Why isn’t there a Thursday Night Football game in Week 18?

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jan 2, 2025, 19:59 IST

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Week 18 of the NFL season sees the end of Thursday Night Football to ensure competitive balance as teams vie for playoff spots. All games are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, with key matchups like the Ravens vs. Browns and Steelers vs. Bengals taking center stage on Saturday, setting the stage for high-stakes Sunday games.

Why isn’t there a Thursday Night Football game in Week 18?

Why Week 18 of the NFL season has no Thursday Night Football (Image via Getty)

Week 18 is a circus of playoff chaos, and the NFL likes it that way. Divisional titles, wild card spots—everything is still on the table. And to keep the playing field even, Thursday Night Football? Gone! Why? Here's all you need to know!

Is there a Thursday Night Football game in Week 18?

There is no Thursday Night Football game in Week 18 of the NFL season. Amazon Prime's slate of Thursday night games concluded with the Week 17 matchup between the Seahawks and Bears, which Seattle won, 6-3.

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This marks the end of "Thursday Night Football" for the 2024 season.

Week 18 is structured differently to ensure competitive balance, with all games scheduled for Saturday, January 4, and Sunday, January 5. The NFL avoids Thursday games in the final week to give teams equal rest and preparation time as they fight for playoff spots and seeding.

What does the Week 18 NFL schedule look like?

The NFL eliminates Thursday games in Week 18 to ensure fairness, as teams competing for playoff spots need equal rest and preparation time. Instead, Week 18 action starts with two Saturday games on January 4 and wraps up with 14 Sunday games on January 5.

Saturday, January 4:

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens | 4:30 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN

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Sunday, January 5:

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons | 1 p.m. ET | CBS
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys | 1 p.m. ET | FOX
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers | 1 p.m. ET | FOX
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts | 1 p.m. ET | CBS
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots | 1 p.m. ET | CBS
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles | 1 p.m. ET | CBS
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 p.m. ET | FOX
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. ET | CBS
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams | 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX
Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets | 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC

No Thursday game ensures all attention is on this weekend’s pivotal matchups, which will determine playoff seeding and wildcard spots.

What’s happening instead?

Saturday grabs the primetime spotlight with two big matchups. First, the Ravens take on the Browns at 4:30 p.m. ET. Later, the Steelers host the Bengals at 8 p.m., both games carrying serious postseason implications. It’s all designed to set up a high-stakes Sunday blitz.

About the Author

TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

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