- Game at 4:15 p.m. ET Across ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ & ESPN Deportes; Postseason NFL Countdown at 2 p.m. on ESPN, ABC and ESPN+
- Legendary Duo Joe Buck and Troy Aikman along with Emmy-winner Lisa Salters and Multifaceted Laura Rutledge on the Call
- Four-Time Pro Bowl Quarterback Kirk Cousins to be Guest Analyst on Postseason NFL Countdown
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Joins They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce
- NFL Primetime and Numerous Editions of SportsCenter Enhance Coverage; ESPN Digital Platforms Support Linear Offerings
The Kansas City Chiefs quest for a Super Bowl ‘three-peat’ – a feat that has never been achieved in the NFL – will officially begin across ESPN platforms on Saturday as the AFC’s No. 1 seed hosts the AFC South Champion Houston Texans (January 18, 4:15 p.m. ET, ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and on mobile with NFL+). The game between the AFC’s 4-seed and the two-time reigning Super Bowl Champion marks the second consecutive season ESPN will kick off the NFL’s Divisional Round of the postseason by presenting a matchup between the AFC South Champion Texans and the AFC’s top seed.
ESPN’s on-site gameday coverage from Kansas City will ramp up with the crew of Monday Night Countdown appearing on a special edition of Postseason NFL Countdown (2:00 – 4:15 p.m.) from inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The special two-plus-hour pregame show will air both on ESPN and ABC and will include Falcons quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins as a guest analyst for the entirety of the show.
Additionally, 10+ hours of SportsCenter, NFL Primetime and a second edition of Postseason NFL Countdown will add to ESPN’s Divisional Weekend programming.
For fans looking for humorous football chatter before Saturday’s programming commences, the latest episode of They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce will debut on Saturday, Jan. 18 from 1-2 a.m. on ESPN and ESPN+. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will join Kelce as the duo will surely discuss the weekend’s upcoming matchups.
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, and Laura Rutledge on the Call of Texans-Chiefs
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will punctuate their 23rd season as NFL broadcasting partners and their third season on Monday Night Football with their Texans-Chiefs call. The iconic duo, who set the record for the longest-tenured broadcast booth partners in NFL history in 2023, will conclude ESPN’s 25-game season alongside Emmy-award winning sideline reporter, Lisa Salters, who will cover the Chiefs, and multifaceted Laura Rutledge, who will be stationed on the Texans sideline.
Rebeca Landa, Sebastian Martinez-Christensen, MJ Acosta and John Sutcliffe will provide fans the Spanish-language call on ESPN Deportes.
Special Edition of ‘In the Air Tonight’ Leads into Kick Off
Monday Night Football’s beloved anthem, the re-imagined rendition of Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight,’ with Chris Stapleton, Cindy Blackman Santana and Snoop Dogg, which debuted in 2023, will lead into the Texans-Chiefs game. Highlights of the special, updated version of the anthem include:
- Anthony Mackie, the star of Marvel Studios’ new film, Captain America: Brave New World (opening in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025), narrating the piece. Mackie describes the emotions and impact of playing in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
- Extended ‘In the Air Tonight’ lyrics and instrumentation from Stapleton.
- A celebration of all players, coaches and fans of the Texans, Chiefs and the other six remaining teams playing in the Divisional Round.
Postseason NFL Countdown to Take Fans to Kick Off
Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears, Adam Schefter, Michelle Beisner-Buck and guest analyst Kirk Cousins will focus heavily on breaking down the Texans and Chiefs, while also touching on the entire Divisional weekend. Among the special segments planned around Texans-Chiefs:
- Chris Berman Conversation with Travis Kelce: An ESPN original and legendary NFL commentator Chris Berman sits down with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce to discuss what it means to be the 15th player in NFL history to catch 1,000 passes and the vibe of the locker room as the team enters the postseason.
- Sideline Sermons: When he’s on the sidelines, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans carries himself with a presence, and when addressing his team, he has the poise of a pastor delivering a sermon to the congregation. That charismatic communication began in his hometown of Bessemer, Alabama, where he learned to command a room at his local church.
Third Episode of They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce Returns to ESPN Platforms
ESPN’s newest late night television show, hosted by NFL analyst Jason Kelce, returns to Union Transfer in Philadelphia where Kelce will discuss the storylines surrounding the Divisional Round’s slate of games. Throughout the one-hour show, Kelce’s signature skits and humor will be on full display.
In addition to ESPN and ESPN+, fans can catch They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce in the early hours of the morning on ESPN YouTube. The full episode will be available on the Jason Kelce channel on YouTube presented by ESPN on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. Replays will air on ESPN2.
NFL Primetime Closes out Both Days; NFL Matchup Wakes up Fans on Saturday
NFL Primetime with Chris Berman and Booger McFarland will follow the late games on both Saturday and Sunday, airing at approximately 11:20 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., respectively, on ESPN+. The long-running highlight show will recap both games from each day.
On Saturday morning, a new episode of NFL Matchup, hosted by Sal Paolantonio, will breakdown the Xs and Os of the Divisional Round (6:30 a.m., ESPN and ESPN+).
SportsCenter Adds to Divisional Weekend Programming
Beginning early Saturday morning, SportsCenter will air for three consecutive hours on ESPN (8 a.m. – 11 a.m., ESPN), arming fans with everything they need to know surrounding the Divisional Round. Louis Riddick and Jeremy Fowler will be in-studio and joined by NFL national reporters stationed at both of Saturday’s games:
- Jeff Darlington at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Texans at Chiefs)
- Kimberley A. Martin at Ford Field (Commanders at Lions)
Coverage Continues into Divisional Sunday Includes a Second Edition of Postseason NFL Countdown
On Sunday, Postseason NFL Countdown will return at a special time, noon-3 p.m., leading into the remaining two Divisional Round games. The Sunday NFL Countdown crew of Mike Greenberg, Rex Ryan, Alex Smith, Tedy Bruschi and Adam Schefter will all be in-studio to entertain and inform fans until kick off. NFL national reporters, who will be onsite at the two remaining games, will contribute reporting throughout the show:
- Sal Paolantonio at Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles)
- Lindsey Thiry at Lincoln Financial Field (Rams)
- Dan Graziano at Highmark Stadium (Ravens at Bills)
Additional highlights of Sunday’s show include:
- King of the Castle: Part two of the conversation between Chris Berman and Derrick Henry. The Ravens RB discusses why he thinks he had such a productive game against the Bills in Week 4.
- Inner Excellence: That is the title of the self-help book that cameras caught A.J. Brown reading on the sidelines of Sunday’s Wild card win. The Eagles WR explains to Sal Paolantonio why he reads the book and how it mentally prepares him for the next possession.
- Weather Beaters: Temperatures are expected to be in the teens with a chance of snow in Buffalo on Sunday. So, players, coaches, officials and fans talk about their coldest game experiences and how they protect themselves from the elements.
In response to the devastation in Los Angeles caused by the wildfires, ESPN’s Jeremy Schapp traveled to Southern California to speak with Los Angeles Rams fans on what they have experienced over the last week. Schapp’s feature story will air during Postseason NFL Countdown and can be found across ESPN’s social and digital platforms.
Prior to Postseason NFL Countdown on Sunday, five hours of SportsCenter, with reporting from Paolantonio, Graziano and Martin, will air from 7 a.m. – Noon.
ESPN Digital Platforms Cover all Sides of Divisional Weekend
ESPN digital platforms will include coverage from ESPN NFL Nation reporters onsite with additional feature stories including:
- “Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is a players’ coach, no matter what you think of him,” by Tim McManus (available on ESPN.com)
- “Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson: From biggest draft question marks to 2024 MVP candidates,” by Jamison Hensley (available on ESPN.com)
- “Should Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson win MVP? We ranked the NFL’s real most valuable players, from 1 to 100,” by Seth Walder (available on ESPN+)
- “NFL Divisional game guide,” by NFL Nation (available on ESPN.com)
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