“Thursday Night Football” has become an NFL staple in recent years. It began during the 2006 season late in the year. In 2012, “Thursday Night Football” started on the second week of the regular season and concluded in Week 17. Amazon acquired the exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” in 2021, and it has those rights again for 2026.
Whether you like it or not, these standalone games are becoming more common in the NFL. While the league gets to play on a day other than Sunday and Monday consistently, there isn’t a player out there who looks forward to less practice and less rest on a short week! In past seasons, Thursday night has acquired a reputation for having sloppy games that feature bad teams, but that’s no longer the case. NFL schedule makers absolutely crushed this year’s slate.
Here’s a rundown of every Thursday night game for the 2026 season. Each contest will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET:
If you’re curious about that Week 12 Thanksgiving slate, it will be the Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles at the Dallas Cowboys, and then an epic nightcap featuring the Buffalo Bills at the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now that we have our full “Thursday Night Football” schedule, let’s attempt to rank these matchups 15-1. (Note: We’re not including the special Thanksgiving games.)
15. Falcons at Packers (Week 3)
Tua Tagovailoa vs. Jordan Love. Or will it be Michael Penix Jr.? There’s a question mark over the Falcons’ quarterback position right now, but whoever is slinging the pigskin has some weaponry to utilize in Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. We’ll see what Kevin Stefanski can do.
As for the Packers, they’re looking to finish better than the NFC’s No. 7 seed this season — something they have done three straight years. Lambeau Field at night is something to behold, so this is an important early-season matchup vs. an NFC opponent for the Pack.
14. Panthers at Packers (Week 8)
This game is played on Oct. 29, so Lambeau Field will be full of Halloween costumes. That will make for a pretty sweet environment. These two teams faced off in the middle of last season, and Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald hit a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give Carolina a very gross 16-13 victory. These are two teams that made the playoffs last year, but I wouldn’t categorize them as legitimate contenders. Hopefully this game is nothing like their last meeting.
13. Steelers at Browns (Week 4)
You never know what you’re going to get when the Browns play the Steelers. Usually it’s a low-scoring affair. Not always entertaining, unless you have Jameis Winston and some snow. This is a new iteration of an old rivalry, as both teams have new head coaches — Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh and Todd Monken in Cleveland.
12. Vikings at Patriots (Week 14)
These two franchises have faced off just 14 times. In this matchup, we expect to see the fun Kyler Murray running around against Mike Vrabel’s defense. If Murray can win the quarterback battle against J.J. McCarthy and serve as an efficient point guard in Kevin O’Connell’s offense, maybe the Vikings can get back to competing in 2026.
As for the Patriots, they are looking to prove that 2025 wasn’t a fluke. After having the easiest strength of schedule since 1999 on the way to the Super Bowl, New England is expected to play the sixth-toughest schedule in the NFL this year. We’re expecting some regression, but how much? This could be an important late-season game when it comes to the playoff picture in both the AFC and NFC.
11. Commanders at Giants (Week 10)
If Jayden Daniels misses more games than he plays again this season, this game won’t be as exciting, but Daniels vs. Jaxson Dart is worth looking forward to. They still haven’t played each other, but their first meeting could come in Week 5.
The NFC East is very much up for grabs this season. The Eagles have yet another offensive coordinator to work in and are expected to trade away A.J. Brown, the Cowboys appear to have upgraded that subpar defense and John Harbaugh is now in New York. Then there’s Washington, which advanced to the NFC Championship Game in Daniels’ very first season, so we can’t count this team out.
10. Buccaneers at Cowboys (Week 5)
Baker Mayfield and Dak Prescott are two of the more recognizable quarterbacks in the sport, but did you know they have only faced off once? That matchup came back in 2020, when the Browns defeated the Cowboys, 49-38. While Cleveland put up 508 yards of total offense, Mayfield threw for just 165 of those yards! Prescott, on the other hand, threw for 502 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in the losing effort. That was a fun game. Maybe we get something similar this time around.
9. Patriots at Bears (Week 7)
This is Drake Maye vs. Caleb Williams, two of the top three picks from the 2024 NFL Draft. They actually faced off as rookies, but it was a forgettable contest. New England walked out of Chicago with a 19-3 victory, as Williams threw for just 120 yards. Yikes.
It’s fair to say we should expect a different result this time. Maye just took the Patriots to the Super Bowl, while Williams helped Chicago go 11-6 and finish in first place in the NFC North.
8. Jaguars at Ravens (Week 9)
I do believe the Jaguars have turned over a new leaf. Even without No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter, the Jags won the AFC South with a 13-4 record, and Trevor Lawrence was a surprise MVP finalist. I really like this trio of Liam Coen, Grant Udinski and Anthony Campanile. They get a chance to score a statement victory in Week 9 against Lamar Jackson and Jesse Minter in Baltimore.
Vegas is high on the Ravens this year despite the 8-9 season in 2025. They are tied with the Rams in having the highest win total in the NFL (11.5). Baltimore is actually the first team on record (1989) coming off a losing season to have the highest preseason win total.
7. Colts at Texans (Week 11)
Is Indiana Jones for real? He will have a chance to prove it against the best defense in the NFL on the road late in the season. While 2025 ended on a low note for Daniel Jones with the torn Achilles, the former No. 6 overall pick set career highs in completion percentage (68%), passing yards per game (238.5) and yards per attempt (8.1) in his 13 starts.
As for the Texans, if C.J. Stroud can get rolling again, the Texans are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. However, he just became the first player in NFL history to throw five interceptions and fumble five times in the playoffs. The AFC South could end up being the most interesting division in the NFL this year. The Colts, Jaguars and Texans all have a shot.
6. Texans at Eagles (Week 16)
The Texans are still searching for their first-ever win over the Eagles. Maybe that happens on Christmas Eve. I’m interested to see how new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion sets up this new-look offense for Jalen Hurts. Maybe there won’t be anymore A.J. Brown, but Makai Lemon should be an easy target to utilize out of the slot. Philly better hope this unit is hitting on all cylinders when DeMeco Ryans‘ defense comes rolling into town this late in the year.
5. 49ers at Chargers (Week 15)
While both franchises reside in the state of California, the Chargers and 49ers have played in the regular season just once since 2018. So Kyle Shanahan hasn’t seen Justin Herbert very often. What’s fun about this game is that Jim Harbaugh gets to host his former team. He went 44-19-1 during his four seasons as the head coach in San Francisco and took the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII.
4. Ravens at Bengals (Week 17)
This could be another AFC North classic, but what I’m focused on here is the Trey Hendrickson revenge angle. You could make the argument the Bengals held him hostage for years, not giving him the lucrative long-term extension he was after. He recorded 17 sacks in back-to-back seasons — and still couldn’t get the Bengals to commit! So he found what he was looking for from a rival, in the form of a four-year, $112 million deal.
Imagine Hendrickson chasing Joe Burrow around in the second-to-last game of the season with the playoffs on the line. Epic.
3. Seahawks at Broncos (Week 6)
A Super Bowl XLVIII rematch, and a Super Bowl LXI preview? I maintain that the Broncos would have been the Seahawks’ Super Bowl opponent this past season if Bo Nix didn’t injure his ankle in the divisional round.
While the Seahawks are the champs, the Broncos’ Super Bowl window is definitely open. They have a top three defense, plus a legitimate starting quarterback on a rookie deal. Denver did go 11-2 in one-score games this past season, but now with Jaylen Waddle in the fold, maybe the Broncos can take advantage of Seattle in Week 6.
2. Chiefs at Rams (Week 13)
This should be one of the biggest games of the year. Two Super Bowl contenders facing off late in the season, plus we have the revenge game factor. Kansas City traded star cornerback Trent McDuffie to Los Angeles, where he landed a four-year, $124 million extension. Jaylen Watson then followed McDuffie to the Rams in free agency.
Additionally, Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford have played just ONCE. Back in 2019, the Chiefs defeated Stafford’s Lions, 34-30.
1. Lions at Bills (Week 2)
Not only does the first “Thursday Night Football” game of the year feature two contenders from opposing conferences, but it’s also the first game at the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park! The emotion from Bills Mafia will be enough to lift this new building from its foundation. It should be the most expensive ticket all year for a Thursday night game.
The Lions have lost five straight against the Bills, and the last time these two teams faced off, we were treated to a ridiculous 48-42 shootout at Ford Field. Buffalo and Detroit combined for more than 1,000 yards of total offense, and Jared Goff threw for 494 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions in the loss! This could be the game of the year — and maybe even a Super Bowl preview. Who knows?
