It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Don’t tell that to people in the television business as they try and sort out what programming is going to be on what channel. While we’re used to waiting all day on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, the Denver Broncos will be hosting the New England Patriots on a different channel tonight, and it’s due to an old tradition.
Why Isn’t the NFL Game on NBC Tonight?
Sunday nights during the fall are typically reserved for a nightcap of NFL action on NBC. However, with it being Christmas Eve, there is a bit of a change in the scheduling this year.
NBC traditionally airs the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” in their prime-time slot on Christmas Eve. As a result, the Patriots and Broncos game will shift to NFL Network for this year.
As bizarre as that seems, it actually isn’t all that uncommon. In fact, this same situation arose last year as well.
MORE: Patriots vs. Broncos Predictions and Expert Picks
The NFL put its typical Sunday slate of games on Christmas Eve, only for the prime-time matchup of the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers to air on NFL Network.
This time of year the NFL does a great job of scheduling unique games in unconventional settings. With the addition of Saturday games and Monday night doubleheaders, the home stretch of the NFL season always seems to bring a bit of a change up this time of year.
So unless you’re really in the holiday spirit and would rather watch a Christmas movie classic instead of two AFC teams duking it out on prime time, we suggest you make sure you remind yourself of the change in programming.
What Channel Is Patriots vs. Broncos on Tonight?
- TV channel: NFL Network
- Live stream: NFL+, FuboTV
- TV channel (Boston): WCVB (ABC Channel 5)
- TV channel (Denver): KMGH (ABC Channel 7)
Sunday night’s game between New England and Denver will be exclusively broadcast on NFL Network rather than the usual NBC location.
On the call will be Rich Eisen doing the play-by-play and Kurt Warner as the color analyst. James Palmer and Sherree Burruss will provide updates on the action from the sidelines all night long as well.
Locally, the game will also be broadcast on local affiliates in the Boston and Denver markets. Viewers in the Boston area can watch on WCVB (Channel 5) while fans in Denver can watch on KMGH (Channel 7).
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