Who plays on Thursday Night Football? Game, start time for week 14

For the first time in several weeks, the main story of the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” game will have nothing to do with the weather. The Week 14 battle is all about the race for the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

The Detroit Lions (11-1) host the Green Bay Packers (9-3) in a classic NFC North rivalry at Ford Field in Detroit. The Dome Stadium will provide a level playing field for the two teams after each team hosts games on Thanksgiving.

The Lions have established themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL with an 11-1 record through 13 weeks. They are on a 10-game winning streak and boast the NFL’s top-scoring offense, averaging 31.9 points per game, 2.3 points better than the second-place Buffalo Bills.

With a “TNF” win over the Packers, the Lions would further establish themselves as the team to beat in the NFC. However, if Jordan Love can lead the Packers to a win, it would set up an exciting three-way race in the NFC North between the Lions, Packers and Minnesota Vikings (10-2) that would likely go down to the wire.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Thursday Night Football Week 14 matchup.

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Who’s playing on Thursday Night Football tonight?

The Packers travel to Detroit to take on the Lions on Thursday night. This is the second meeting between the two teams during the 2024 NFL season. The Lions won the first game in Week 9 at rain-soaked Lambeau Field 24-14.

How to watch Thursday Night Football

Live stream: Amazon Prime Video
TV channels: Detroit Market: WJBK (Channel 2) | Green Bay Market: WGBA (Channel 26)

“Thursday Night Football” streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Watch Thursday Night Football with a Prime Video subscription

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The Lions had the advantage over the Packers when the two teams faced off in Week 9 due to Love suffering a groin injury in that weather-related game. This time, Green Bay is healthier with every team winning Thanksgiving.

Detroit is dealing with multiple injuries to its defensive line and may be without three of its four typical starters for the contest. Aidan Hutchinson is out this year with a broken leg, while DJ Reader and Joshua Paschal are dealing with shoulder and hamstring injuries respectively. Add in Levi Onwuzurike’s hamstring injury, and it may be up to Alim McNeill and former Packer Za’Darius Smith to carry Detroit’s defensive line in this contest.

That could give the Packers a little more freedom than usual on offense. Josh Jacobs should be able to find more running lanes – especially when Reader, a standout run-stopper, is out of the lineup – while Love should have more time to fight through the pocket than he did in his last meeting with the Lions did. That could allow him to find space against a Detroit secondary against whom he has averaged 262.3 passing yards in three career starts.

Of course, it won’t be easy to score points in the Lions’ defense. Aaron Glenn’s stopping unit has allowed just 10 passing touchdowns this season, second-fewest in the NFL behind only the New York Jets (9), and ranks first in EPA allowed per game (-0, 14). However, just in the second half of the Thanksgiving matchup, Caleb Williams destroyed Detroit’s defense by frequently targeting slot man Keenan Allen and outside receiver DJ Moore, leaving Jayden Reed and one of Green Bay’s outside receiving threats might be able to achieve similar success.

The Packers’ defense has also steadily improved. They have allowed 19 or fewer points in their last three games and gave up just 24 points in their last game against the Lions. It won’t be easy for them to contain Jahmyr Gibbs (6.0 yards per carry is the NFL’s third-best player) and all of Detroit’s passing weapons, but Green Bay has 23 takeaways this season. That’s good for fifth-best in the NFL.

So if the Packers catch Jared Goff on a bad night, they may be able to put pressure on Detroit’s offense. If so, that would give them the upper hand.

Whatever the case, it should be a closely contested game that could go either way. There is the potential for this game to be both an offensive shootout and a defensive battle, depending on which position groups are able to gain an early advantage.

Expect this NFC North matchup to set the tone for the rest of the NFL playoff push. If the Lions win, a lot of the pieces will fall, and the race for the NFC’s No. 1 seed will be the top story for the rest of the season.

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But if the Packers come off the road upset? That will make the finish in the NFC North the most exciting part of the 2024 NFL postseason race.

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Who plays on Thursday Night Football? Game, start time for week 14

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