20 Things You Need to Know About NBC Sunday Night Football's 20th Season
In the 2025 season, Peacock will stream Super Bowl LX, every Sunday Night Football game, the Football Night in America studio show, a holiday exclusive game in Week 17, and the return of Sunday Night Football Final.
September 03, 2025
NBC Sports' Sunday Night Football is kicking off its milestone 20th season as primetime’s biggest stage for the NFL. From historic matchups to streaming innovations, here are 20 things you need to know about this landmark season.
20. The 20th season of Sunday Night Football kicks off on September 4.
NBC’s SNF begins its milestone 20th season with a blockbuster Kickoff Weekend. First, it’s a renewal of the most-played regular-season SNF matchup as Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys visit Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, NFL rushing leader Saquon Barkley and the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles in NFL Kickoff ’25 on Thursday, Sept. 4 on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo. The opener marks the record 17th matchup between the clubs in NBC’s SNF package and the first time Dallas and Philadelphia will meet in Week 1 since 2000.
19. The 2025 SNF schedule is packed with playoff teams.
The NBC Sunday Night Football schedule features eight matchups of 2024 playoff teams – including five meetings of division winners – highlighted by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who have played in five of the last six Super Bowls, hosting Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions on October 12. With the Chiefs and Lions posting the respective best records in the AFC and NFC last season, this game marks the second-ever NBC SNF matchup of the prior season’s top playoff seeds (NFL Kickoff ’16 – Carolina-Denver in a Super Bowl rematch). The last Lions-Chiefs matchup was a thriller – a 21-20 Detroit victory in NFL Kickoff ’23 on NBC and Peacock.
18. The SNF broadcast team is back.
The SNF announce team of Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark and rules analyst Terry McAulay return for their fourth season together.
17. Sunday Night Football first became a part of NBC in 2006.
NBC acquired Sunday Night Football in a six-year agreement, announced by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The agreement included the first ever “flexible scheduling.” NBC also announced a studio show (to be named Football Night in America) to begin at 7 p.m. ET every Sunday night.
16. The first Sunday night game is a rematch of last season’s AFC Divisional Playoff.
NBC Sports’ SNF opener features the past two NFL MVPs as Lamar Jackson (’23 MVP) and the AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens visit Josh Allen (’24 MVP) and the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills in a rematch of last season’s AFC Divisional Playoff – a two-point Buffalo victory. The game is the first in Buffalo’s 53rd and final season at Highmark Stadium, which will make way for a new Bills’ home in 2026.
15. Last season, NBC delivered more young NFL viewers than any media partner.
NBC delivered more NFL viewers under age 50 than any other NFL media partner across all game windows (minimum seven games), and topped all media partners in the coveted Adult 18-34 and Adult 18-49 demographics.
14. The 2025-26 SNF schedule includes five games with last year’s Super Bowl teams.
The Kansas City Chiefs are featured three times, facing the New York Giants in Week 3, Detroit Lions in Week 6 and Houston Texans in Week 14. The Philadelphia Eagles will play the Dallas Cowboys in the Kickoff game, and the Detroit Lions in Week 11.
13. To bring you the best matchups, the SNF schedule is flexible.
This season, “flexible scheduling” for NBC’s Sunday Night Football may be used up to twice between Weeks 5-10, and in the NFL’s discretion during Weeks 11-17. During these flex scheduling windows, the games initially scheduled for NBC Sunday Night Football are tentatively scheduled and subject to change. Only Sunday afternoon games (or those listed as TBD) are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the initially scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to Sunday afternoon. As in prior seasons, for Week 18, the final weekend of the season, the scheduling of the Saturday, Sunday afternoon, and the Sunday night games is not assigned. Specific dates, start times, and networks for Week 18 matchups will be determined and announced following the conclusion of Week 17. For more information about NFL Flexible Scheduling, please visit https://www.nfl.com/schedules/flexible-scheduling-procedures.
12. NBCSports.com & NBC Sports App will live stream all of NBC's NFL games.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all NBC games to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via authentication, giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcasts.
11. Peacock will once again stream all NBC Sunday Night Football games.
This includes the playoffs, and the Football Night in America studio show. The exclusive Peacock Sunday Night Football Final returns with expanded postgame coverage following SNF each week.
10. Peacock will be the exclusive national home of an NFL Week 17 game in primetime.
Streaming live on Saturday, Dec. 27. The Peacock Holiday Exclusive will be selected from a pool of key NFL Week 17 Saturday matchups.
9. There will be two "Class of 2024" quarterback matchups.
In Week 2, Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy, who missed last season with an injury, makes his home debut against the Atlanta Falcons and fellow 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix, who started the Falcons’ final three games last season. Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, who reached the NFC Championship Game last season, host fellow 2024 first-round pick Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos on Nov. 30. Nix led the Broncos to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth last season.
8. The Manning brothers competed in NBC's first-ever Sunday Night Football matchup.
On Sept. 10, 2006 the Indianapolis Colts faced the New York Giants in first-ever meeting between Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, ending in a 26-21 Colts victory.
7. Telemundo Deportes will present the entire NBC Sunday Night Football schedule, including Super Bowl LX and Playoffs.
Telemundo Deportes will again provide exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the entire NBC Sunday Night Football package, including Super Bowl LX and two playoff games. Games will also be available on live stream via the Telemundo Deportes app.
6. On Thanksgiving night, the Ravens host the Bengals.
On Thanksgiving night, 2024 NFL passing leader Joe Burrow, ’24 receiving “Triple Crown” winner Ja’Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals face Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
5. Carrie Underwood stars in the show open for the 13th consecutive year.
Multi-platinum, 8-time GRAMMY® Award winner Carrie Underwood will star in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football for the 13th consecutive season beginning September 7 on NBC and Peacock.
Underwood performed the new show open for primetime’s No. 1 show at The Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, home of her historic three-plus year residency, REFLECTION, which played to packed houses through April 2025, and is the longest-running Las Vegas residency of any solo female country artist.
4. Top quarterbacks fill the SNF schedule.
Following the blockbuster opening weekend, the SNF slate of star-studded QB showdowns continues with Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers visiting Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys (Sept. 28) in a matchup of franchises that have met nine times in the postseason – second-most in NFL history. On Nov. 16, Jared Goff and the NFC North-champion Detroit Lions face Jalen Hurts and the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles in a meeting of the NFC’s top two ’24 playoff seeds. One week later, on Nov. 23, another pair of ’24 NFC division winning QBs (and former No. 1 overall draft picks) meet as Baker Mayfield and the NFC South-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. On Thanksgiving night, 2024 NFL passing leader Joe Burrow, ’24 receiving “Triple Crown” winner Ja’Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals face Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the division rival Baltimore Ravens. In an AFC Divisional Playoff rematch on Dec. 7, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. Two weeks later, Burrow and the Bengals visit the Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa, who led the NFL in completion percentage last season and passing yardage in 2023.
3. In total, NBC Sports will present 25 NFL Games in 2025.
On NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports will present 20 regular-season games – 18 regular-season Sunday Night Football games, NFL Kickoff 2025, and the annual Thanksgiving night game – plus a Week 17 Peacock exclusive game on Saturday, Dec. 27. NBC Sports will present three postseason games on NBC and Peacock – one Wild Card Playoff game, one Divisional Playoff game, and Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (NBC Sports’ 21st Super Bowl). NBC and Peacock were also home to the preseason-opening Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, July 31.
2. Sunday Night Football is primetime TV’s #1 show.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2045-25 TV season as primetime’s #1 show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 14th consecutive year – adding to its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen. In addition, NBC delivered more NFL viewers under age 50 than any other NFL media partner across all game windows (minimum seven games), and topped all media partners in the coveted Adult 18-34 and Adult 18-49 demographics.
1. The 20th NFL Season of Sunday Night Football will lead into Super Bowl LX on NBC.
Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, available on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo, will be NBC Sports’ 21st Super Bowl.
