Tag: doubleheader

Posted on

What time are NFL playoff games today? TV schedule, channels for Saturday’s wild-card doubleheader

When the first round of NFL playoff action gets underway on Saturday, the day’s AFC matchups could be among the biggest of wildcard weekend.

In one game, there are two franchises — Las Vegas and Cincinnati — who are both desperately searching for their first playoff win in over a decade. Both teams finished the year 10-7, though got there very differently and with different storylines at play throughout the season.

BENDER: Power ranking each NFL QB in the postseason for 2022

The other matchup features the Bills and Patriots facing off against each other for the third time this season. The AFC East rivals played in two very different games both times out, with the Patriots running the ball at will in the first meeting and the Bills coming back and winning the second meeting handily.

Given what’s at stake for all four teams taking the field Saturday and the history and rivalries at play, the first day of wildcard action could be one of the best.

Sporting News has you covered with all the information you need to watch NFL playoff action throughout Saturday.

MORE: Watch NFL playoff games live with fuboTV (free trial)

What time are the NFL playoff games today?

Raiders vs. Bengals

  • Date: Jan. 15, 2022
  • Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Start time: 4:30 p.m. ET

The first day of NFL action begins with a historic matchup. Las Vegas is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and just the second time since 2002 when they won the Super Bowl. Cincinnati, meanwhile, is back in the postseason for the first time since 2015 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991 when they were beat by the Raiders in the divisional round.

Under interim coach Rich Bisaccia, the Raiders went 7-5 and won their final four games to make the playoffs. They were a fairly middle of the road team this year, ranking 18th in scoring offense, 11th in total offense, 26th in scoring defense and 14th in total defense.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, improved drastically, going 10-7 this year after a 4-11-1 campaign last season. Much of that has to do with the connection between Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, as the team ranked seventh in scoring offense and 13th in total offense.

MORE: Bart Scott’s interesting advice for Josh Allen ahead of playoff matchup

Patriots vs. Bills

  • Date: Jan. 15, 2022
  • Location: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
  • Start time: p.m.

The primetime showdown of Day 1 of wildcard weekend should be a good one. The Bills and Patriots have faced off twice this season, playing very different games each time. The first game, New England won 14-10 in Bufalo after running for 222 yards and throwing the ball just three times.

After the game, Buffalo’s defensive stars in Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde were asked if they were embarrassed by the team’s run defense that night, while Sean McDermott downplayed the credit Bill Belichick deserved in that win.

The second go-round went the Bills’ way, as they beat New England 33-21 at Gillette Stadium in a game where they had 428 total yards of offense as Josh Allen threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns while Mac Jones was picked off twice.

What channel are NFL games on?

Raiders vs. Bengals

The first game of Saturday’s wild-card doubleheader will air on NBC.

Mike Tirico will handle play-by-play duties while Drew Brees joins him in the booth as an analyst, with Kathryn Tappen reporting from the sideline.

Patriots vs. Bills

The third meeting between the Patriots and Bills will air nationally on CBS

Ian Eagle will serve as the play-by-play voice as Charles Davis joins him as an analyst while Evan Washburn will be reporting from the sidelines. 

IYER: Top candidates to replace David Culley in Houston

NFL live streams for playoffs

Each of the game will have live streams produced by their network’s streaming service that fans will be able to have access to, like Paramount Plus, Fox Sports Go and Peacock.

There are also several independent streaming options that will grant viewers access to all three games. Here’s a look at several options for streaming the NFL playoffs:

Streaming option Cable subscription needed? Free? Cost Free trial?
Fox Sports Live Yes Yes – –
Paramount Plus No No $4.99/month Yes
Amazon Prime Video No No $8.99/month No
NBC Sports Yes Yes – –
ESPN.com/ESPN App Yes Yes – –
NFL App Yes Yes – –
Yahoo! Sports App No Yes – –
fuboTV No No $64.99/month Yes
AT&T TV Now No No $69.99/month Yes
Hulu Plus Live TV No No $64.99/month Yes
Sling TV No No $35/month No
YouTube TV No No $64.99/month Yes

NFL playoff schedule 2022

Wild-card round

Saturday, Jan. 15

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Raiders vs. Bengals 4:35 p.m. ET NBC Peacock, fuboTV
Patriots vs. Bills 8:15 p.m. ET CBS Paramount+, fuboTV

Sunday, Jan. 16

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Eagles vs. Buccaneers 1:05 p.m. ET Fox fuboTV
49ers vs. Cowboys 4:40 p.m. ET CBS, Nickelodeon Paramount+, Amazon Prime, fuboTV
Steelers vs. Chiefs 8:15 p.m. ET NBC Peacock, fuboTV

Monday, Jan. 17

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Cardinals vs. Rams 8:15 p.m. ET ESPN ESPN App, fuboTV

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 22

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
AFC Divisional Round TBA TBA fuboTV
NFC Divisional Round TBA TBA fuboTV

Sunday, Jan. 23

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
AFC Divisional Round TBA TBA fuboTV
NFC Divisional Round TBA TBA fuboTV

Conference championships

Sunday, Jan. 30

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
AFC Championship Game 3:05 p.m. ET CBS Paramount+, fuboTV
NFC Championship Game 6:40 p.m. ET Fox Fox Sports app, fuboTV

Super Bowl 56

Sunday, Feb. 13

Matchup Start time TV channel Live stream
Super Bowl 56 6:30 p.m. ET NBC NBC Sports app, fuboTV

Posted on

What time are the NFL games today? TV schedule, channels for 2021 Christmas doubleheader

Open presents in the morning, watch games in the afternoon.

That’s what’s likely on tap for many NFL fans Saturday as there will be doubleheader action, starting with the Browns taking on the Packers and ending in the night with the Colts playing the Cardinals.

It’s bound to be an exciting day in the league, as all four teams are playing with high stakes on the line. While Aaron Rodgers and the Packers locked up the NFC North last Sunday with a win against the Ravens, they are still on the hunt to claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Browns, on the other hand, will have their first game with Baker Mayfield back under center as they hope to pick up a win in a tough end-of-season slate to stay alive in the tightly contested AFC North.

MORE: Watch NFL Christmas games live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

One team along with the Packers vying for that No. 1 spot is the Cardinals, who did themselves no favors last Sunday in losing to the Lions. They’re now a game behind Green Bay after losing two straight games, including one to the NFC West rival Rams in Week 14. The road won’t be any easier for them as they face the Colts, who are coming off a 27-17 win against the Patriots. Jonathan Taylor had another dominating game as he continued to state his MVP case, rushing for 170 yards and scoring a touchdown to help lead Indianapolis to its seventh win in its past nine contests.

Sporting News has you covered with everything you need to know to watch the two games on Christmas day.

What teams are playing on Christmas?

Game 1

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 25
  • Matchup: Browns at Packers
  • Location: Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • Start time: 4:30 p.m. ET

Game 2

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 25
  • Matchup: Colts at Cardinals
  • Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
  • Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET

Mayfield and Rodgers will meet for the first time in the late afternoon Christmas day matchup. Rodgers has only faced the Browns twice in his career, playing against them on Oct. 20, 2013, and Oct. 25, 2009, both times coming away with a win. The Browns and Packers last met on Dec. 10, 2017, but Rodgers was injured and unable to play in the game. The Packers still won 27-21 in overtime. All-time, the Packers have a 12-7 edge in the series.

Similarly, this will also be the first time that Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz play one another. Murray previously beat the Eagles on Dec. 20, 2020, but that win came against Jalen Hurts. This will also be the first time the Colts have played the Cardinals since Sept. 17, 2017, when Arizona won 16-13 in overtime. All-time, the Colts and Cardinals — dating back to the Baltimore and St. Louis days — sit at an even 8-8 record against one another.

NFL power rankings: Packers go to No. 1 as Buccaneers, Cardinals drop; Chiefs, Cowboys rise for Week 16

What channel are the NFL games on tonight?

Browns vs. Packers

Fans hoping to catch the Browns take on the Packers will have two options on cable to watch the clash: Fox and the NFL Network. While the “Thursday Night Football” matchup this week stopped the simulcast between the two networks for the game, it will be back for the Christmas afternoon matchup.

Looking to stream the game instead? fuboTV, which offers a seven-day free trial, carries the NFL Network and will be an option to view the Christmas afternoon game.

Colts vs. Cardinals

The Colts and Cardinals will only be found on the NFL Network and will not be simulcast on Fox.

For those without the network available on cable, fuboTV, which has a seven-day free trial, carries the NFL Network and will be an option to view the Christmas evening matchup.

NFL history playing on Christmas

The NFL first had a doubleheader on Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 25, 1971, when the Cowboys played against the Vikings and the Dolphins played against the Chiefs. The NFL was only 14 weeks that season, so those two games were each divisional playoff games. The Cowboys, who went on to win the Super Bowl that year, beat the Vikings 20-12, while the Dolphins, whom the Cowboys beat, won 27-24 in overtime against the Chiefs. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it was the longest game in the league’s history.

Since then, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has recorded 21 more games that have played on Christmas. The Cowboys have been involved in five of those games, the most of any team, as they continue their track record of appearing on television sets on holidays. There were three straight Christmas doubleheaders from 2004 to 2006, and two back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. 

NFL schedule Week 16

Here’s the full schedule for Week 16 of the NFL season, plus final scores and how to watch every game live. 

Note: national broadcasts are listed in bold

Thursday, Dec. 23

Game Time (ET) TV Channel
49ers at Titans 8:20 p.m. NFL Network, fuboTV

Saturday, Dec. 25

Game Time (ET) Channel
Browns at Packers 4:30 p.m. FOX, NFL Network, fuboTV
Colts at Cardinals 8:15 p.m. NFL Network, fuboTV

Sunday, Dec. 26

Game Time (ET) Channel
Lions at Falcons 1:00 p.m. Fox, fuboTV
Ravens at Bengals 1:00 p.m. CBS, fuboTV
Rams at Vikings 1:00 p.m. Fox, fuboTV
Bills at Patriots 1:00 p.m. CBS, fuboTV
Jaguars at Jets 1:00 p.m. CBS, fuboTV
Giants at Eagles 1:00 p.m. Fox, fuboTV
Buccaneers at Panthers 1:00 p.m. Fox, fuboTV
Chargers at Texans 1:00 p.m. CBS, fuboTV
Bears at Seahawks 4:05 p.m. Fox, fuboTV
Steelers at Chiefs 4:25 p.m. CBS, fuboTV
Broncos at Raiders 4:25 p.m. CBS, fuboTV
Washington at Cowboys 8:20 p.m. NBC, fuboTV

Monday, Dec. 27

Game Time (ET) Channel
Dolphins at Saints 8:15 p.m. ESPN, fuboTV