You’re sitting on the couch, remote in hand, ready for some mid-January gridiron action. It’s a Thursday night. Naturally, you’re asking what time is football tonight because, for the last four months, Thursdays have been synonymous with the NFL.
But here is the cold, hard truth: There is no football tonight, Thursday, January 15, 2026.
It feels wrong. I know. We’ve been conditioned by Amazon Prime and the relentless march of the regular season to expect a kickoff right around 8:15 p.m. ET. But the calendar has shifted into the postseason "dead zone," where the schedule tightens up and the weekday games vanish to make room for high-stakes weekend doubleheaders.
The NFL Postseason Gap: No Thursday Night Football Tonight
The regular season is over. The Wild Card round just wrapped up with that lopsided Houston Texans victory over the Steelers on Monday night. Now, the NFL moves into a different rhythm.
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If you’re looking for what time is football tonight in the professional ranks, you won’t find a kickoff until Saturday. The league scraps Thursday Night Football once the playoffs begin. Why? Because short weeks are a nightmare for player safety, and when you’re in the Divisional Round, the league wants every team at 100% capacity.
Looking Ahead to the Divisional Round
Since you’ve got a free night, you might as well prep for the real action starting in roughly 48 hours. Here is how the upcoming weekend looks:
- Saturday, Jan. 17: The Buffalo Bills travel to Denver to face the Broncos at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Saturday Night, Jan. 17: An NFC West grudge match between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
- Sunday, Jan. 18: The Houston Texans visit the New England Patriots at 3:00 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Sunday Night, Jan. 18: The LA Rams take on the Chicago Bears at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Did You Miss the College Football Playoff?
A lot of fans get confused this time of year because the College Football Playoff (CFP) usually loves a good Thursday night slot. Just last week, on January 8, we saw a massive semifinal clash at the Fiesta Bowl where Miami edged out Ole Miss.
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But the CFP is also on a brief hiatus. The Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes are currently preparing for the National Championship, which doesn't happen until Monday, January 19, 2026.
If you were hoping for a bowl game tonight, you’re a few days late. The "bowl season" as we once knew it—a month-long marathon of random games in half-empty stadiums—has been largely swallowed by the new 12-team playoff format. It’s more intense now, but it means fewer games on random Thursday nights in mid-January.
What Most People Get Wrong About January Football
People often assume that because it’s "football season," there must be a game on. This is the "Prime Video Effect." We’ve spent seventeen weeks watching the NFL on Thursdays, and breaking that habit is hard.
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Honestly, the lack of games tonight is actually a blessing for the teams. If the NFL played tonight, the winner of Monday’s Texans/Steelers game would have had only two days of rest. That’s not football; that’s a recipe for a blowout.
What to watch instead
If you absolutely need a sports fix, television networks are pivoting hard to basketball tonight. The Big Ten Network is running a marathon of hoops, and the NBA has a significant slate of games. It isn't a 40-yard bomb to the endzone, but it’ll fill the void.
Getting Ready for Super Bowl LX
Since you’re already searching for what time is football tonight, you should probably clear your calendar for the big one. Super Bowl LX is scheduled for February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
We are officially in the "Elite Eight" stage of the season. Every game from here on out is a "win or go home" scenario. The lack of a game tonight is just the quiet before the absolute storm that is about to hit this weekend.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
- Check your streaming subs: Ensure your Paramount+ (for CBS) and Peacock (for NBC) subscriptions are active, as two of the Divisional games are heavily integrated into those platforms.
- Update your calendar: Set alerts for 4:30 p.m. ET this Saturday. That’s the official end of the football drought.
- Monitor the injury reports: With the 49ers and Seahawks playing a rivalry game on Saturday night, keep an eye on the Friday practice reports to see if Christian McCaffrey or Kenneth Walker III are fully cleared to play.