Who Plays Thursday Night Football? Full Schedule & How to Watch

Anyone who has checked the calendar on a Thursday and wondered which NFL teams are playing that night has probably ended up here. Thursday Night Football has become a weekly fixture for football fans, but keeping track of the schedule, the broadcast platform, and the kickoff time can be confusing.

First season: 2006 ·
Current primary broadcaster: Amazon Prime Video ·
Thursday games per year (2026): 18 (16 on Prime Video) ·
Typical kickoff time: 8:15 PM ET

A few key facts set the stage for understanding how Thursday Night Football’s broadcast rights have shifted from cable to streaming.

What NFL teams are playing Thursday Night Football on Prime?

The 2026 Thursday Night Football slate on Prime Video features 16 regular-season games, beginning in Week 2 with the Detroit Lions visiting the Buffalo Bills on September 17 at 8:15 PM ET (Amazon schedule announcement). The full schedule is available on NFL.com’s official schedule page. Note that Week 1 (September 10) features the San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, which streams exclusively on Netflix and is not part of Amazon’s TNF package (FBSchedules).

For the most up-to-date weekly matchups, check NFL.com or Prime Video’s schedule page. The schedule is announced each spring and includes all 32 teams across the season.

The pattern: Prime Video has become the destination for Thursday night football, but not every Thursday game falls under its umbrella — the Netflix Australia game is a notable exception.

Where can I watch NFL Thursday Night Football?

Prime Video

• Primary home for TNF since 2022. Stream on smart TVs, gaming consoles, phones, and tablets. Requires a Prime subscription ($14.99/month) (Amazon).
• Pregame coverage starts at 7:00 PM ET, kickoff at 8:15 PM ET (Amazon).
• Also available in Spanish on Prime Video (Amazon).

NFL Network

• Simulcasts select Thursday games. Available on cable and satellite. Also streams via NFL+ (Sports Media Watch).

Over-the-air broadcasts

• Games are broadcast on local TV stations in the home markets of the competing teams (Amazon).
• Check local listings for availability.

What this means: Viewers have multiple options depending on their location and subscription. The widest access comes from Prime Video, but cord-cutters can still watch via NFL+ or local over-the-air signals.

Will Thursday Night Football be on regular TV?

Most Thursday Night Football games are exclusive to Prime Video and not available on traditional broadcast networks like CBS, NBC, or Fox. However, select games may be simulcast on NFL Network, and local affiliates in the teams’ home markets will broadcast the game over the air (Amazon). No over-the-air network currently carries the full TNF package. The Super Bowl, which is broadcast on a traditional network, is not part of TNF. According to Yahoo Sports, a 2025 Thursday Night Football game aired exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, reinforcing the shift away from broadcast TV.

The catch: If you don’t have a Prime subscription and you’re not in a home market, you’ll need NFL Network (cable/satellite) or NFL+ (streaming) to watch. For most viewers, Thursday night means Prime Video.

Who plays Thursday Night Football in week 12?

The specific Week 12 Thursday Night Football matchup for 2026 has not yet been released. The NFL typically announces the full schedule in the spring. For the most recent completed season (2025), the Week 12 game featured the Green Bay Packers at the Detroit Lions (check NFL.com’s 2025 schedule for details).

The implication: for fans looking to plan ahead, the spring schedule release is the key date to mark on your calendar.

What time is Thursday Night Football?

The typical kickoff time for Thursday Night Football is 8:15 PM Eastern Time (5:15 PM Pacific) (Amazon). Exceptions include early international games — for example, the Week 1 2026 game in Australia kicks off at 8:35 PM ET but is not part of the TNF package (FBSchedules). Pregame coverage on Prime Video begins at 7:00 PM ET.

The trade-off: The consistent 8:15 PM ET slot makes TNF predictable for viewers, but international games can shift the timing.

Timeline: Thursday Night Football history

• 2006 – TNF debuts on NFL Network (NFL.com)
• 2014 – TNF moves to CBS and NFL Network for simultaneous broadcast
• 2016 – NBC joins the TNF rotation
• 2022 – Amazon Prime Video becomes exclusive broadcaster (Amazon press release)
• 2026 – Current season with Amazon Prime Video as primary carrier; 16 games on Prime Video

What’s confirmed and what’s unclear

Confirmed facts

• Amazon Prime Video is the primary TNF broadcaster for the 2026 season (NFL.com)
• Kickoff time is 8:15 PM ET for most games (Amazon)
• NFL Network simulcasts select games (Sports Media Watch)

What’s unclear

• Specific Week 12 matchup for future seasons until schedule is released
• Whether future TNF rights will remain exclusively with Amazon beyond 2033
• Exact number of Thursday games in 2027 and beyond has not been announced

Key quotes on Thursday Night Football

Thursday Night Football pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET each Thursday.

Amazon’s official announcement on About Amazon

Users can connect a TV or streaming provider to watch TNF live on NFL.com and NFL mobile/Connected TV apps.

NFL.com support section

Summary

Thursday Night Football has transitioned from a cable staple to a streaming powerhouse, with Amazon Prime Video now holding the keys to most games. For the average viewer, the choice is straightforward: subscribe to Prime Video (or use a friend’s account) for the widest access, or rely on NFL Network and local over-the-air broadcasts if you’re in a home market. Those without a Prime subscription can still catch select games via NFL+ or Twitch, but the main event requires a digital subscription. For fans in the U.S., the implication is clear: Thursday night now begins with a Prime login, not a remote control.

Frequently asked questions

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