Bet On Thursday Night Football
Thursday Night Football didn’t become a weekly thing until 2012 (although it started in 2006), but today, NFL fans can’t live without it. And neither can those who like to bet on the NFL.
The teams that play on Thursday Night often have a short week of practice, which can affect performance. That, in turn, can make betting on Thursday Night Football a little trickier, as team and player performance is often harder to predict. For those who can handicap football well, though, it’s an opportunity.
Now that there’s online sports betting in Tennessee, you can use your own NFL insight to bet on Thursday Night Football right from your home. On this page, you can find the latest Thursday Night Football odds and how to take on the challenge of betting TNF here in Tennessee.
What are the odds for this week’s Thursday Night Football game?
Here’s a look at the best current odds for the upcoming Thursday Night Football game at the top TN sportsbooks:
Who’s playing Thursday Night Football?
The NFL tries to make sure no team is forced to play more than one Thursday Night Football game per season. The league wants to ensure teams don’t have to endure the short week of practice required more than once.
The NFL also tries to make sure the Thursday Night Football game is a marquee matchup, worthy of being the lone game on that day and broadcast in primetime.
Here’s a look at the 2020 Thursday Night Football schedule:
| Date | Game | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 10, 2020 | Kansas City Chiefs 34 vs. Houston Texans 20 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Sept. 17, 2020 | Cleveland Browns 35 vs. Cincinnati Bengals 30 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Sept. 24, 2020 | Miami Dolphins 31 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 13 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Oct. 1, 2020 | Denver Broncos 37 vs. New York Jets 28 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Oct. 8, 2020 | Chicago Bears 20 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Oct. 15, 2020 | Kansas City Chiefs 26 vs. Buffalo Bills 17 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Oct. 22, 2020 | Philadelphia Eagles 22 vs. New York Giants 21 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Oct. 29, 2020 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25 at New York Giants 23 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Nov. 5, 2020 | Green Bay Packers 34 vs. San Francisco 49ers 17 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Nov. 12, 2020 | Indianapolis Colts 34 Tennessee Titans 17 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Nov. 19, 2020 | Seattle Seahawks 28 Arizona Cardinals 21 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Nov. 26, 2020 (Note: Played Dec. 2) | Pittsburgh Steelers 19 Baltimore Ravens 14 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Dec. 3, 2020 (Postponed to Dec. 8) | Baltimore Ravens 34 Dallas Cowboys 17 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Dec. 10, 2020 | Los Angeles Rams 24 New England Patriots 3 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Dec. 17, 2020 | Los Angeles Chargers 30 Las Vegas Raiders 27 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
| Dec. 25, 2020 | New Orleans Saints 52 Minnesota Vikings 33 | 8:20 p.m. EST | on FOX/NFL |
When are the Titans playing TNF?
As you can see from the schedule above, the Tennessee Titans played at home against the Indianapolis Colts, Nov. 12, on Thursday Night Football. This was a Week 10 game that had some major AFC South implications as the Colts beat the Titans 34-17. The Titans have no more scheduled TNF games in 2020, but should have at least one or two scheduled each season.
Live betting on Thursday Night Football
The launch of sportsbook apps in Tennessee means you can now bet on live games. In other words, you can bet on live lines during Thursday Night Football games at odds that change with the action.
Live betting is fast-paced betting action allowing you to bet like you did before the game started at odds that are adjusted during the game. Plus, live betting opens up various half and quarter markets and new props based on the action on the field as well.
Live Thursday Night Football betting—or Monday Night Football betting, for that matter—is perfectly suited for sports betting apps because it allows you to lock in bets quickly, from wherever you are inside TN, before the action and the odds change.
Thursday Night Football betting trends & tips
The short week of practice that teams endure before playing on Thursday Night Football means you might have to pay closer attention to the injury reports and how this affects certain teams when you are betting on the game.
Short practice weeks mean players have a shorter time to recover from injuries. It also means it’s harder for teams to implement complicated game plans.
In theory, this should all result in lower scoring games, but that’s not always the case. If you look at the stats, you’ll find some teams have historically handled all this better than others.
Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Dallas all have nine Thursday Night Football wins, tying them for the most in the NFL. Plus, New England has a league-best .875 winning percentage on Thursday Night Football, and Tampa Bay has the lowest Thursday Night Football winning percentage at .250.
Pay attention to these stats and the following betting tips to help improve your own Thursday Night Football winning percentage.
- Bye, bye, bye: Some teams may have had a bye heading into the NFL Thursday Night Football game. That means no short week of practice for them and a clear advantage heading into the game.
- Under the lights: Look at how certain teams and players have performed in night games historically. Some teams and players seem to always shine brightest under the lights and perform well when the entire football world is watching.
- Divisional games: Thursday Night Football often features divisional matchups. These are always hotly contested and often low-scoring affairs that defy traditional stats. Take that into consideration when betting Thursday Night Football divisional games.
What time does Thursday Night Football start?
Tennessee is split into two halves when it comes to time zones. The western half is on Central Time, an hour behind the eastern half, which is on Eastern Time.
That means most Thursday Night Football games kick off at either 8:20 p.m. EST or 7:20 p.m. CST in Tennessee. It all depends on which time zone you live in.
How to watch/stream Thursday Night Football in Tennessee
Thursday Night Football games are broadcast by the NFL Network and FOX.
Amazon Prime is also streaming most of the TNF schedule in 2020. Plus, the games can be found on the internet via NFL.com, the NFL mobile app, and the Yahoo Sports app.
3 Best Titans TNF moments
Here’s a look at the three greatest Titans games in Thursday Night Football history:
Dec. 6, 2018
The Titans were in the wild card race at 6-6. Jacksonville was not.
Derrick Henry ran all over the Jags scoring four touchdowns and amassing a franchise-record 238 yards, including a 99-yard TD romp. The Titans rolled 30-9 and became a legitimate playoff threat.
Oct. 11, 2012
The Titans and Steelers were both two-win teams in an early-season must-win game. Tennessee tied it up with a touchdown in the last five minutes. Then, Titans’ kicker Rob Bironas won it with a 40-yard field goal as time expired.
Dec. 9, 2010
Neither team was very good, but Indy QB Peyton Manning (25/35 for 395 yards and 2 TDs) and Titans QB Kerry Collins (28/39 for 244 yards and 3 TDs) put on a show. Indianapolis won 30-28 staving off a late Titans comeback effort.