Sunday Night Football tonight features two AFC East teams fighting for the divisional crown. More so than that, one of the teams could miss the playoffs completely with a loss, adding more drama to a matchup between rivals.
As we embark on the final week of the season, every game holds more meaning, especially for teams looking to secure seeding in a tightly contested AFC playoff battle. What time does the NFL game start tonight, and how can you watch it?
Who Plays on Sunday Night Football Tonight?
- Teams: Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
- Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
The final game of the regular season gives us a matchup that features two AFC East teams set to battle for the divisional crown. The 10-6 Buffalo Bills travel to the Sunshine State to take on the 11-5 Miami Dolphins with the winner being crowned the AFC East winner.
Josh Allen and the Bills have much more on the line than just the divisional crown. A loss to Miami tonight could result in them missing the playoffs altogether.
This is a situation that the team is not unfamiliar with, and although it’s a win-or-go-home game, it’s a mindset Buffalo has been operating with for a few weeks now, according to head coach Sean McDermott.
“We’ve been in this situation for weeks, and our players, our team, are very resilient,” McDermott said Friday. “We’re led by our leaders, and those guys have done a phenomenal job leading this team, and we’ve been through a lot, even going back to last season. So you learn from those experiences, and you lean on those experiences moving forward.”
As for the Dolphins, win or lose they’ve already secured themselves a spot in the playoffs. Nevertheless, the game is still impactful for the team.
A win ensures they’re the division winners as well as the No. 2 seed in the AFC, securing at least two home playoff games if they were to advance.
MORE: AFC East Playoff Scenarios — Bills vs. Dolphins in a Winner-Takes-All
With a loss though, the Dolphins would drop down to the No. 6 seed as a Wild Card team, ensuring their playoff push would surely be all road tests. It’s a big difference in scenarios that they surely want to go their way and is something that the team is aware of going into the matchup.
“Of course, you want to win the division, and also you want to play as many games as you can in the playoffs at home, so it means a lot,” safety DeShon Elliott said. “Being able to would be big for us. Just getting that bad taste out of our mouth, it would be great for us to finish the season with a win going into the playoffs.”
What Time Is Sunday Night Football Tonight?
- Date: Jan. 7, 2024
- Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET
TV Channel and Live Stream for SNF
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: Peacock, NBCSports.com
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