Thursday Night Football tonight is an incredibly important matchup between two NFC West teams. One squad is riding a six-game win streak and has propelled themselves into Super Bowl contention. The other is starting to come back down to earth and needs this win to continue to stay relevant in the playoff scenarios. Let’s look at who is playing tonight, what time the game starts, and how you can watch it.
Who Plays on Thursday Night Football Tonight?
Teams
San Francisco 49ers (9-4) at Seattle Seahawks (7-6)
Location
Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
Thursday Night Football tonight will showcase the red-hot San Francisco 49ers as they travel to Lumen Field to take on the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers have been a juggernaut these past few weeks thanks to an elite defense and capable quarterback play. Rookie Brock Purdy is now going to be under center until at least the playoffs with Jimmy Garoppolo out.
In his first official NFL start, the 22-year-old was instrumental in the team’s 35-7 destruction of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Purdy can now add being the only rookie QB to defeat Brady in his first start, making Brady’s record 1-6 lifetime. As the 2022 NFL Draft’s Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy has shocked the world since taking over for Jimmy G. He is the only Mr. Irrelevant ever to throw a touchdown and in his two games played, he has 461 passing yards, and a 4:2 TD to INT ratio.
Unfortunately, Purdy is currently on the injury report and is officially listed as questionable for this game. If he cannot play, San Francisco will turn to their fourth QB of the year in the recently signed Josh Johnson. The 49ers are Johnson’s 15th NFL team, making him the ultimate journeyman.
MORE: 49ers vs. Seahawks Prediction, Odds, and Picks
If Purdy can’t go, look for the team to rely heavily on Christian McCaffrey again, who is coming off the best game of his season, where he amassed 119 rushing yards. The passing game will also be without WR Deebo Samuel, who is suffering from an ankle injury. Luckily for the 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk is having a breakout season with a team-leading 755 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Seattle is coming off another tough loss at home where they were three-point favorites against Sam Darnold and the Carolina Panthers. The Seahawks have lost three of four and are falling fast in the NFL standings. They are still slated for a wild card spot as of right now, but a loss here will hurt their chances.
Yes, San Francisco is dealing with injuries, but so is Seattle, especially in the running back room. They already lost Rashaad Penny to IR, and now, rookie standout Kenneth Walker III has missed time. He did not play last week and is officially listed as questionable in this one. Walker has recorded 649 rushing yards on the year so far. If he cannot go, it will be Travis Homer as the starter.
Geno Smith is having a breakout season as the starter for Seattle, but even though he is padding his stats, the wins are not following. Smith has had six touchdowns in his last two games and has accrued 3,433 passing yards with 25 total TDs.
However, the biggest issue with Seattle right now is their defense. The pass defense is middle of the pack (18th), but they are giving up a ton of yards on the ground, ranking second to last in the league. That might be an issue against McCaffrey and the 49ers’ run-heavy approach.
What Time Is Thursday Night Football Tonight?
Date: Dec. 15, 2022
Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Amazon Prime’s version of Thursday Night Football kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET. The Amazon Thursday Night Football announcers are Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit.
TV Channel and Live Stream for Thursday Night Football
TV channels: Amazon Prime Video
Live stream: Amazon Prime Video
Want to stream NFL games at home or on the go this season? Check out fuboTV, a streaming platform that provides you with live sports across multiple devices. Additionally, make sure to check out our comprehensive guide on how to live stream NFL games.