NBC will be giving NFL fans a unique viewing experience for Thursday’s Titans-Steelers game. The network will use the SkyCam as the main camera angle, giving fans a Madden-like view of the game from behind the line of scrimmage.

NBC was forced to use the SkyCam exclusively during the Week 7 Patriots-Falcons broadcast when a thick fog rendered the traditional camera angle useless…

Football nerds are excited to get this view for an entire live broadcast because it will allow them to analyze aspects of the games that they normally can’t. The SkyCam angle not only gives fans a more intimate view of the trenches, it also allows viewers to see more of the field.

Here are some things to look for when watching tonight’s game…

1. What are the safeties doing before and after the snap?

Safeties are often the key to reading defenses. They’re the first players a quarterback looks for when he gets to the line of scrimmage. Are both safeties lining up deep? Look for the offense to attack the middle of the field or deep down the sidelines.

Is there only one safety back there? The offense will attack the seams of the coverage.

But safeties lie. Just because they line up in a certain spot before the snap doesn’t mean they’ll end up there after it. The SkyCam view will allow us to see how the Steelers and Titans are using their safeties to try to fool the quarterbacks. Both teams like to disguise their coverages, so it will be fun to watch the cat-and-mouse game between the Tennessee and Pittsburgh safeties and Ben Roethlisberger and Marcus Mariota.

2. The offensive line splits

Pay attention to the gaps between offensive linemen, which can be a pre-snap tell — especially in the run game. Two linemen lined closer to one another than the other linemen? Expect some sort of combination block. Is there a big gap somewhere along the line? That’s probably where the run is headed with a pulling guard or fullback leading the way through the gap.

Is the entire line packed in tight? Expect to see a zone running play.

3. Run fits

Defending the run requires a total team effort. It’s often hard to see why a defense is struggling against the run from the traditional broadcast angle, because you can’t really see which defender is filling which gap. Here’s how gaps are identified…

Defensive coaches want a man in every gap, and, from the end zone view, you can often see how the front will fill each gap before the snap.

If someone isn’t manning his gap, you’ll see it from the SkyCam view. Here’s an example from the Patriots-Falcons game. The Falcons have a player in both of these gaps…

But De’vondre Campbell (59) jumps inside, putting two defenders in one gap and no one on the outside, which allows Mike Gillislee to run for a nice gain.

Conversely, if a running back misses a hole, you’ll also be able to see it. The SkyCam will allow fans to analyze the run game like never before.

4. Read the quarterbacks eyes

That’s just a figure of speech, of course. We won’t be able to see the quarterback’s eyes from the angle we’re getting. But defensive backs can’t actually see a quarterbacks eyes, either, so we’re on a level playing field. What we can see is the direction a quarterback is looking, which gives us plenty of information, including how he’s working through his progressions…

If a quarterback is stuck on his first read for too long, we’ll know. Mariota can do this at times, so that’s one thing to look for tonight. If he’s not moving through his progressions quickly (like Matt Ryan does in the video above), the Titans passing game might be ineffective.

We’ll also know if a quarterback isn’t looking off safeties. When Roethlisberger is turning over the ball, this is usually one of the reasons why.