NFL fans will have to put off soccer for a bit for the next several weeks. There was a stretch where there was a professional or college game every day, but that time is running out when Week 18 rolls around.
Week 18 will mark the first time that neither an NFL “Thursday Night Football” game nor a college football contest will air for viewers. Instead, they’ll have to wait to see some kind of action until Saturday afternoon when the Chiefs take on the Broncos.
There is always a gradual winnowing of primetime games at the end of the NFL season. The league likes to schedule most of its games, and all the subsequent games, on the last day of the season. Why? Because it creates excitement and unpredictability within the playoff landscape. That will make Sunday fun, but Thursday can be a drag for those looking forward to an exciting Thursday game at the end of the season.
Here’s everything you need to know about “TNF” in Week 18 and what you can see with the finished show for the season.
PLUS: Watch NFL Week 18 games live on fuboTV (free trial)
Is there a football game tonight?
No, there is not a “Thursday Night Football” game on Thursday, January 6th. The last game of the year on Thursday night aired on December 23, when the Titans defeated the 49ers 20-17 in a close battle.
The NFL traditionally hosts Thursday night games from weeks 1 through 16. It ignores the final two weeks of the season to avoid giving a team a rest advantage before the playoffs. It also prevents teams from falling short at halftime when entering a potentially important end-of-season game.
That said, the NFL has two Saturday prime-time games scheduled for Week 18. That will give soccer fans a couple additional options to watch indie games without “TNF” or “Monday Night Football” on. Week 18..
“Thursday Night Football” will return to action in Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season, as usual. There will be a game on Thursday night, the first game of the NFL season, in Week 1, but that has been a “Sunday Night Football” contest in the past. So technically, the show won’t return until Week 2 of the 2022 season, but there will be soccer on Thursdays starting from Week 1.
NFL Week 18 Schedule
Week 18
| Play | Start time | television channel |
| Broncos bosses | 4:30 pm ET | ESPN, ABC |
| Cowboys in eagles | 8:15 pm ET | ESPN, ABC |
| Play | Start time | television channel |
| Packers at Lions | 1 p. M. ET | Fox |
| Foals in jaguars | 1 p. M. ET | CBS |
| Washington football team at Giants | 1 p. M. ET | Fox |
| Bears in Vikings | 1 p. M. ET | Fox |
| Bengals at Browns | 1 p. M. ET | CBS |
| Titans in Texans | 1 p. M. ET | CBS |
| Steelers at Ravens | 1 p. M. ET | CBS |
| Jets on bills | 4:25 pm ET | CBS |
| 49ers at Rams | 4:25 pm ET | Fox |
| Seahawks at Cardinals | 4:25 pm ET | Fox |
| Panthers at Buccaneers | 4:25 pm ET | Fox |
| Patriots in Dolphins | 4:25 pm ET | CBS |
| Santos in Falcons | 4:25 pm ET | Fox |
| Chargers on Raiders | 8:20 pm ET | NBC |
Sports on TV today
January 6 will be the first Thursday without football since August 26, after the NFL preseason ended and just days before the college football season began. As such, soccer fans will have to settle for other sports to watch. There’s some NBA action on Thursday, with TNT airing a doubleheader between the Knicks and Celtics and Suns and Clippers, so it will likely be the biggest draw for those looking for filler programming.
Here’s a look at what you can see during the time slot that “Thursday Night Football” normally occupies.
- NBA: Knicks vs. Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and Suns vs. Clippers (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
- NHL: Bruins vs. Wild (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- NCAAM: Illinois vs. Maryland (7 PM, ESPN2) and Stanford vs. UCLA (9:30 PM ET, ESPN)
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.