Skip to main content
Bills Central

Do Bills Play on Thursday Night Football Again This NFL Season?

The Buffalo Bills have already played two fo the seven total standalone games on their regular season schedule. When will they next appear in primetime?
Sep 24, 2026; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA;  General view of Thursday Night Football logo on a tv camera
Sep 24, 2026; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of Thursday Night Football logo on a tv camera | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buffalo Bills are fresh off a captivating Monday Night Football appearance in which their showstopper of a quarterback carried them to an overtime victory in front of 19.8 million viewers on ESPN platforms.

With the Josh Allen-led Bills having established themselves as appointment television for NFL fans across America, all of the league's broadcast partners naturally want their fair share.

"Are the Bills going to be one of the teams that are at or near the max in terms of prime time games and national television appearances? Yeah, as long as that guy is your quarterback. Yeah," said NFL VP of broadcast planning Mike North via the It's Always Gameday in Buffalo Podcast.

When it comes to Prime Video's Thursday Night Football package, which is kicking off Week 6 by featuring the Denver Broncos hosting the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on October 15, the Bills have already made their lone scheduled appearance.

Josh Allen
Sep 17, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) is interviewed after the game against the Detroit Lions at New Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Buffalo hosted the Detroit Lions on September 17 in the Prime Video season opener. The Bills' high-scoring 41-31 victory was the first-ever regular season game in Highmark Stadium history.

Even though the game is not part of Amazon's package, the Bills will host one more Thursday night matchup this season. Buffalo is set to welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to Orchard Park for a Thanksgiving primetime show on November 26. Despite being on a Thursday, the holiday game, which begins at 8:20 p.m. ET, is part of NBC's Sunday Night Football franchise.

The official Week 12 Thursday Night Football show will actually unfold on Black Friday, November 27 with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Broncos for a 3 p.m. kickoff.

Josh Allen
Nov 2, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Ashton Gillotte (97) tackles Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) in the second quarter | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bills' remaining primetime exposures

Including the Thanksgiving matchup, the Bills have five more standalone features remaining this season. They'll all come after the Week 7 bye.

Buffalo returns to Monday Night Football in Week 9, visiting the Minnesota Vikings on November 9.

Then, after hosting the Chiefs for a NBC holiday special, the Bills will make a true Sunday Night Football appearance in Week 14 when they visit the Green Bay Packers on December 13.

Six days later, the Bills will host the Chicago Bears in a Saturday night game at Highmark Stadium. It'll kick off at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.

Josh Allen
Sep 17, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs to score a touchdown | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Finally, Buffalo ends its primetime obligations in Week 16 with a Christmas Day special on Netflix. The Bills visit the Broncos in a rematch of last January's divisional round game. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. on December 25.

We wrote about the personal dilemma that Allen faces as a result of the Christmas Day assignment.

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Published
Ralph Ventre
RALPH VENTRE

Ralph, a former college football conference administrator, brings 20+ years of media experience to Buffalo Bills ON SI. Prior to focusing on the Bills, he spent two years covering the New York Jets. Ventre initially joined the ON SI family in 2021, providing NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for NFL Draft Bible on FanNation. Ventre remains as an official voter for the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the annual legacy awards. The Fordham University graduate is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.