Over the past few of weeks of the NFL regular season, fans have become accustomed to NFL Saturday football games and are now wondering if we will be graced with football today. Are there any Saturday football games today or do we need to wait for the playoffs to get football all weekend long?
Are there Saturday NFL games today?
The tradition of Saturday NFL games dates back to 1970, with only 2013 lacking such games in December. However, Week 15’s doubleheader between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos followed by the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers was the start of Saturday games for the 2020 regular NFL season.
During Week 15’s Saturday NFL games, we got to see the start of Josh Allen’s ascension into a legitimate MVP candidate. Buffalo went on to beat the Broncos 48-19. We also got to see fellow MVP frontrunner Aaron Rodgers dictate the Packers game against a beat-up Carolina Panthers team.
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The following week, we were graced with three football games played on Saturday. The tripleheader started with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers completely dismantling the Detroit Lions. Then, the Arizona Cardinals were upset by the San Francisco 49ers. The night game was an instant classic with the Miami Dolphins getting the last-minute win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Why isn’t there a game in Week 17?
With this being Week 17, the 2020 NFL playoffs begin next weekend with the wild card games starting on Saturday. With a number of games having no impact on the playoffs or seeding, all 16 games will be played Sunday. This means that in Week 17, we do not have Saturday NFL games today, nor do we have Thursday Night Football or Monday Night Football.
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However, even though we don’t get any Saturday football, there are still games with huge playoff implications being played Sunday. The NFC East continues to be up for grabs with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Washington Football Team all vying for the top spot.
The top seed in the NFC is also up for grabs, with the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Packers needing wins to try and get the first-round bye. In the AFC, there are five teams with 10-5 records trying to confirm a spot in the 2020 NFL playoffs. The Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns are all still fighting for their playoff lives.
Saturday NFL Games
- Saturday, December 19th – Bills at Broncos | Final Score: Bills 48, Broncos 19
- Saturday, December 19th – Panthers at Packers | Final Score: Packers 24, Panthers 16
- Saturday, December 26th – Buccaneers at Lions | Final Score: Buccaneers 47, Lions 7
- Saturday, December 26th – 49ers at Cardinals | Final Score: 49ers 20, Cardinals 12
- Saturday, December 26th – Dolphins at Raiders | Final Score: Dolphins 26, Raiders 25
NFL Sunday Schedule for Week 17
The slate for action on Sunday begins at 1 PM Eastern with seven of the league’s 16 total games taking place before eight teams kick off in the 4:25 PM Eastern slot. Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles will officially wrap up the 2020 NFL regular season playing on Sunday Night Football. Since no teams have a bye week and there are no additional primetime games, this is the busiest Sunday for the league all season.
- Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions | 1 PM ET
- Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 PM ET
- New York Jets at New England Patriots | 1 PM ET
- Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills | 1 PM ET
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns | 1 PM ET
- Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants | 1 PM ET
- Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals | 1 PM ET
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts | 4:25 PM ET
- Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans | 4:25 PM ET
- Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams | 4:25 PM ET
- New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers | 4:25 PM ET
- Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears | 4:25 PM ET
- Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs | 4:25 PM ET
- Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers | 4:25 PM ET
- Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos | 4:25 PM ET
- Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles | 8:20 PM ET
Week 17 NFL Power Rankings & Week 16 NFL Recap
With no Saturday Night Football game tonight, make sure to check out some of our other NFL articles. Senior NFL Analyst Matt Williamson (former NFL Scout and ESPN Analyst) released his NFL Power Rankings Week 17 following Sunday’s action. Are the Kansas City Chiefs still the top team in the NFL? Or could strong showings by the Green Bay Packers knock them off the mantle? Have the Dallas Cowboys done enough to climb back into the top 10?
We also have Mike Tanier’s weekly NFL Recap breaking down trending topics from Week 16’s action-packed slate. Tanier dives head-first into the highlights from Week 16’s ups and downs. Tanier breaks down why the Chiefs have some chinks in their armor while also looking at what some of the bottom feeders in the NFC should look at doing during the offseason. He finishes up with his weekly segment on Sunday’s stud ‘n’ duds.