When the Chicago Bears are good, it’s good for the NFL. In this case, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” production.
Look no further than the fact that three Bears players are featured as part of the “Sunday Night Football” open (Khalil Mack, Mitchell Trubisky and Kyle Fuller), and the NBC crew will call three Bears games this season, including the season opener.
With the Bears coming off a 12-4 record and a division championship, expectations are rightfully high for a group loaded with talent. Which means people want to see more of the Bears, as evidenced by the five prime-time games, a trip to London and a Thanksgiving rematch against the Lions.
“It’s great because the Bears are an iconic franchise,” said play-by-play voice Al Michaels, who referred to Chicago as ratings gold. “When they hit the skids, that was not helpful. … It’s always good to have Chicago doing well.”
The Bears are celebrating their centennial, along with the NFL, which made Bears-Packers a must-watch for the Thursday night opener. Typically, the defending Super Bowl champions get a slot in that game. But the history surrounding the NFL and the Bears-Packers rivalry was too good to pass up. It also helps that the Bears are good.
“The NFL is as invested as NBC is in having marquee matchups on ‘Sunday Night Football,’” said SNF executive producer Fred Gaudelli, via the Chicago Tribune. “Not only were the Bears good last year, they were pretty exciting. They definitely have an innovative young coach. They have a young team. They have a great defense and they have games that sound like big games.”
The Bears will also get the NBC crew for Week 11 against the Rams and Week 16 against the Chiefs. But NBC would’ve taken more if allowed, Gaudelli said, including intriguing games against the Vikings and Saints.
“There were probably six games we would’ve been happy with,” Gaudelli said. “The Bears have games that sound like big games. The Bears and the Packers always sounds like a big game.
“We were intrigued by a Matt Nagy and Andy Reid matchup. The Ram game last year, they were the first team that really shut down that Ram offense. You’re talking about two of the top three television markets in America. With the Bears, you have a lot of choices.”
Everyone wants a piece of the Bears, as evidenced by the fact that they don’t have a noon kickoff until Week 5 against the Raiders.
