and how quarterback Alex Smith’s limited deep-shot plays dates back to his days as a 49er.
- Game Within the Game – Limiting Patriots Offense and Rob Gronkowski: The Carolina Panthers use multiple ways to matchup against tight ends who play like wide receivers, which is what they will need to do this Monday against the Patriots and Rob Gronkowski, explains Hoge.
- Between the Lines – Cam Newton: This season, Cam Newton has been efficient with a 72 percent completion rate on third downs and a quarterback rating of 106. Jaworski shows how Newton recognizes defensive coverage and his ball-protection skills.
ESPN Radio: Redskins at Eagles on Sunday
ESPN Radio’s Sunday afternoon NFL games continue with the Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles on November 17 at 11 a.m. Marc Kestecher will provide play-by-play with Bill Polian as analyst and Ian Fitzsimmons reporting from the sidelines.
Football Sunday on ESPN Radio continues November 17 with host Jonathan Coachman. Football Sunday on ESPN Radio can be heard on terrestrial ESPN Radio outlets, Sirius XM Channel ESPN 84, ESPNRadio.com, ESPN Radio app, Tune-in and Slacker as well as simulcast on ESPN2 from 1-5 p.m., ESPN3 from 5-7:30 p.m. and ESPNEWS from 7-7:30 p.m. For more information on Football Sunday on ESPN Radio, click here.
ESPN.com “Hot Read” on Tyrann Mathieu
ESPN NFL Nation’s Arizona Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss profiles Tyrann Mathieu and tells the story of how a one-night stay in jail changed the trajectory of the Arizona’s rookie safety’s career and life.
“Tyrann has gone from a jail cell to the NFL in a year’s time,” writes Weinfuss. “And now he continues to rebuild, just like his old neighborhood did in East New Orleans.”
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