While football fans eagerly anticipate the big game this weekend, network managers await the inevitable onslaught of bandwidth-hogging applications and video traffic that will follow as users tap corporate networks to consume Super Bowl XLI content and highlights.

Companies will be feeling the productivity losses before the kickoff, and networks will carry peak loads Monday as the National Football League (NFL) tops employees' minds, according to a recent survey of 526 people who use computers at work. January was the NFL's peak Web traffic month last season, with about 12.7 million unique visitors to the site, Nielsen/NetRatings reported.

This year about one-third (32%) of respondents admit they plan to visit Web sites that track NFL and Super Bowl related news before the game this weekend. The poll, commissioned by St. Bernard Software, which makes Internet filtering and access devices, also found that 27% of respondents will spend up to three hours online at work planning their Super Bowl parties and related get-togethers.

Another 26% said they will watch game-related content Sunday via corporate Internet access. On Monday, 29% plan to watch, download and stream content such as instant replays, advertisements and commentary from their work PCs, according to the survey, which Zoomerang conducted.