The 2023 NFL season is inching closer to its end. With Week 17 on the horizon and just two games to go, there is NFL football on Saturdays now.
The Detroit Lions will travel to Texas where they’ll face the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday Night Football. Why is there a game on Saturday?
Why Is the Lions vs. Cowboys Game on Saturday?
Near the end of every regular season, the NFL introduces games on Saturdays. The biggest reason is simple; the absence of college football. The college football regular season ended in early December.
The CFB regular season officially began on Aug. 26 and ended on Dec. 9. Although there is college football’s bowl season from Dec. 16 to Jan. 8, the games fall on a range of days rather than a majority on Saturdays. The College Football Playoff and the National Championship games will take place on Mondays.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
So far in 2023, there have been four Saturday games, with Week 17’s prime-time game being the fifth. There were three in Week 15 and two in Week 16. Although the schedule has yet to be finalized for Week 18 in 2023, there were two Saturday games in Week 18 of 2022.
This game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC. The matchup will feature two of the top teams in the NFC, both competing for the top seed in the conference. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will announce the game.
The Saturday Night Football contest will be the first time the Cowboys appear on a Saturday. Although it’s a first for Dallas, it’s not for Detroit. In Week 15, the Lions played the Denver Broncos on Saturday night and won 42-17.
The Lions are 11-4 heading into Week 17 and just clinched the NFC North for the first time in 30 years. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are 10-5 and second in the NFC East, sitting behind the 11-4 Philadelphia Eagles.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
