'Thursday Night Football' schedule: Ranking all 15 TNF matchups from worst to best

The first TNF game of the 2026 season also happens to be the most compelling

Jordan Dajani

May 14, 2026

11:12 pm ET

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9 min read

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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 concluded in Week 17. Amazon acquired the exclusive rights to "Thursday Night Football" in 2021, and it 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's no longer the case. NFL schedule makers absolutely crushed this year's slate.

Here's a rundown of every 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 New York Giants

- Week 11 (Nov. 19): Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

- Week 12 (Nov. 26): Thanksgiving

- Week 13 (Dec. 3): Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams

- Week 14 (Dec. 10): Minnesota Vikings at New England Patriots

- Week 15 (Dec. 17): San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Chargers

- Week 16 (Dec. 24): Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles (Christmas Eve)

- Week 17 (Dec. 31): Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (New Year's Eve)

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.

Now that we have our full "Thursday Night Football" schedule, let's attempt to rank these matchups 15-1. (Note: We're not including the special Thanksgiving games.)

15. Falcons at Packers (Week 3)

Tua Tagovailoa vs. Jordan Love. Or will it be Michael Penix Jr.? There's a question mark over the Falcons' quarterback position right now, but whoever is slinging the pigskin has some weaponry to utilize in Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. We'll see what Kevin Stefanski can do.

As for the Packers, they're looking to finish better than the NFC's No. 7 seed this season -- something they have done three straight years. Lambeau Field at night is something to behold, so this is an important early-season matchup vs. an NFC opponent for the Pack.

14. Panthers at Packers (Week 8)

This game is played on Oct. 29, so Lambeau Field will be full of Halloween costumes. That will make for a pretty sweet environment. These two teams faced off in the middle of last season, and Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald hit a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give Carolina a very gross 16-13 victory. These are two teams that made the playoffs last year, but I wouldn't categorize them as legitimate contenders. Hopefully this game is nothing like their last meeting.

13. Steelers at Browns (Week 4)

You never know what you're going to get when the Browns play the Steelers. Usually it's a low-scoring affair. Not always entertaining, unless you have Jameis Winston and some snow. This is a new iteration of an old rivalry, as both teams have new head coaches -- Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh and Todd Monken in Cleveland.

12. Vikings at Patriots (Week 14)

These two franchises have faced off just 14 times. In this matchup, we expect to see the fun Kyler Murray running around against Mike Vrabel's defense. If Murray can win the quarterback battle against J.J. McCarthy and serve as an efficient point guard in Kevin O'Connell's offense, maybe the Vikings can get back to competing in 2026.

As for the Patriots, they are looking to prove that 2025 wasn't a fluke. After having the easiest strength of schedule since 1999 on the way to the Super Bowl, New England is expected to play the sixth-toughest schedule in the NFL this year. We're expecting some regression, but how much? This could be an important late-season game when it comes to the playoff picture in both the AFC and NFC.

11. Commanders at Giants (Week 10)

If Jayden Daniels misses more games than he plays again this season, this game won't be as exciting, but Daniels vs. Jaxson Dart is worth looking forward to. They still haven