Is there Thursday Night Football tonight?
Sports sleuths may have noticed a few things noticeably absent from the Week 18 NFL schedule. There is no Monday Night Football game in Week 18, making room for all eyes to focus on the college football national championship Washington Huskies vs. Michigan Wolverines game, You'll also notice there are fewer morning games on the Week 18 Sunday schedule and more killer matchups that afternoon. There's something else missing, too.
Is there a Thursday Night Football game this week? Keep reading for how and when to watch NFL football in Week 18 and to find out if there will be a Thursday Night Football game tonight.
Is there Thursday Night Football today?
There is no Thursday Night Football game in Week 18. Traditionally, the league rests competition on the last Thursday of the regular season so all teams have a full week (or close to) to prepare for their Week 18 matchup, which in some cases is the most important game of the team's regular season schedule. Nine teams have already punched a ticket to the postseason and 13 teams have been eliminated from the playoffs, leaving 10 teams whose post-season fate lies in the Week 18 game. Those players can use all the rest they can get.
While you can't watch NFL football tonight, there are 16 terrific games on the weekend schedule, including two Saturday matchups. Keep reading for all the ways you can watch the NFL in Week 18.
How to watch NFL Week 18 games without cable
NFL Week 18 features hot matchups featuring divisional rivalries, teams still in the playoff hunt, and season leaders fighting for home field advantage in the playoffs (and a Wild Card Week bye). All Week 18 games will air on either CBS, Fox, ABC, ESPN or NBC. If your cable subscription doesn't offer some of those channels or you've cut the cable cord in your house, one of the most cost-effective way to stream all of this weekend's games is with a FuboTV subscription.
Watch NFL Week 18 free with FuboTV
You can catch this weekend's matchups on FuboTV. FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox Sunday NFC games via "NFL on Fox", NBC (Sunday Night Football), ESPN (Monday Night Football), NFL Network and more, so you'll be able to watch more than just today's games, all without a cable subscription.
To watch NFL football games without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to college football, you'll have access to NFL football, FuboTV offers MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. FuboTV Pro Tier is priced at $75 per month after your free seven-day trial.
Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:
- There are no contracts with FuboTV -- you can cancel at any time.
- The Pro tier includes 169 channels, including NFL Network. (You'll need to upgrade to Ultimate for NFL RedZone.)
- FuboTV includes all the channels you'll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
- All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
- Stream on your TV, phone, and other devices.
Stream NFL Week 18 on Sling TV for half price
If you have don't have a cable TV subscription that includes network TV, another cost-effective ways to stream live NFL football this year is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to the NFL Network, local NBC, FOX and ABC affiliates (where available) and ESPN with its Orange + Blue Tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season's top NFL matchups. Fans should note that CBS-aired games won't stream on Sling TV. For access to all NFL games including CBS games, Fubo or Hulu+ Live TV are much better options, or Paramount+ for CBS games only.
The Sling TV Orange + Blue tier normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer is currently offering a 50% off promotion for your first month, so you'll pay just $30. You can learn more by tapping the button below.
Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:
- There are 46 channels to watch in total, including local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available).
- You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
- All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
Watch NFL games on Hulu + Live TV
You can watch the NFL, including the NFL Network, with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including both Fox and FS1. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every game on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus catch live NFL preseason games, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month.
Watch the NFL on CBS with Paramount+
If you don't have a cable TV package that includes CBS, one of the easiest ways to catch all live NFL games broadcast on CBS is through a subscription to Paramount+. The streamer offers access to all NFL games locally and nationally televised on CBS on all its subscription tiers. In addition, you can watch top-tier soccer like the Champions League live and SEC college football games as well, plus popular shows such as "Survivor" and "NCIS." Paramount+ is also the exclusive streaming home to Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
A subscription to Paramount + is $5.99 per month. Bundle Paramount+ and Showtime for just $11.99 per month.
Watch the NFL Week 18 games on your phone with NFL+
If you want to watch this weekend's games on your phone -- and all the amazing football ahead in the postseason -- check out NFL+. The premium streaming service, starting at $40 per year (or $7 per month), offers access to NFL Network. And yes, that includes games being broadcast out-of-market. To boost your NFL experience even further, you can upgrade to NFL+ Premium with NFL RedZone and watch up to eight NFL games simultaneously. A seven-day, free trial is available.
Top features of NFL+:
- You get access to all NFL preseason games, including those that are out of market.
- NFL+ lets you watch stream local and primetime regular season games on your phone or tablet, but not your TV.
- Includes the NFL Network (and NFL RedZone with NFL+ Premium), so it's a good option for those who are looking to stream football on the go.
Watch NFL football live with a digital HDTV antenna
If you're cutting the cord to your cable company, you're not alone; in fact, you are in luck. You can still watch the NFL on TV with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDYC channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more. Here's the kicker: There's no monthly charge.
Anyone living in partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal -- or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch college football without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable (or your cable company gets in a squabble with a network).
This amplified digital antenna can receive hundreds of HD TV channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, Univision and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It received signals 360 degrees and delivers a high-quality picture in 4K, UHD and 1080 HDTV, top-tier sound and features a 16-foot digital coax cable. This Amazon best selling antenna usually sells for about $23, but we've seen it priced as low as $15.
Waiting for the playoffs to start? Check out Amazon's new NFL football fan store
If you're settled in for Week 18 while anxiously awaiting the start of the NFL playoffs, now is a great time to check out Amazon's NFL Football fan store. Created to curate fan gear for the two teams playing Thursday Night Football, which steams exclusively on Amazon, the retailer is home to some of the best NFL fan gear on the market.
So if you're a new Baltimore Ravens fan or watching "Hard Knocks: In Season With the Miami Dolphins" turned you into a serious Dolphins stan, Amazon has NFL fan gear for longtime NFL fans, or those new to the party. Tap the button below and scroll to the bottom to find your favorite team's gear.
2023 NFL Season Week 18 Schedule
The 2023 NFL Season Week 18 schedule is below. The game you see broadcast locally will depend on your geographical area. All times Eastern.
Saturday January 6, 2024
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens, 4:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+)
- Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts, 8:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+)
Sunday January 7, 2024
- Cleveland Brown vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
- Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions, 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
- Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
- New York Jets vs. New England Patriots, 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
- Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints, 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers, 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
- Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Denver Broncos vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Philadelphia Eagles vs. NY Giants, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- LA Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Storylines we followed this season
Important dates to remember:
- The 2023 NFL regular season runs today through Jan. 7, 2024.
- Playoffs are scheduled for January 13 through Jan. 28, 2004.
- Super Bowl LVIII is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas
Taylor Swift's NFL era: As the end of the 2023 NFL regular season nears, it's clear the biggest story of the 2023 NFL season was Taylor Swift (Travie Kelce, too). Swift's appearances at NFL stadiums including Lambeau, Gillette and Arrowhead sent Swifties of all ages into a frenzy that nearly overwhelmed the league itself. Football purists found the intrusion and Swift-related attention unnerving, but the pop sensation brought millions of new fans to the game. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce seem to be going strong, which means fans can expect to see Taylor herself in the stands of Kansas City Chiefs games as her schedule allows. Football fans may find it slightly annoying. But if the attention (and new audience) Taylor brought to professional NFL football just by showing up wasn't proof enough, it's Taylor's world and we're all just living in it -- one era at a time.
Is this the Cowboys year? Being a Dallas Cowboys fan requires a Texas-sized emotional commitment. Last season, fans gutted through quarterback Dak Prescott's winning record (not in a good way) of most interceptions thrown in the 2022-2023 season. Dak whittled his interceptions down this season and the Cowboys managed the unthinkable -- they toppled the mighty Philadelphia Eagles from their perch atop the NFC East in Week 14. But the Cowboys' 31-10 upset loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 is the kind of play that makes Cowboys fans weary. The Cowboys could go all the way to the Super Bowl this season, but it won't be without taking Cowboys fans on an emotional rollercoaster best left at an amusement park.
Good morning, Baltimore. Many hours of NFL sports broadcasts over recent years has been dedicated to arguing the talents (or lack thereof) of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Lamar has always been a dynamic scrambler out of the pocket and this season is no different. Lamar is poised to have the best season of his career with MVP chants following him (again) at every turn. The Ravens might not get the hype of the Chiefs or Eagles, but they're establishing themselves a Super Bowl contender and Lamar is already making a case to turn those MVP chants into reality. If you don't mind being called a "bandwagon" by the teenager in your life, there's never been a better time to jump on the Ravens bandwagon. We won't tell and neither should you.
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