As the NFL schedule turns the page to the Divisional Round, fresh off a great weekend of action, many fans eagerly await the next round of action. As we have all become used to Thursday Night Football, some may wonder if there is a game tonight.
Let’s dive deeper into Thursday Night Football, the Divisional Round schedule, and prepare for another exciting slate of NFL action.
Is Thursday Night Football on Tonight?
The short answer to this question is no, there are no NFL games tonight.
The NFL’s Thursday games ended in Week 17 and are not something that carries over into the playoffs. Thursday Night Football will not return to the airwaves until Week 2 of next season.
MORE: Divisional Round NFL QB Power Rankings
The reason for this absence during the playoffs is all due to competitive disadvantages. Teams would have to play that matchup on short rest, not allowing either squad the proper time to prepare for a playoff matchup. Conversely, the team that advances in that scenario would have multiple days of rest that their future opponent wouldn’t.
However, the league justified the addition of a Monday Night Football game to the Wild Card round as it is a mere one-day difference.
NFL Divisional Round Schedule
After a thrilling weekend of action that saw home teams dominate and a seven-seed send a franchise’s fan base into a spiral, we’re locked and loaded for another fun weekend of action. Two games will be played on Saturday, with the remaining two on Sunday.
Saturday, Jan. 20
- Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens
4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
- Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers
8:15 p.m. ET, FOX
Sunday, Jan. 21
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
3 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
- Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills
6:30 p.m., CBS/Paramount+
The weekend kicks off with a great matchup between rookie phenom C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans taking on potential MVP winner Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Saturday night is capped off by a surprising Green Bay Packers team taking their youth out west to take on the well-rested San Francisco 49ers.
Sunday starts with a matchup between two gritty teams, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Detroit to battle against the Lions — who are looking for their second playoff win in as many weeks as the last 32 years.
The grand finale of the weekend features two AFC opponents that have met in the playoffs before and left the football world in awe. The Kansas City Chiefs will look to add another chapter to the saga when they travel to take on the Buffalo Bills.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!