Thursday Night Football tonight will mercifully be the last of the season. Week 17 will feature two teams with a ton on the line and will have some significant impacts on the current playoff picture 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
Tennessee Titans (7-8) vs. Dallas Cowboys (11-4)
Location
Nissan Stadium, Nashville
Thursday Night Football tonight will showcase the Dallas Cowboys as they head down to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans. Dallas, coming off of a massive win against the Philadelphia Eagles, is playing with the long-shot potential of getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC. A lot will need to go their way for it to happen, but both that top seed and the NFC East are not out of the picture just yet.
Meanwhile, the Titans are simply trying to hang on for dear life at this point. With a 7-8 record, they have lost the NFC South crown to the suddenly surging Jacksonville Jaguars, and it looks like the division will ultimately be decided in Week 18 when they square off against Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. However, a win this week could help bolster their chances at a Wild Card spot regardless of Week 18’s outcome.
MORE: Cowboys vs. Titans Prediction, Odds, and Picks for Week 17
However, it is likely that the Titans simply use this game as more practice for Malik Willis and try to keep all their main pieces healthy for their huge Week 18 showdown. The Titans have lost five straight games, and rookie Willis has looked far from ready to be the starter (to put it politely). The team’s latest loss was extra embarrassing as they fell to the Houston Texans, the league’s worst team, 19-14.
In part due to Willis’ recent struggles and a rough start to the year, the Titans currently have the 30th-ranked passing offense in the NFL. Willis is 31 of 61 passing for 276 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 123 yards plus a TD on the ground. It is bleak, to say the least.
On the positive side, behind Derrick Henry, they have been able to amass the 12th-best rushing offense. The problem? There is a good chance that Henry doesn’t play in this one, as he is nursing an injury and will need to be healthy in Week 18. It is an unfortunate situation because the Cowboys’ defense is definitely susceptible to the run, ranking 22nd in rushing yards allowed.
In his early Week 17 picks and predictions, PFN’s Betting Director shares some of the same concerns surrounding the Titans’ motivation in this one.
“As formidable as the Cowboys are, there’s a bigger issue when betting on this Week 17 game. If Tennessee trails early (a strong possibility), how likely will they be to overwork Derrick Henry?
They’ll need him the following week because these days he is their offense. There’s a real chance this could be a blowout win for Dallas, as the Titans conserve their top playmaker for their biggest game of the year.”
What Time Is Thursday Night Football Tonight?
Date: Dec. 29, 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
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