NFL Week #16: Saturday, NFL Network has a tripleheader; Sunday Games: Fox 6, CBS 5 and NBC 1

• CBS is the single player, Fox the doubleheader.

• CBS’ Jim Nantz and Tony Romo hit 59% of the country with Baltimore at Cleveland at 1pm. It’s CBS’ largest swath of the day.

• Fox’ Joe Buck and Troy AIkman are going to 88% of the country and 185 markets on Dallas-Philly. It’s the most exposure of any of the afternoon games.

• There won’t be four in the booth for NFL Network’s Houston-Tampa Bay game on Saturday, only three. The NFLN had four elbow their way into its London booth this season. A little much, I would say. Rich Eisen works with Nate Burelson and Joe Thomas, an all-pro offensive tackle with the Browns. Eisen and Bobby Thomson have something in common. They both grew up on Staten Island.

• The college bowl season kicks off Friday. Its Saturday schedule  is filled wall-to-wall with seven minor bowl games.

• On Saturday’s NFL Network coverage, ex-quarterback Kurt Warner who’s heard on NFL national radio broadcasts joins Mike Tirico for Bills at Patriots which should be a good one. Tirico is an easy going broadcaster and should work well with Warner.

• Next week, the final NFL weekend, all games are scheduled for Sunday. All 16 will be played in the 1pm or 4pm window.  Fox and CBS will each run 8 games. UPDATE 12.22.19–NFL announces that SF- Seattle game moves to 8:20p next Sunday, 12/29 on NBC–Other 15 games on CBS and Fox

• So this will be the last Sunday night game of the regular season. It will have Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth in the City of Broad Shoulders, Chicago, where Andy Reid and the Chiefs come calling.

• Fox digs into its depth chart Sunday, assigning Joe Davis and ex QB Brady Quinn to Jacksonville at Atlanta. Fox’ number #2 crew, Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis, will have NFL Network duty Saturday night, the Rams at San Francisco. Burkhardt and Davis would normally get Fox’ New Orleans-Tennessee game, so Kenny Albert and Ronde Barber move up for the week.

• Not much riding on the Cincinnati-Miami game other than potential draft picks. Andrew Catalon and James Lofton call it. Only 4% of the country and 7 markets get it.

• Full SiriusXM NFL and bowl schedules available via link at SirusXM logo to the right

Jake Baskin has a thumbnail on the warm and multi-talented Jim Nantz, It’s below the schedule

Saturday, December 21

Houston Texans @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers—1 p.m., NFL Network

Rich Eisen, Nate Burleson, Joe Thomas

 NFL Network is in some 70 million homes. 

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots—4:30 p.m., NFL Network

Mike Tirico, Kurt Warner

 NFL Network is in some 70 million homes. 

Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers—8:15 p.m., NFL Network

Kevin Burkhardt , Charles Davis

 NFL Network is in some 70 million homes. 

Sunday, December 22

Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins—1 p.m., CBS

Andrew Catalon, James Lofton

4% of U.S./7 markets

Cincinnati, Dayton, Ft Myers , Hazard, Lexington, Miami , W. Palm Beach

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Jets—1 p.m., CBS

Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

14% of U.S./15 markets

Albany, Altoona, Erie, Hartford, Huntington, Lewisburg, New York, Parkersburg, Philadelphia , Pittsburgh, Roanoke, Scranton, Weston, Wheeling, Youngstown

New York Giants @ Washington Redskins—1 p.m., FOX

Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman

12% of U.S./17 markets

Albany, Binghamton, Burlington, Charlottesville, Elmira, Harrisonburg, Hartford, New York, Norfolk, Puerto Rico, Richmond, Roanoke, Syracuse, US Virgin Islands, Utica, Washington, Watertown

Carolina Panthers @ Indianapolis Colts—1 p.m., FOX

Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth 

6% of U.S./15 markets

Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Greensboro, Greenville NC, Greenville SC, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh, South Bend, Terre Haute, Wilmington

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns—1 p.m., CBS

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

59% of U.S./173 markets

Abilene, Albany, Alexandria, Amarillo, Anchorage, Augusta,, Austin, Baltimore, Bangor, Beaumont, Bend, Billings, Biloxi, Binghamton, Birmingham, Bismarck, Boise, Boston, Bowling Green, Bozeman, Bryan , Buffalo, Burlington, Butte, Cape Girardeau, Cedar Rapids, Champaign, Charleston, Charlottesville, Chattanooga, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus Ga, Columbus Ms, Columbus Oh, Coos Bay, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dodge City/Ensign, Dothan, Duluth-Chisholm, El Paso, Elmira-corning, Eugene, Evansville, Fairbanks, Fargo, Florence, Florence, Fort Wayne, Ft Smith, Gainesville, Glendive, Goodland, Grand Island, Great Falls, Greenbay, Greensboro, Greenville_Ms, Greenville_NcHarlingen,  Harrisburg, Harrisonburg, Hattiesburg, Hays, Helena, Honolulu, Houston. Huntsville, Idaho Falls, Jackson, Jackson, Jacksonville, Jefferson City, Johnson City Jonesboro Juneau Kalispell Kansas City Ketchikan Kirksville Knoxville La Crosse  Lafayette_In. Lafayette_La. Lake Charles, Laredo, Lewiston, Lima, Lincoln, Little Rock, Louisville, Lubbock, Macon, Madison, Mankato, Mason City, Medford, Memphis, Meridian, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Minot, Missoula, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Norfolk, North Platte, Odessa, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Panama City Beach, Pasco, Peoria, Phoenix, Pittsburg, Portland Or, Portland Me., Presque Isle, Providence,  Quincy, Raleigh, Reliance, Richmond, Rochester, Rock Island, Rockford, Roseburg, Salisbury, Salt Lake City, San Angelo, San Antonio, Savannah, Seattle, Sherman, Shreveport, Sioux City,Sioux Falls, Sitka, South Bend, Spartanburg, Spokane, Springfield, Springfield, St Joseph, St. Louis, Syracuse, Tallahassee, Tampa, Terre Haute, Toledo, Topeka, Tucson, Tulsa, Twin Falls, Tyler, Utica, Victoria, Waco, Walker, Washington, Watertown, Wausau, Wichita, Wichita Falls, Williston, Wilmington, Yakima

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Atlanta Falcons—1 p.m., FOX

Joe Davis, Brady Quinn

5% of U.S./9 markets

Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Macon, Orlando, Savannah

New Orleans Saints @ Tennessee Titans—1 p.m., FOX

Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber

76% of U.S./171 markets

Abilene, Albuquerque, Alexandria, Alpena, Amarillo, Anchorage, Austin, Bakersfield, Baltimore, Bangor, Baton Rouge, Beaumont, Bend, Billings, Biloxi, Birmingham, Bluefield, Boise, Boston, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Butte, Casper, Cedar Rapids, Champaign, Charleston, Chattanooga, Cheyenne, Chicago, Chico, Cincinnati, Clarksburg, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbia, Columbus, Columbus, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Davenport, Dayton, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Dothan, Duluth, El Paso, Erie, Eugene, Eureka, Fairbanks, Fargo, Flint, Fort Myers, Fort Smith, Fresno, Grand Junction, Grand Rapids, Great Falls, Green Bay, Greenwood, Guam, Harlingen, Harrisburg, Hattiesburg, Helena, Honolulu, Houston, Huntsville, Idaho Falls, Jackson, Jackson, Johnstown, Jonesboro, Joplin, Juneau, Kansas City, Knoxville, La Crosse, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Lansing, Laredo, Las Vegas, Lexington, Lima, Lincoln, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Louisville, Lubbock, Madison, Mankato, Marquette, Medford, Memphis, Meridian, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Minot, Missoula, Mobile, Monroe, Monterey, Montgomery, Nashville, New Orleans, North Platte, Odessa, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ottumwa, Paducah, Palm Springs, Panama City, Parkersburg, Peoria, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Portland, Presque Isle, Providence, Quincy, Rapid City, Reno, Rochester, Rochester, Rockford, Sacramento, Salisbury, Salt Lake City, San Angelo, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Seattle, Sherman, Shreveport, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Spokane, Springfield, Springfield, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis, Tallahassee, Tampa, Toledo, Topeka, Traverse City, Tri-Cities, Tucson, Tulsa, Twin Falls, Tyler, Victoria, Waco, Wausau, West Palm Beach, Wheeling, Wichita, Wichita Falls, Wilkes-Barre, Yakima, Youngstown, Yuma

Oakland Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers—4:05 p.m., CBS

Greg Gumbel, Trent Green

17% of U.S./20 markets

Atlanta, Bakersfield, Baton Rouge, Charlotte, Chico, Eureka, Fresno, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Monterey, Nashville, New Orleans, Palm Springs, Reno, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Maria, Yuma

Detroit Lions @ Denver Broncos—4:05 p.m., CBS

Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon

6% of U.S./21 markets

Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Grand Junction, Montrose, Alpena, Cadillac, Detroit, Escanaba, Flint, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Sault Saint Marie, Scottsbluff/Gering, Albuquerque, Roswell, Rapid City, Casper, Cheyenne, Lander, Rock Springs

Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks—4:25 p.m., FOX

Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston

11% of U.S./27 markets

Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Chico, Eureka, Fresno, Monterey, Sacramento, San Francisco, Boise, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula, Reno, Bend, Eugene, Medford, Portland, Seattle, Spokane, Yakima

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles—4:25 p.m., FOX

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

88% of U.S./185 markets – MOST EXPOSURE OF THE DAY

Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Colorado Springs, Denver, Grand Junction, Hartford, Washington, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Panama City, Tallahassee, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah, Honolulu, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Ottumwa, Sioux City, Champaign, Chicago, Peoria, Quincy, Rockford, Springfield, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Lafayette, South Bend, Terre Haute, Topeka, Wichita, Bowling Green, Lexington, Louisville, Paducah, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans, Shreveport, Boston, Springfield, Baltimore, Salisbury, Bangor, Portland, Presque Isle, Alpena, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Marquette, Traverse City, Duluth, Mankato, Minneapolis, Rochester, Columbia, Joplin, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis, Biloxi, Columbus, Greenwood, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian, Billings, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington, Fargo, Minot, Lincoln, North Platte, Omaha, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Elmira, New York, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Watertown, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lima, Toledo, Youngstown, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Erie, Harrisburg, Johnstown, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre, Providence, Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Chattanooga, Jackson, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, Tri-Cities, Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Harlingen, Houston, Laredo, Lubbock, Odessa, San Angelo, San Antonio, Sherman, Tyler, Victoria, Waco, Wichita Falls, Salt Lake City, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Norfolk, Richmond, Roanoke, Burlington, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Wausau, Bluefield, Charleston, Clarksburg, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Casper, Cheyenne, Guam, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Chico, Eureka, Fresno, Monterey, Sacramento, San Francisco, Boise, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula, Reno, Bend, Eugene, Medford, Portland, Seattle, Spokane, Yakima

Kansas City Chiefs @ Chicago Bears—8:20 p.m., NBC

Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth

100% of country

Monday, December 23

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings—8:15 p.m., ESPN

Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland

ESPN is in approximately 84 million homes across the country

**

Jim Nantz has the call for the marquee early afternoon matchup between the Ravens and the Browns (59% of country/173 markets).

Calling the game with Jim is his usual partner, longtime Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who has emerged as the most highly-regarded analyst in the NFL. The two are in their third season together.

Nantz, 60, has been the face of CBS Sports for three decades. Jim emerged as such once Brent Musburger was let go on the eve of the 1990 NCAA title game.

A golfer at the University of Houston, he started his sportscasting career at the CBS affiliate in Houston after graduation, then moved to Salt Lake City to become the weekend sports anchor for their CBS affiliate. During his time in Utah, he also served as BYU football’s play-by-play announcer and the color commentator for the Jazz.

CBS brought Nantz in on a full-time basis in 1985 as a host and reporter for its golf and college sports coverage. He would get play-by-play reps in football, basketball, and golf in the years that followed. By 1989, he was the Eye Network’s lead golf voice, and continues to call the Masters and PGA Championship every year. CBS tabbed him as the lead voice of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 1991, and the upcoming Final Four will be his 30th straight.

Nantz called his first NFL games for CBS in the 1988 season, and worked his first playoff game in 1994 before the network lost its NFC package to Fox. When CBS secured the AFC rights in 1998, Jim was named the host of The NFL Today, a role he served in for six seasons before switching places with Greg Gumbel and becoming the lead play-by-play announcer.

He called four Super Bowls alongside Phil Simms, and in 2021 will call his second with Romo. (Jake Baskin)