Thursday Night Football, sometimes abbreviated to TNF, is a little slice of heaven sent down to serious football fans. Back in 2002, the NFL scheduled a Thursday night opening kick-off game after labor day leading into the full slate of games on Sunday. In 2004, the NFL began awarding the first game hosting duties to the Super Bowl winner. The unfurling of the Super Bowl banner has become a tradition in the opening ceremonies before the game.
The 2018-2019 14-game, Thursday Night Football schedule features 11 games on FOX which will be simulcast on NFL Network, and two NFL Network exclusive games. Games last about 3 hours or until the game ends.
Thursday Night Football 2018
September Games Schedule
Week 1: Sept. 6, 8:20 PM (NBC)
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles
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Week 2: Thursday, September 13 (NFL Network)
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 3: Thursday, September 20 (NFL Network)
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns
Week 4: Thursday, September 27 (FOX/NFL Network)
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams
October Games
Week 5: Thursday, October 4 (FOX/NFL Network)
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Week 6: Thursday, October 11 (FOX/NFL Network)
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Week 7: Thursday, October 18 (FOX/NFL Network)
Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals
Week 8: Thursday, October 25 (FOX/NFL Network)
Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans
Week 8: Sunday, October 28 (NFL Network)
Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
November Games
Week 9: Thursday, November 1 (FOX/NFL Network)
Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers
Week 10: Thursday, November 8 (FOX/NFL Network)
Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 11: Thursday, November 15 (FOX/NFL Network)
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
Week 13: Thursday, November 29 (FOX/NFL Network)
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys
December Games
Week 14: Thursday, December 6 (FOX/NFL Network)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
Week 15: Thursday, December 13 (FOX/NFL Network)
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 15: Saturday, December 15 (NFL Network)
Houston Texans at New York Jets
Week 15: Saturday, December 15 (NFL Network)
Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos
Week 16: Saturday, December 22 (NFL Network)
TBD
Week 16: Saturday, December 22 (NFL Network)
TBD
The Skinny on NFL Thursday Night Football
- Most of the NFL Thursday games will begin at 8:20 ET/7:20 CST.
- What station is Thursday Night Football on? The answer: Fox and the NFL Network.
- In its current format, Thursday Night Football began in 2006.
- Through the years, some fans believe that Thursday night games are of lower quality relative to Sunday and Monday night games. But, a study by Sports on Earth writer Aaron Roberts showed that the games were of comparable or better quality than non-primetime games.
- Some players have expressed concerns about playing on Thursday nights after limited rest. But, in 2015 the NFL released a health and safety report that showed that an average of 4.8 injuries occurred on Thursday games compared to 6.9 injuries on games played on Sundays and Monday.
Fun Facts about Thursday Night Football
- The teams with the best winning percentages on Thursday Night Football are the Green Bay Packers (.833), the New England Patriots (.833), Dallas Cowboys (.800), Indianapolis Colts (.778), the Kansas City Chiefs (.750) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (.727).
- The teams with the lowest winning percentages on Thursday Night Football are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (.167), the Buffalo Bills (.288) and the Minnesota Vikings (.333).
- The original NFL Network broadcast team included Bryant Gumbel as play-by-play announcer and Chris Collinsworth providing color commentary.
- With TNF moving to Fox this year, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call the games this year.
So, when someone asks, “Who plays Thursday Night Football tonight?” you’ll have your answers – just check the schedule shown above.
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