There was once a time when football rarely happened on any day other than Sundays and Monday Night Football. And then the NFL got an idea. High school football ruled the late summer landscape on Friday nights and Saturdays were for college football. But what about Thursday?
No sport had claimed it, and interest in football was at an all-time high. So Thursday Night Football debuted in 2006. It started as just a now-and-then game, but eventually earned a permanent place as the first game of the NFL week.
For bettors in Arizona, you can find below a guide to Thursday Night Football betting with tips for newcomers plus updated NFL odds, the full Thursday Night Football schedule, and more.
Thursday Night Football odds
When it comes to betting on football, our odds feed below has the latest Thursday Night Football odds from all the top Arizona online sportsbooks. Check back whenever you need to get a quick update on the newest Thursday Night Football betting odds available to Arizona bettors. Click on any odds to start getting your TNF bets in.
Thursday Night Football 2023 schedule
The NFL schedule is set and fans are circling the dates that interest them. That goes for TNF, as well. Check the full schedule and odds for Monday Night Football here.
| Week | Date | Visiting Team | Home Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 9 | Dallas Cowboys | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2 | Sept 16 | New York Giants | Washington Football Team |
| 3 | Sept. 23 | Carolina Panthers | Houston Texans |
| 4 | Sept. 30 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 5 | Oct. 7 | Los Angeles Rams | Seattle Seahawks |
| 6 | Oct. 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 7 | Oct. 21 | Denver Broncos | Cleveland Browns |
| 8 | Oct. 28 | Green Bay Packers | Arizona Cardinals |
| 9 | Nov. 4 | New York Jets | Indianapolis Colts |
| 10 | Nov. 11 | Baltimore Ravens | Miami Dolphins |
| 11 | Nov. 18 | New England Patriots | Atlanta Falcons |
| 12 | Nov. 25 | Buffalo Bills | New Orleans Saints |
| 13 | Dec. 2 | Dallas Cowboys | New Orleans Saints |
| 14 | Dec. 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Minnesota Vikings |
| 15 | Dec. 16 | Kansas City Chiefs | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 16 | Dec. 23 | San Francisco 49ers | Tennessee Titans |
Are the Cardinals playing TNF this season?
The Arizona Cardinals have a single TNF matchup in 2021, and it’s potentially a difficult one. The Green Bay Packers will be coming to Arizona for a Week 8 showdown. Cardinals fans are well aware of just how dangerous the Packers can be when they are firing on all cylinders, but the benefit of not having to travel to Lambeau Field in Wisconsin on Oct. 28 is definitely a bonus for the home team.
At this point in the season, every game is going to matter, and playing a fellow NFC squad could have larger ramifications for the team that wins — and loses. Check our Arizona Cardinals odds to see the latest match ups.
Live betting on Thursday Night Football games
If you haven’t heard about live betting yet, it’s one of the fastest-growing segments of the sports betting hobby right now.
Live betting, also called in-game betting, allows you to wager on the game in real time as the hits, passes and touchdowns take place on your screen. You can bet on such things as which team will lead after the half, if there will be a fourth-quarter comeback victory, how the next touchdown will be scored and more.
It’s a great way to stay involved in the games you wager on, especially if you’re a fan of the game of football on top of being a bettor.
To give live betting on Thursday Night Football in Arizona a shot, you’ll need to use an online sportsbook. The reason comes down to how quickly odds change and how fast that information needs to get to bettors. Retail sportsbooks aren’t able to offer bets that match how quickly and frequently things are shifting. Online sportsbooks in Arizona, however, are able to update and offer new betting odds instantly, and keep bettors right on top of the action.
Thursday Night Football tips & betting trends
In the world of sports betting, it’s a good idea to carefully consider any tips before implementing them. Does a tip fit into your betting strategy? Does it fit your research style?
Make sure you are comfortable with any additions to your methods before making them a regular part of your wagering. That said, here are a few tips to keep in mind when betting on Thursday Night Football in Arizona.
- Rest: Thursday Night Football is notoriously hard for teams to prep for. Compared to their normal week, they lose three days of breaking down their opponents and developing strategies to stop them. Another thing to consider is the amount of rest. Is the home team on a back-to-back without much travel? Did one of the teams just come off its bye week?
- Metrics: Always, always, always study the metrics. Obviously you can dive pretty far into stats and numbers, but there are some major metrics that you should never overlook. How are the teams performing in their recent matchups? Their division? How have they stacked up over the past few weeks when you compare their moneyline, point spread, and totals results? Home and away records? Make sure to do your homework before placing a wager.
What time is NFL Thursday Night Football?
For the 2021 slate, every NFL game scheduled for Thursday Night Football will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET. It doesn’t matter which outlet is carrying the game, the kickoff time is the same across the board. However, like all sports, some circumstances may lead to times and dates needing to change.
How to watch Thursday Night Football in Arizona
If you know much about NFL broadcasting, then you’re probably aware that Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football both appear on the same channel from week to week. TNF is a different beast in that department, and it jumps around throughout the 2021 season. Here’s a breakdown of where you can catch Thursday Night Football each week:
- Week 1: NBC
- Weeks 2-4: NFL Network
- Weeks 5-11: FOX/NFL Network
- Week 12: NBC
- Weeks 13-15: FOX/NFL Network
- Week 16: NFL
NBC and FOX are available in almost every television package you can get, and both are also free to those who still use antennas to get broadcasts. The NFL Network is typically a part of most packages for satellite, cable and streaming services, but you should verify that before purchasing.
How to stream TNF
If you’ve cut the cord and focus mainly on streaming services, then you’re in luck when it comes to most Thursday Night Football games.
Amazon Prime will be streaming many of the games this season, including those broadcast by Fox for Weeks 5-11 and 13-15.
NBC has streaming services through the NBC Sports app as well as NBCSports.com, and the NFL Network has an app for mobile devices as well as NFL.com, though you’ll need login credentials from a television provider to watch the games.
Who are the TNF announcers for 2023?
There isn’t a single set team announcing for Thursday Night Football since it appears on different networks.
For NBC, which will be broadcasting Weeks 1 and 12, the team will consist of either Al Michaels or Mike Tirico for the play-by-play duties, while Cris Collinsworth will be the analyst and commentator. Over at FOX, the announcing booth is staffed by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Each network will handle pregame shows differently, as well.
Thursday Night Football records & stats
Since 2006, Thursday Night Football has produced some impressive performances. Here are a few of our favorites. While they are interesting to note, this info should not influence your betting choices for a given TNF game:
- Teams with highest win percentage: .800, New England Patriots (8-2) and Seattle Seahawks (8-2)
- Team with worst win percentage: .250, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-9)
- Most appearances: 16, San Francisco 49ers
- Fewest appearances: Three, Detroit Lions
- Highest scoring game: 80 points, Los Angeles Rams defeat 49ers in 2017, 41-39