NFL
Why is there no Thursday Night Football tonight in the NFL playoffs?
Only 13 games, including Super Bowl LIX, remain in the NFL season, with the Wild Card round getting underway on Saturday, January 11.
Thursday nights won’t be the same again for the foreseeable future, with Thursday Night Football, a staple of the NFL regular season, taking a lengthy break now that the playoffs are upon us.
Will there be any Thursday Night Football games in the NFL playoffs in 2025?
Of the 13 games on the postseason schedule, none are slated to take place on a Thursday.
In the upcoming Wild Card round, two games (Steelers vs Ravens, Chargers vs Texans) will take place on Saturday, January 11, with three following on Sunday, January 12 (Broncos vs Bills, Commanders vs Buccaneers, Packers vs Eagles). The opening round of the playoffs will conclude on Monday, January 13, when the Vikings take on the Rams.
The Divisional round, which will see the Chiefs and the Lions enter the fray, will take place on Saturday, January 18 and Sunday, January 19, with the Championship games (January 26) and the Super Bowl (February 9) all to be played on a Sunday.
The main reason for there not being a Thursday night game during the playoffs is to avoid teams having shorter or longer weeks than their potential opponents, depending on the round in question.
Additionally, Prime Video, the exclusive broadcaster of Thursday Night Football at present, only has a contract through to Week 17. There are no Thursday games in Week 18 due to lessen the chance of teams of knowing in advance what exactly it is they need to do to clinch the playoffs/their division (although that does still happen).
When will the next NFL Thursday Night Football game take place?
The bad news for NFL fans is that there won’t be any Thursday Night Football until the start of the 2025 regular season, which begins on September 4, 2025, which is a Thursday.
If you’ve been in the habit of watching TNF on Prime Video, the TNF crew of Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung will be covering the Ravens vs Steelers Wild Card game on Prime Video on Saturday, January 11.
The good news for football fans is that this Thursday you can instead watch the Orange Bowl, which sees Penn State take on Norte Dame, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.