“Thursday Night Football” is here again, and Week 9 brings a matchup of AFC teams jockeying for position in their respective division races.
This week, the Steelers are hosting the Titans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Each team enters Week 9 tied for second in their divisions, so this matchup could go a long way toward deciding which has a legitimate chance to earn a wild-card berth.
The Steelers (4-3) have the better record of the two, but they are coming off a home loss to the Jaguars during which they scored only 10 points. Pittsburgh is averaging just 16.1 points per game, a bottom-five mark in the NFL, so the embattled Matt Canada will need to put together his best performance to help his team against a solid defense.
The Titans (3-4) are coming off an upset win over the Falcons that saw Will Levis star in his starting debut. The rookie second-round pick was elite against Atlanta but will now have to repeat that performance against a fierce Steelers pass rush. That could test his fortitude, especially as he comes off a short week.
The Mike Tomlin vs. Mike Vrabel coaching matchup has the potential to be a lot of fun, as both coaches have proven that they can get the most out of undermanned squads in recent years. But will either of them start a playoff run with a win on Thursday night? It may all depend on which quarterback can best avoid negative plays.
POWER RANKINGS: Where Steelers, Titans rank among NFL’s 32 teams entering Week 9
Below is everything to know about how to watch the “Thursday Night Football” matchup for Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season.
Who plays on Thursday Night Football tonight?
Matchup: Steelers vs. TitansLocation: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Titans are traveling to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in the Week 9 edition of “Thursday Night Football.”
The Steelers (4-3) enter this game coming off a home loss against the red-hot Jaguars. Pittsburgh’s defense played relatively well against Trevor Lawrence and Co., but its offense once again struggled. Now, the team will have to see if it can find a way to succeed with Kenny Pickett (ribs) uncertain to play.
Pickett exited the Steelers’ loss after taking a big hit and was replaced by Mitch Trubisky. It was originally presumed he would be out on the short week, but Pickett has been adamant that he will try to play. Whichever quarterback starts will have to play well against Tennessee in order to give the Steelers a legitimate chance to win.
But in reality, the Steelers will rely on their T.J. Watt-led defense to keep them in the game against the Titans, who are set to start a rookie in his prime-time debut.
The Titans (3-4) are coming off a surprising win over the Falcons that saw Will Levis make the first start of his career. The 2023 second-round pick was stellar, completing 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns, three of which went to DeAndre Hopkins.
Levis will likely look Hopkins’ way often against the Steelers, as Pittsburgh has allowed 245.4 passing yards per game, good for the ninth most in the NFL. Derrick Henry will also be a big part of the offense against a Steelers run defense that sports a bottom-10 mark in yards allowed per game.
So, it looks like Tennessee’s offense may be able to compete with Pittsburgh’s defense. If that’s the case, then it will be on the Titans’ Jeffery Simmons-led defense to make life miserable for Trubisky and Co.
As such, it seems possible that Mike Vrabel’s squad may be able to pull off a second consecutive win in a tough environment. But one can never count out Mike Tomlin’s team, even when they are undermanned. They always seem to find enough big plays to remain competitive.
What time is the NFL game tonight?
Date: Thursday, Nov. 2Time: 8:15 p.m. ET (7:15 p.m. CT)
The Steelers vs. Titans “Thursday Night Football” game will begin at 8:15 p.m. ET. That will be the same start time for all of Amazon Prime’s “TNF” contests throughout the 2023 NFL season.
Pittsburgh is located in the Eastern time zone, so the local start time of the game will also be at 8:15 p.m. However, those watching the game in the Nashville market will tune into the game at 7:15 p.m. locally, as western Tennessee is located in the Central time zone.
What channel is Thursday Night Football on tonight?
TV channel (Pittsburgh): WPXI (Channel 11)TV channel (Tennessee): WTVF (Channel 5)Live stream: Amazon Prime Video | DAZN (in Canada)
“Thursday Night Football” will be broadcast on Amazon Prime, which will be the exclusive home for the NFL’s “TNF” package for the next decade. The streaming service purchased the rights to the program in 2022 as a part of an 11-year agreement with the NFL, so those looking to watch “TNF” nationally over the next decade must subscribe to Amazon Prime.
However, the NFL has ensured that those in the local area markets of the teams playing on “Thursday Night Football” can see the games without subscribing to Amazon Prime. The contests will be carried by NBC affiliate WPXI (Channel 11) in Pittsburgh and CBS affiliate WTVF (Channel 5) in Tennessee.
Per usual, Al Michaels (play-by-play) Kirk Herbstreit (color commentary) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) will comprise Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football” broadcast team. They will be supported by a star-studded studio crew led by Charissa Thompson and featuring a quartet of former players-turned-analysts — Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, Andrew Whitworth and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Marshawn Lynch will also be a part of Amazon’s coverage with his pregame show segment “N Yo City.” The segment consists of the former Seahawks star performing an activity in or around the host city to show fans what that geographic region is like.
Notably, Lynch’s visit to Pennsylvania’s Amish country, as broadcast in Week 2, captured the attention of NFL fans everywhere.
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 15, 2023
Lynch’s Week 6 trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, along with Pat Mahomes Sr., also drew praise from audiences.
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) October 12, 2023
Viewers in Canada will not have to have Amazon Prime to access “Thursday Night Football” in 2023. They will be able to watch the games on DAZN.
NFL live stream for Thursday night game
Live stream: Amazon Prime
Those looking to stream “Thursday Night Football” during the 2023 NFL season will need a subscription to Amazon Prime in order to do so. The streaming service will be the exclusive home of the program for the next decade, and only those in the participating teams’ local markets will be able to access the games using traditional, over-the-air TV broadcasts.
NFL schedule Week 9
The Titans vs. Steelers game has the making of a defensive battle to start the week, but the other stand-alone games should see more scoring.
Case and point: The Chiefs and Dolphins will square off in an NFL Germany game on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET. Both teams sport strong offenses — with Miami being one of the league’s best and Kansas City having Patrick Mahomes — so that should thrill those on hand for the game in Germany.
The “Sunday Night Football” game will be a similarly strong AFC matchup. The Bengals and Bills will face off in a rematch of their AFC divisional round contest from last season, a game that the Bengals won handily on the road. Joe Burrow seems healthy now, so that should give Cincinnati a chance to knock off Buffalo as both jockey to remain competitive in their divisional races.
“Monday Night Football” will be the last stand-alone game of the week, as always. The Chargers and Jets will look to continue winning as each looks to get into the wild-card race in the AFC. It will be a good strength-on-strength matchup, as the solid Chargers offense will face a great Jets defense.
The Sunday main slate contains a couple of good-looking games. The AFC North-leading Ravens will face the NFC West-leading Seahawks in a battle of two complete teams with strong defenses. The Eagles and Cowboys will also do battle in Dallas in a contest that should decide whether the Cowboys will have a chance to compete with Philadelphia in the NFC East.
Below is the full schedule for Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season.
Week 9
Thursday, Nov. 2 Game Kickoff time TV channel Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers 8:15 p.m. ET Amazon PrimeSunday, Nov. 5 Game Kickoff time TV channel Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs (Germany) 9:30 a.m. ET NFL Network Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons 1 p.m. ET Fox Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m. ET CBS Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns 1 p.m. ET CBS Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers 1 p.m. ET Fox Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans 1 p.m. ET CBS Washington Commanders at New England Patriots 1 p.m. ET Fox Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints 1 p.m. ET CBS Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers 4:05 p.m. ET CBS New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders 4:25 p.m. ET Fox Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles 4:25 p.m. ET Fox Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals 8:20 p.m. ET NBCMonday, Nov. 6 Game Kickoff time TV channel Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets 8:15 p.m. ESPN, ABC
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