The NFL Is Expanding The Thursday Night Football Schedule

by Christopher Gates on Feb 3, 2012 7:00 PM CST in NFL

If you're one of the folks that has a cable television provider that does not carry the NFL Network, you might want to consider switching here before too long. Why? Because if you don't, you're going to find yourself missing even more NFL games starting next season.

The NFL has announced that they are expanding the Thursday Night Football schedule starting next season, and the majority of those Thursday Night games are going to be on the NFL Network. More specifically, there will be 15 Thursday night contests during the 2012 season, and 13 of them will be on the NFL Network. Those games will take place from Week 2 to Week 11, and from Week 13 to Week 15. Weeks 16 and 17 will not feature Thursday Night football.

The regular season will open on a Thursday night, with whichever team wins the Super Bowl hosting the game. There will also be a Thursday night game in Week 12, which is Thanksgiving Week. Both the NFL Kickoff game and the Thanksgiving Night game will be on NBC. This is a switch from the past couple of years, when the Thanksgiving triple-header was handled by FOX, CBS, and the NFL Network.

Two important things coming out of this, according to the NFL's release on the subject. The first is that all 32 NFL teams will play in at least one prime-time game in 2012. Not sure that that's ever happened before. The other one is the NFL's declaration that "every club will play on one Thursday following a Sunday game."

I don't ever recall the Vikings being on Thursday Night Football on the NFL Network since its inception, but it appears that they will certainly be on it this year. . .unless they wind up playing a game on Thanksgiving, I suppose.

EDIT: It has been pointed out to me that Tarvaris Jackson's first start was, indeed, on Thursday Night Football in a game at Lambeau Field. So, the Vikings have been on Thursday Night Football before. My apologies for that slipping my mind.

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They were on Thursday Night Football in 2006

But it was so terrible, you’re better off not remembering it.

by John_Locke on Feb 3, 2012 7:08 PM CST reply actions

Ugh...

Against the Packers. What a waste of an evening. T-Jack’s first start, Fred Smoot scoring the only touchdown…

I don’t think we crossed the 50 yard line the whole night.

Oh memories…

The night is always darkest before the dawn.

by Doc.Smith on Feb 3, 2012 7:15 PM CST up reply actions

Yep

We held GB to nothing but FGs.. As I recall, we lost 7-9, didn’t we? What a snoozefest that was.

by REVENGE4KLUWE on Feb 3, 2012 7:43 PM CST up reply actions

One of the games I went to

was in a box at Lambeau and was meant to be favre’s last game!!! we only got 3 first downs the whole game and i remember crying when they won!!!!! but it was def on a thursday as had been at the metrodome on the sunday to watch us loose to the jets!

The biggest Viking fan in the UK!!!

by UK Viking on Feb 4, 2012 7:21 AM CST up reply actions

I think so.

Chilly’s kick ass offense was in high gear that night.

The night is always darkest before the dawn.

by Doc.Smith on Feb 4, 2012 7:46 PM CST up reply actions

Was that a Thursday night game?

Now that I think about it. . .you’re right. I’ll change the article to reflect that.

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by Christopher Gates on Feb 3, 2012 9:17 PM CST up reply actions

anyone know how the thursday night games will be affected if we go to 34 teams?

by statue_left on Feb 3, 2012 8:05 PM CST via iPhone app reply actions

are people

are fan clamoring for Thursday games all season? I know the reasoning behind it is for the NFL Network to get on some cable systems so the NFL can collect more carriage fee cash (its kind of scary on what some companies charge to be on cable ESPN gets something like over $4 per subscriber, whether you watch the channel or not). People will watch because the NFL cant do anything wrong right now (it seems), but it seems be closing in on over saturation (Sun, Mon, Thurs now). People better be on their toes when it comes to Fantasy Football, only a couple a days to optimize roster moves

Myself, unless the Vikings are playing I dont really care for Thursday night NFL.

by DedicatedFollowerOfFashion on Feb 3, 2012 10:09 PM CST reply actions

The NFL is high in demand,

but I think they also want every team to get at least one prime time game every year.

However you did hit the nail on the head, It’s all about the Benjamins.
The NFL is obviously in favor of having more games played on their own network.

by chaosg on Feb 3, 2012 11:28 PM CST up reply actions

I wonder how long it will be, until all the games are shown exclusively on the NFL channel.

by vking1 on Feb 4, 2012 2:00 PM CST reply actions

I don't know if we'll see that.

The NFL makes huge bank from the television contracts. I don’t think selling advertisements for games exclusive to their network could even come close to filling that void.

The night is always darkest before the dawn.

by Doc.Smith on Feb 4, 2012 7:44 PM CST up reply actions

I could care less

if the Vikings are on Thursday night. Before I subscribed to NFL Game Rewind I had to depend on the networks and I was happy the Vikings were NOT on Thursdays but that also meant I couldn’t watch the Vikings every single week but this past season I subscribed to Rewind and although I saw them have one of their worst seasons, I was able to see every Vikings game which is a dream come true for this die hard Purple fan.
Will subscribe again for the 2012 season. Go Vikings

by PaulMax1957 on Feb 5, 2012 5:28 AM CST reply actions