CBS, NFL Network “Run This Town” for Thursday Night Football Open

CBS Sports and NFL Network will open each game of Thursday Night Football in 2014 with Jay-Z’s Grammy Award-winning song, “Run This Town” featuring Rihanna. The Thursday Night Football open will be accompanied by the narration of Academy Award-nominated actor Don Cheadle.  Cheadle’s narration sets the scene to kick off the NFL week on Thursday nights, highlighting the division rivalry games.

The 16-game Thursday Night Football schedule kicks off on September 11 with the Steelers vs. Ravens from Baltimore and ends with a Week 16 Saturday doubleheader on December 20.

Thursday Night Football will feature a customized open each week highlighting the teams and storylines.  Featuring Cheadle’s narration with music sung by Rihanna, the open matches the size and drama of each Thursdaynight game.  This open, which was filmed in an airplane hangar, was produced and directed by 28-time Emmy Award-winning producer Pete Radovich, who serves as CBS Sports’ creative director.

“This open combines one of music’s biggest stars with one of the most dynamic actors in Hollywood,” said Radovich.  “The energy that both talents provide gives the opening to every Thursday night the big-game, primetime feel it deserves.  It is a dream scenario for any director.”

Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Don Cheadle currently stars as ‘Marty Kaan’ on the critically acclaimed Showtime series House of Lies for which he won a Golden Globe Award. Most recently Cheadle starred in and directed the independent film Miles Ahead based on the life of legendary jazz artist, Miles Davis, along with Ewan McGregor. He also reprised his role of Colonel James Rhodes in Avengers: Age of Ultron. His credits includedHamburger Hill, Colors, Devil in A Blue Dress, Rosewood, Boogie Nights, Bulworth, Out Of Sight, Mission To Mars,The Family Man, Traffic, Things Behind The Sun, Swordfish, Ocean’s Eleven, Manic, Ocean’s Twelve, Hotel Rwanda, Crash, Reign Over Me, Ocean’s Thirteen, Talk To Me, Traitor, Iron Man 2, The Guard, Flight and Iron Man 3.

The Thursday Night Football schedule on CBS, also simulcast on NFL Network includes:

Sept. 11 (Week 2):  Steelers at Ravens           Oct. 9 (Week 6):         Colts at Texans
Sept. 18 (Week 3):  Buccaneers at Falcons    Oct. 16 (Week 7):       Jets at Patriots
Sept. 25 (Week 4):  Giants at Redskins          Oct. 23 (Week 8):       Chargers at Broncos
Oct. 2 (Week 5):     Vikings at Packers           Dec. 20 (Week 16):     Chargers at 49ers/Eagles at Redskins*

The Thursday Night Football schedule on NFL Network includes:

Oct. 30 (Week 9):   Saints at Panthers            Dec. 4 (Week 14):       Cowboys at Bears
Nov. 6 (Week 10):    Browns at Bengals        Dec. 11 (Week 15):     Cardinals at Rams
Nov. 13 (Week 11):  Bills at Dolphins            Dec. 18 (Week 16):     Titans at Jaguars
Nov. 20 (Week 12):  Chiefs at Raiders           Dec. 20 (Week 16):     Chargers at 49ers/Eagles at Redskins*

To view the entire 2014 NFL schedule, visit NFL.com and CBSSports.com

The pregame show for Thursday Night Football begins each week at 6:00 PM, ET on NFL Network live from outside the stadium on NFL Total Access Kickoff.  At 7:30 PM, ET, NFL Thursday Night Kickoff is live from inside the stadium taking viewers up to kickoff.  The show will air on CBS and be simulcast on NFL Network during Weeks 2-8 and air exclusively on NFL Network during Weeks 9-12 and 14-16.

The full slate of 16 regular-season Thursday Night Football games will be produced by CBS with its broadcasters and production team, including Jim Nantz and Phil Simms along with Tracy Wolfson reporting. They also will announce select games on Sundays on CBS.

*The kickoff times for each of the Saturday games – Philadelphia at Washington and San Diego at San Francisco – will be determined at a later date.