Saints-Falcons Thursday at 8:25 PM ET on NBC, NFL Network & Amazon Prime Video
‘TNF GameDay’ Airs Live at 6:00 PM ET
‘The Timeline: 91 Falcons’ Premieres Thursday Following Saints-Falcons
The 2017 Thursday Night Football Presented by Bud Light season continues Thursday, December 7when quarterback Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons host quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in a crucial NFC South matchup with playoff implications at 8:25 PM ET on NBC, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video.
Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, along with Heather Cox call the action from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
At 6:00 PM ET on NFL Network, TNF GameDay previews the Saints-Falcons matchup from outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with host Chris Rose and analysts Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin and Steve Smith Sr.
Featured this week on TNF GameDay is former Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner Jason Taylor visiting with New Orleans Saints nominee Cameron Jordan to discuss his work in the New Orleans community stressing literacy and exercise with the city’s youth.
At 7:30 PM ET on NBC, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video, Football Night in Atlanta airs from inside Mercedes-Benz with host Liam McHugh and analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison providing the final say leading up to kick-off between Saints-Falcons.
At halftime, McHugh, Dungy and Harrison break down the first half. Immediately following the game, the postgame show airs live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium on NBC, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video with Rose, Faulk, Irvin and Smith Sr. providing highlights, analysis and live interviews.
Additional postgame coverage continues at 12 Midnight ET from Los Angeles with Dan Hellie, Willie McGinest, David Carr and DeMarcus Ware on NFL Total Access: Endgame.
TERRIFIC TURNAROUND: The PHILADELPHIA EAGLES lead the NFC East and are tied for the best record in the NFL at 10-2. The Eagles, who finished in last place in the division with a 7-9 record in 2016, can clinch the NFC East on Sunday with a win at the Los Angeles Rams or a loss by Dallas.
It would mark the 14th season in the past 15 years that at least one team won its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place. In fact, of the 44 teams in league history to go from “worst-to-first,” 21 of them have done so in the past 14 years (2003-16), including an NFL-record three such teams in 2005 and 2006.
The teams to go from “worst-to-first” in their division since 2003:
| SEASON | TEAM | RECORD | PRIOR SEASON RECORD |
| 2003 | Carolina | 11-5 | 7-9 |
| 2003 | Kansas City | 13-3 | 8-8** |
| 2004 | Atlanta | 11-5 | 5-11 |
| 2004 | San Diego | 12-4 | 4-12** |
| 2005 | Chicago | 11-5 | 5-11 |
| 2005 | New York Giants | 11-5 | 6-10** |
| 2005 | Tampa Bay | 11-5 | 5-11 |
| 2006 | Baltimore | 13-3 | 6-10** |
| 2006 | New Orleans | 10-6 | 3-13 |
| 2006 | Philadelphia | 10-6 | 6-10 |
| 2007 | Tampa Bay | 9-7 | 4-12 |
| 2008 | Miami | 11-5 | 1-15 |
| 2009 | New Orleans*** | 13-3 | 8-8 |
| 2010 | Kansas City | 10-6 | 4-12 |
| 2011 | Denver | 8-8 | 4-12 |
| 2011 | Houston | 10-6 | 6-10** |
| 2012 | Washington | 10-6 | 5-11 |
| 2013 | Carolina | 12-4 | 7-9** |
| 2013 | Philadelphia | 10-6 | 4-12 |
| 2015 | Washington | 9-7 | 4-12 |
| 2016 | Dallas | 13-3 | 4-12 |
| 2017 | Philadelphia | 10-2* | 7-9 |
| * Through Week 13 | |||
| ** Tied for last place
*** Won Super Bowl |
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— NFL —
THE CLIMB CONTINUES: Arizona wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD has 15,267 receiving yards in his 14-year career.
With 26 receiving yards on Sunday against Tennessee, Fitzgerald will surpass RANDY MOSS (15,292) for the third-most receiving yards in NFL history.
The players with the most receiving yards in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | CAREER RECEIVING YARDS | |
| Jerry Rice^ | San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle | 22,895 | |
| Terrell Owens | San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, Buffalo, Cincinnati | 15,934 | |
| Randy Moss | Minnesota, Oakland, New England, Tennessee, San Francisco | 15,292 | |
| Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona | 15,267* | |
| *Active | |||
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | |||
— NFL –
CENTENNIAL BROWN: Pittsburgh wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN leads the NFL with 88 receptions this season.
Brown, who plays against Baltimore on Sunday night, can become the first player in NFL history with at least 100 catches in five consecutive seasons. Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (1999-2002) is the only other player to accomplish the feat in four consecutive seasons.
The players with the most consecutive 100-catch seasons in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASONS | MOST CONSECUTIVE 100-CATCH SEASONS |
| Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh | 2013-16 | 4* |
| Marvin Harrison^ | Indianapolis | 1999-2002 | 4 |
| *Has 88 catches through Week 13
^Pro Football Hall of Famer |
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— NFL —
SIXTH & SEVENTH SEASON SUCCESSES: Indianapolis wide receiver T.Y. HILTON has 791 receiving yards and four touchdown catches this season.
Hilton, who plays at Buffalo on Sunday, can join GARY CLARK (1985-92) and RANDY MOSS (1998-2003) as the only players in NFL history to have at least 850 receiving yards and five touchdown catches in each of their first six seasons to start a career.
The players with the most consecutive seasons with at least 850 receiving yards and five touchdown catches to begin their career:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASONS | CONSEC. SEASONS WITH 850+ REC. YARDS & 5+ TDS TO BEGIN CAREER |
| Gary Clark | Washington | 1985-92 | 8 |
| Randy Moss | Minnesota | 1998-2003 | 6 |
| T.Y. Hilton | Indianapolis | 2012-16 | 5* |
| *Has 791 rec. yards and four TDs in sixth season | |||
Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. GREEN ties for fifth in the AFC with 886 receiving yards. Green, who plays against Chicago on Sunday, can become the first player in NFL history with at least 950 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons. Green and RANDY MOSS are the only players to accomplish the feat in each of their first six NFL seasons.
The players with the most consecutive seasons with at least 950 receiving yards to begin their career:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASONS | CONSEC. SEASONS WITH 950+ REC. YARDS TO BEGIN CAREER |
| A.J. Green | Cincinnati | 2011-16 | 6* |
| Randy Moss | Minnesota | 1998-2003 | 6 |
| *Has 886 rec. yards in seventh season | |||
— NFL —
ALL-PURPOSE ALL-STARS: Pittsburgh running back LE’VEON BELL (1,559 scrimmage yards) and Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY (1,502) rank first and second in the NFL in scrimmage yards.
Bell (1,057 rushing yards and 502 receiving yards) and Gurley (939 and 563) can become the seventh and eighth players in NFL history with at least 1,100 rushing yards and 600 receiving yards in their team’s first 13 games of a season. They would become the first pair of players to accomplish the feat in the same season.
Bell can join Pro Football Hall of Famer MARSHALL FAULK (1998 and 1999) as the only players to accomplish the feat twice. In 2014, Bell had 1,231 rushing yards and 693 receiving yards in the Steelers’ first 13 games of the season.
The players with 1,100+ rushing yards and 600+ receiving yards in their team’s first 13 games to start a season in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | RUSH YARDS | REC. YARDS |
| Marshall Faulk^ | Indianapolis | 1998 | 1,113 | 823 |
| Marshall Faulk^ | St. Louis | 1999 | 1,180 | 720 |
| Priest Holmes | Kansas City | 2002 | 1,454 | 650 |
| Steven Jackson | St. Louis | 2006 | 1,109 | 680 |
| Brian Westbrook | Philadelphia | 2007 | 1,110 | 642 |
| Le’Veon Bell | Pittsburgh | 2014 | 1,231 | 693 |
| Le’Veon Bell* | Pittsburgh | 2017 | 1,057 | 502 |
| Todd Gurley* | LA Rams | 2017 | 939 | 563 |
| *Through 12 games
^Pro Football Hall of Famer |
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— NFL —
ELITE COMPANY: Since the start of November, New Orleans rookie running back ALVIN KAMARA leads the NFL with 720 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns. Kamara has eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards and scored at least one touchdown in each of his past five games.
On Thursday Night Football at Atlanta, Kamara can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer FRANCO HARRIS (six in 1972) for the second-longest streak of consecutive games with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown by a rookie. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer ERIC DICKERSON (10 in 1983) had a longer streak as a rookie.
The rookies with at least six consecutive games with 100+ scrimmage yards and a touchdown in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | ROOKIES WITH 100+ SCRIMMAGE YARDS & TD IN 6 CONSEC. GAMES |
| Eric Dickerson^ | LA Rams | 1983 | 10 |
| Franco Harris^ | Pittsburgh | 1972 | 6 |
| Alvin Kamara | New Orleans | 2017 | 5* |
| *Active streak
^Pro Football Hall of Famer |
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