The mighty voice of Carrie Underwood has preceded the kickoff of NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast for the past five seasons. This year, a new song called "Game On" replaces past opening themes "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night" and "Oh, Sunday Night," a retooled version of the Miranda Lambert duet "Somethin' Bad."
According to an NBC Sports press release, the opening montage features 10 NFL stars with a combined 19 Pro Bowl selections and multiple first round draft picks. Only three--Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson--appeared in a previous music video with Underwood. The new crew includes four members of the Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles--quarterback Carson Wentz, offensive tackle Lane Johnson, tight end Zach Ertz and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox--plus Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff, the Minnesota Vikings' new starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley.
Read More: Watch Carrie Underwood Perform 'Cry Pretty' at the Grand Ole Opry
Sunday Night Football begins with a special Thurs., Sept. 6 NFL kickoff special that pits the Eagles against the visiting Atlanta Falcons. The SNF schedule gets on track three days later when the Chicago Bears visit the Green Bay Packers. As it stands now, there's no trips to Nashville for the NBC crew or chances to see the Titans play on the road in prime time. Yet if the Titans get hot as the season progresses or play in a game with playoff consequences, the league does have the option to reshuffle its television schedule for weeks 5-17 to ensure meaningful prime time match-ups.
Per NBC, the show has been a prime time ratings success for the past seven football seasons. That makes Underwood and her Sunday Night Football theme song predecessor Faith Hill among the most visible singers in both Nashville and popular music at large. Hopefully, some extra national exposure helps Underwood's latest album Cry Pretty when it hits shelves on Sept. 14.
