2026 NFL 'Thursday Night Football' schedule: Full slate of games with Lions-Bills kicking things off

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"Thursday Night Football" has become an NFL staple in recent years. It began during the 2006 season late in the year. In 2012, "Thursday Night Football" started on the second week of the regular season, and went through Week 17. Amazon acquired the exclusive rights to "Thursday Night Football" in 2021, and has those rights again for 2026.

Whether you like it or not, these standalone games are becoming more common in the NFL. While the league gets to play on a day other than Sunday and Monday consistently, there isn't a player out there who looks forward to less practice and less rest on a short week! In past seasons, Thursday night has acquired a reputation for having sloppy games that feature bad teams, but that is no longer the case. NFL schedule makers absolutely crushed this year's slate.

Here's a rundown of each Thursday night game for the 2026 season. Each contest will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET:

• Week 2 (Sept. 17): Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills
• Week 3 (Sept. 24): Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers
• Week 4 (Oct. 1): Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
• Week 5 (Oct. 8): Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
• Week 6 (Oct. 15): Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos
• Week 7 (Oct. 22): New England Patriots at Chicago Bears
• Week 8 (Oct. 29): Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
• Week 9 (Nov. 5): Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens
• Week 10 (Nov. 12): Washington Commanders at

If you're curious about that Week 12 Thanksgiving slate, it will be the Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles at the Dallas Cowboys, and then an epic nightcap featuring the Buffalo Bills at the Kansas City Chiefs.

Check back soon, as we will rank all of these games!