No Thursday Night Football Game as NFL Fans Turn to College Football

Getty The Falcons and Panthers square off in a Week 17 matchup with major playoff implications.

For the second straight week there is no NFL Thursday Night Football game, as all the Week 17 games will take place on Sunday, December 31. Fans can turn to college football with several bowl games taking place tonight. There are three evening college football games on December 28.

Virginia Tech takes on Oklahoma State in the Camping World Bowl on ESPN beginning at 5:15 p.m. Eastern. Tonight features a late college football double header with Stanford taking on TCU in the Alamo Bowl on ESPN. Washington State squares off with Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl on FS1. Both games kickoff at 9 p.m. Eastern tonight.

All the playoff matchups will be set by New Year’s Eve night with no Sunday Night Football game on the Week 17 slate. Heading into the final week of games, five of six NFC spots have been claimed with the two AFC Wild Card positions still up for grabs.

One of the biggest games of the weekend is the Falcons taking on the Panthers, as it not only impacts the seeding, but what team grabs the final NFC playoff spot. Atlanta and Seattle are fighting for the last NFC wild card position. Carolina still has a chance to win the NFC South.

The Ravens, Titans, Bills and Chargers are all battling for the two AFC Wild Card positions. If the playoffs started today, the Ravens would be the No. 5 seed followed by the Titans in the No. 6 slot. Jacksonville and Tennessee will be a key AFC matchup. The Jaguars are fighting for playoff seeding, while the Titans are looking to make the playoffs.

All four of the potential AFC wild card teams will kickoff at 4:25 p.m. in a page borrowed from the final day of a soccer season. The Chargers take on the Raiders, while the Chiefs square off with the Broncos. The Bills are on the road against the Dolphins, while the Ravens host the Bengals.

NFL fans may go through withdrawal with no Thursday Night Football or Sunday Night Football this week. However, Sunday afternoon features several intriguing matchups as the playoff bracket finally gets decided. The NFL Playoffs begin on Saturday, January 6 with both an AFC and NFC matchup, while the remaining two Wild Card round matchups take place Sunday, January 7.

Here’s a look at the New Year’s Eve NFL schedule.

NFL Week 17 Schedule: December 31st