The NFL coverage map is here for Week 16 games. With the Christmas holiday this weekend, 10 games will be played on Saturday, while a triple-header will take place on Christmas day. FOX gets the Christmas Eve doubleheader, and Nickelodeon makes its first appearance this season in the Christmas Day nationally televised contest between the Broncos and Rams.
NFL Coverage Map for Week 16
The folks at 506 Sports provide this week’s NFL TV and coverage map. The color codes and what games they correspond to are listed below.
Listings include FOX, CBS, NFL Network, and prime-time games on NBC and ESPN. These maps are subject to change throughout the week. For the Christmas Day slate, scroll to the bottom of the article for more information.
CBS Single-Game NFL TV Coverage Map
Red: Cincinnati Bengals @ New England Patriots
Ian Eagle and Charles Davis
The Patriots are used to making history, except they did it in a bad way last week, being the only team in NFL history to lose more than one game via laterals as time expired. Meanwhile, the Bengals had a nice comeback against the Buccaneers to catapult themselves into first place in the AFC North. As of Wednesday morning, the Bengals are 3.5 favorites on the Caesars Sportsbook.
Green: Buffalo Bills @ Chicago Bears
Greg Gumbel and Adam Archuleta
The Bills can’t escape inclement weather this year, whether in Buffalo or now in Chicago. The Windy City is supposed to be very — well — windy, with gusts well over 20 mph. To top it off, the city is expected to receive between two and six inches of snow on Friday, so it could make for blizzard-like conditions on Saturday.
Orange: New Orleans Saints @ Cleveland Browns
Spero Dedes and Jay Feely
The Saints and Browns sit at 5-9 and 6-8, respectively, heading into the Week 16 NFL slate. Neither is out of playoff contention, but somehow the Saints have a better shot at making the postseason, just one game out of the NFC South division lead. It’ll be a must-win for either team to stay alive in the NFL playoff picture.
Yellow: Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans
Andrew Catalon and James Lofton
The Texans might not be finishing games, but in contests against the Cowboys and Chiefs the last two weeks, both of whom have realistic Super Bowl expectations, they’ve taken them down to the wire. Tennessee is struggling to close out their games, making this a great contender for upset watch on Christmas Eve.
Blue: Washington Commanders @ San Francisco 49ers (Late)
Kevin Harlan and Trent Green
Washington took a tough loss on Monday Night Football by way of a questionable call late in the contest. Regardless, they still sit as the seventh seed in the NFC Wild Card standings. They’ll have their toughest contest of the season thus far, traveling to San Francisco to play one of the top defenses in the league.
FOX Early-Game NFL TV Coverage Map
Red: Seattle Seahawks @ Kansas City Chiefs
Kevin Kugler and Mark Sanchez
Over the course of the last three weeks, neither the Seahawks nor the Chiefs have played inspiring football. Seattle has gone from the division lead in the NFC West to on the outside-looking-in, while Kansas City has gone 2-1 and has looked like a team not worthy of the first-seed in the AFC playoff race. Expect the Seahawks to give them everything they have.
Green: Atlanta Falcons @ Baltimore Ravens
Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma
Of the entire Christmas Eve slate, the Falcons vs. Ravens matchup on FOX may be the least appealing. Neither offense has moved the ball well over the last month, and we don’t know what to expect from their defenses on a weekly basis, either. Both do, however, need to win if they want any chance to fight for a division title over the final two weeks of the season.
Yellow: Detroit Lions @ Carolina Panthers
Chris Myers and Robert Smith
Is there a better underdog story in the NFL than the Detroit Lions right now? Dan Campbell has turned this team around, going 6-1 in their last seven games with a very realistic shot at the playoffs. With a win over Carolina, Detroit could easily be in the driver’s seat come Christmas morning.
Blue: New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings
Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth
It’s a mystery which Vikings team we’ll see on a week-to-week basis. Is it one that’ll go down by 33 or the one that puts together the greatest comeback in NFL history? Either way, the Giants are a much better team than the Colts, so Kirk Cousins and company can’t take their foot off the pedal.
FOX Late-Game NFL TV Coverage Map
Red: Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen
Rebounding off a tough overtime loss, the Cowboys’ path to an NFC East title rides first on taking the Eagles down this Saturday. In their first matchup of the season, the Eagles won 26-17, and Draftkings Sportsbook has the 13-1 Eagles as the favorite for Week 16. Since FOX has the doubleheader this week, this will be nationally televised.
NFL Week 16 National TV Broadcasts
Thursday Night Football
Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets (Amazon Prime)
The Jaguars are surging while the Jets sink as we inch closer to the NFL Playoffs. Just over a month ago, Jacksonville was 2-6 while New York was sitting pretty at 6-3. The script has switched with momentum on the Jaguars’ side, as they sit just a game out of the AFC South lead and the Jets a game out from the Wild Card. The winner has something to play for the remaining two weeks of the season.
Christmas Eve
Las Vegas Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL Network)
The Raiders received the best gift last week by way of a Jakobi Meyers lateral as time expired. You can expect the Steelers to provide nothing more than a bag of coal for Las Vegas on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day
Early Afternoon
Green Bay Packers @ Miami Dolphins (FOX)
Merry Christmas! The first game to kick off on Christmas Day is the Packers and Dolphins down in Miami Gardens on FOX. The best gift for either fan base would be a win, although one would mean much more for Dolphins fans as Miami tries to avoid a late-season collapse.
Late Afternoon
Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Rams (CBS/Nickelodeon)
Get ready for some slime! The Broncos and Rams have the afternoon game on CBS and Nickelodeon on Christmas Day. While there won’t be any playoff implications at play here, the Nickelodeon broadcast will make the contest more entertaining for both adults and kids.
Sunday Night Football
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals (NBC)
The 6-8, NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers cap the Christmas Day slate off with a trip to Arizona to face the Cardinals. The star of the show is Tom Brady, who needs to rally his troops in hopes of staying on top of the division.
Monday Night Football
Los Angeles Chargers @ Indianapolis Colts (ESPN)
Capping of Christmas weekend is the Chargers traveling to Indianapolis to take on the Colts. Los Angeles, who was just 6-6 two weeks ago, has moved into the playoff picture with an 8-6 record and just three games remaining. Jonathan Taylor is out for the Colts, which is a nice gift for the Chargers’ poor rushing defense.