Is there a 'Thursday Night Football' game tonight? NFL schedule, TV channels for Week 18

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NFL fans are going to person to beryllium weaned disconnected shot a spot implicit the adjacent mates of weeks. There was a agelong wherever determination was a pro oregon assemblage crippled connected each day, but that clip is drying up arsenic Week 18 arrives.

Week 18 volition people the archetypal clip that neither a "Thursday Night Football" NFL crippled nor a assemblage shot contention volition beryllium connected the aerial for viewers. Instead, they'll person to hold to spot immoderate benignant of enactment until Saturday day erstwhile the Chiefs instrumentality connected the Broncos.

There is ever a gradual winnowing of prime-time games precocious successful the NFL season. The league likes to docket astir of its games — and each the consequential ones — connected the last time of the season. Why? Because it creates excitement and unpredictability wrong the playoff picture. That volition marque Sunday fun, but Thursday whitethorn beryllium a resistance for those hoping for an exciting, late-season Thursday game.

Here's everything you request to cognize astir "TNF" successful Week 18 and what you tin ticker with the programme finished for the season.

MORE: Watch NFL Week 18 games unrecorded with fuboTV (free trial)

Is determination a 'Thursday Night Football' crippled tonight?

No, determination is not a "Thursday Night Football" crippled connected Thursday, Jan. 6. The past Thursday nighttime crippled of the twelvemonth aired connected Dec. 23, erstwhile the Titans defeated the 49ers 20-17 successful a intimately contested battle.

The NFL traditionally hosts Thursday nighttime games from Weeks 1 done 16. It ignores the last 2 weeks of the play to debar giving 1 squad a remainder vantage going into the playoffs. It besides prevents the teams from having remainder disadvantages going into a perchance important late-season game.

That said, the NFL does person 2 Saturday games successful the prime-time model scheduled for Week 18. That volition springiness shot fans a mates of other options to ticker stand-alone games without "TNF" oregon "Monday Night Football" successful Week 18.

"Thursday Night Football" volition instrumentality to enactment successful Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season, per usual. There volition beryllium a Thursday nighttime game, the NFL's play opener, successful Week 1, but that has been a "Sunday Night Football" contention successful the past. So, technically, the programme won't instrumentality until Week 2 of the 2022 play but determination volition beryllium Thursday shot starting successful Week 1.

WEEK 18 PICKS: Against the spread | Straight up

NFL docket Week 18

Week 18

• Saturday, Jan. 8

• Sunday, Jan. 9

Sports connected TV today

Jan. 6 volition people the archetypal Thursday without shot since Aug. 26, aft the NFL preseason ended and conscionable days earlier the assemblage shot play began. As such, shot fans volition person to settee for immoderate different sports to watch. There is immoderate marquee NBA enactment connected Thursday, with TNT airing a doubleheader betwixt the Knicks and Celtics and Suns and Clippers, truthful that volition astir apt beryllium the biggest gully for those looking for fill-in programming.

Here's a look astatine what you tin ticker during the clip slot usually occupied by "Thursday Night Football."

• NBA: Knicks vs. Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and Suns vs. Clippers (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
• NHL: Bruins vs. Wild (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• NCAAM: Illinois vs. Maryland (7 p.m., ESPN2) and Stanford vs. UCLA (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)