One of the weirdest "Thursday Night Football" matchups of every year comes the week after Thanksgiving. What's so strange about it? Usually, two of the six teams that played on the holiday will face off in a second consecutive Thursday game. It's the only time each year that happens, as Thanksgiving is the only day that multiple teams play on Thursday.
So, both teams are coming off equal rest. As such, there's no competitive rest advantage for either side. That will make this matchup a strong one, and so will the improving health of both of the teams playing.
The visiting team played on Thanksgiving without its top two receivers, but CeeDee Lamb (concussion) seems likely to return this week. That will provide the Cowboys with a bit of a boost. However, they are dealing with a COVID outbreak among their staff, so Mike McCarthy won't coach in this one. That could hurt Dallas, especially since they're playing in a tough location.
The Superdome has proven to be a hostile environment for opposing teams in recent years. The Saints may be struggling, but they are expected to make a quarterback change and will be getting some key pieces back from injury on offense. That includes running back Alvin Kamara, and he could be a difference-maker in this matchup.
Below is everything to know about Thursday night's matchup, plus everything you need to know to watch the first Week 13 game of the 2021 NFL season.
MORE: Watch Cowboys at Saints live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Who plays on 'Thursday Night Football' tonight?
- Matchup: Cowboys at Saints
- Location: Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans, La.
The Cowboys (7-4) are traveling to New Orleans to face the Saints (5-6) on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 13. Both teams lost on Thanksgiving, as the Cowboys fell in overtime 36-33 against the Raiders while the Saints were shellacked by the Bills 31-6.
Dallas has been one of the league's best offenses this year, but it has lost three of its last four games. The Cowboys' lone win came against the Falcons, and now they're going to have to navigate some difficult waters on Thursday night.
CeeDee Lamb seems ready to return from a concussion that held him out last week, but Amari Cooper (COVID) is still questionable. Meanwhile, Mike McCarthy and some other members of the coaching staff have tested positive for COVID, and they will miss the game. That could prove problematic for Dallas depending on which coaches can play.
The silver lining for Dallas is that the Saints have struggled of late. They have lost four consecutive games and have been banged up during them. The team is hoping running back Alvin Kamara can return this week along with the team's right tackle, Terron Armstead. That would give the offense some extra punch.
That said, the biggest change could come at the quarterback position. New Orleans may look to trust Taysom Hill after giving Trevor Siemian that backup job following Jameis Winston's season-ending injury. Siemian has struggled immensely and Hill battled for the starting job during camp. He hasn't played much in recent weeks because of a foot injury, but if he does play, his mobility will make him more of a weapon than Siemian.
Both teams need to win here. The Cowboys need one to stay in the race for the No. 1 seed and to keep distance between themselves and the surging Washington Football Team. The Saints need to win to stay in the Wild Card race.
What time is the NFL game tonight?
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 2
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
The Cowboys vs. Saints game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET. That's the same time that all "Thursday Night Football" games will begin throughout the 2021 NFL season. Pregame coverage of the event will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on both NFL Network and Fox. NFL Network will also air "TNF First Look" on game day starting at 3 p.m. ET.
Streamers will be able to watch the game via Amazon Prime or by using fuboTV, which comes with a seven-day free trial.
Meanwhile, viewers in Canada can watch the game on DAZN free with a 30-day trial.
What channel is 'Thursday Night Football' on tonight?
"Thursday Night Football" will continue to be simulcast on both Fox and NFL Network. The two networks will each show a broadcast featuring Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call, and that will continue for the rest of the 2021 NFL season. Viewers will also be able to stream the game using Amazon Prime.
Most United States cable providers carry the NFL Network. It also is available via satellite provider DirecTV (channels 212 and 1212) and IPTV providers Verizon FiOS (channels 88 and 588) and Google Fiber (channel 2019).
NFL live stream for Thursday night game
Streamers will be able to view "Thursday Night Football" for free with a cable subscription by using either the NFL App or the Yahoo! Sports App. You must enter cable/satellite subscription credentials to access it.
Meanwhile, cord-cutters will have plenty of options to watch Cowboys vs. Saints. They are as follows.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| NFL App | No | Yes | - | - |
| Yahoo! Sports App | No | Yes | - | - |
| DirecTV Stream | No | No | $69.99/month | No |
| fuboTV | No | No | $60/month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Sling TV | No | No | $30/month | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $65/month | Yes |
NFL Week 13 schedule
The Saints vs. Cowboys game will kick off Week 13 of NFL action. Both of the teams in action played, and lost, on Thanksgiving with the Cowboys falling in overtime against the Raiders and the Saints getting blown out by the Bills. New Orleans is planning to start Taysom Hill this week — if healthy — so that could change things up a bit for them.
The other prime-time games in Week 13 will be some intriguing divisional clashes. The Broncos are set to the take on the Chiefs in a "Sunday Night Football" game that was flexed into prime-time ahead of the Seahawks-49ers. The Chiefs (7-4) lead the other three teams in the AFC West by one game and will look to keep it that way while the Broncos battle for their first win in their last 11 tries against the Chiefs.
"Monday Night Football" will feature the Patriots and Bills playing in Buffalo. This game will determine which team has the inside track to first place in the AFC East, though there are two Patriots-Bills matchups remaining this year.
Elsewhere, the Cardinals return from bye to take on the Bears while the 0-10-1 Lions look for their first win at home against the Vikings.
Below is the full schedule for Week 13 of the 2021 NFL season.
Week 13
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Cowboys at Saints | 8:20 p.m. ET | Fox/NFLN/Amazon |
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Giants at Dolphins | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Colts at Texans | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Vikings at Lions | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Eagles at Jets | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Cardinals at Bears | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Chargers at Bengals | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Buccaneers at Falcons | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Washington Football Team at Raiders | 4:05 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Jaguars at Rams | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Ravens at Steelers | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 49ers at Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Broncos at Chiefs | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Patriots at Bills | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Most of the marquee matchups on the 2021 NFL schedule will be broadcast in prime-time TV slots. Thursday, Sunday and Monday night games are all nationally televised, so when putting together the schedule on a yearly basis, they usually get their pick of the crop of the NFL's games.
That's not to say that every game will be among the best matchups of the week. Nobody can predict the parity-driven NFL that well on a year-to-year basis. But at the very least, the prime-time schedule is chock full of appetizing games, provided that each team lives up to their potential and can avoid injury.
Per usual, Fox and NFL Network will carry "Thursday Night Football," NBC will continue to broadcast "Sunday Night Football" and ESPN continues its second decade of airing "Monday Night Football."
This year, the Packers, Bears, Saints, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Cowboys and Colts all have the most prime-time games. They'll appear in five each. The Cowboys also earn the rare distinction of playing in three different games on Thursday (counting Thanksgiving), two of which will be broadcast on Fox and one that will be broadcast on NBC.
Below is the complete prime-time TV schedule for the 2021 NFL season, with start times and channels for every Thursday, Sunday and Monday night game.
MORE: Watch NFL prime-time games live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
'Thursday Night Football' schedule 2021
- Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- TV channel: Fox, NFL Network
- Live stream: Amazon Prime, fuboTV
Fox will carry "Thursday Night Football" games for the 2021 NFL season. It will mark their last year as the Thursday night broadcast, as Amazon will retain exclusive rights to the program starting in 2022.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will once again be the top tandem for Fox's broadcast while Amazon Prime will offer a live stream online with an alternate broadcast team of Andrea Kramer and Hannah Storm on the call. TNF games can also be streamed via fuboTV, which offers a seven-day free trial.
| Week | Date | Matchup | TV channel |
| 2 | Sept. 16 | Washington Football Team vs. New York Giants | NFL Network |
| 3 | Sept. 23 | Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers | NFL Network |
| 4 | Sept. 30 | Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | NFL Network |
| 5 | Oct. 7 | Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 6 | Oct. 14 | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | NFL Network |
| 7 | Oct. 21 | Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 8 | Oct. 28 | Arizona Cardinals vs. Green Bay Packers | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 9 | Nov. 4 | Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 10 | Nov. 11 | Miami Dolphins vs. Baltimore Ravens | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 11 | Nov. 18 | Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 12 | Nov. 25 | New Orleans Saints vs. Buffalo Bills | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 13 | Dec. 2 | New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 14 | Dec. 9 | Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 15 | Dec. 16 | Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 16 | Dec. 23 | Tennessee Titans vs. San Francisco 49ers | NFL Network |
| 16 | Dec. 25 (Saturday) | Green Bay Packers vs. Cleveland Browns | Fox, NFLN, Amazon |
| 16 | Dec. 25 (Saturday) | Arizona Cardinals vs. Indianapolis Colts | NFL Network |
'Sunday Night Football' schedule 2021
- Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: NBC Sports, fuboTV
For the 15th straight year, NBC will be showing "Sunday Night Football." Al Michael and Cris Collinsworth will be on the call and will have a chance to broadcast some of the best weekly NFL matchups. SNF games can be streamed on NBCSports.com or via fuboTV, which offers a seven-day free trial.
| Week | Date | Matchup |
| 1 | Sept. 9 (Thur.) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys |
| Sept. 12 | Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears | |
| 2 | Sept. 19 | Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs |
| 3 | Sept. 26 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers |
| 4 | Oct. 3 | New England Patriots vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 5 | Oct. 10 | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills |
| 6 | Oct. 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks |
| 7 | Oct. 24 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts |
| 8 | Oct. 31 | Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys |
| 9 | Nov. 7 | Los Angeles Rams vs. Tennessee Titans |
| 10 | Nov. 14 | Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs |
| 11 | Nov. 21 | Los Angeles Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 12 | Nov. 28 | Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns |
| 13 | Dec. 5 | Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers |
| 14 | Dec. 12 | Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears |
| 15 | Dec. 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints |
| 16 | Dec. 26 | Washington Football Team vs. Dallas Cowboys |
| 17 | Jan. 2 | Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings |
| 18 | Jan. 9 | TBD |
'Monday Night Football' schedule 2021
- Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: ESPN app, fuboTV
ESPN has been the home of "Monday Night Football" since 2006, and for the first time in a while the network will be keeping its broadcast team together. Steve Levy, Louis Riddick and Brian Griese will enter their second year as the MNF broadcasters as part of a three-man booth. "Monday Night Football" games can be streamed via the ESPN app or through fuboTV, which offers a seven-day free trial.
| Week | Date | Matchup |
| Week 1 | Sept. 13 | Las Vegas Raiders vs. Baltimore Ravens |
| Week 2 | Sept. 20 | Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions |
| Week 3 | Sept. 27 | Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles |
| Week 4 | Oct. 4 | Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders |
| Week 5 | Oct. 11 | Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts |
| Week 6 | Oct. 18 | Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills |
| Week 7 | Oct. 25 | Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints |
| Week 8 | Nov. 1 | Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Giants |
| Week 9 | Nov. 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Chicago Bears |
| Week 10 | Nov. 15 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams |
| Week 11 | Nov. 22 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Giants |
| Week 12 | Nov. 29 | Washington Football Team vs. Seattle Seahawks |
| Week 13 | Dec. 6 | Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots |
| Week 14 | Dec. 13 | Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams |
| Week 15 | Dec. 20 | Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings |
| Week 16 | Dec. 27 | New Orleans Saints vs. Miami Dolphins |
| Week 17 | Jan. 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns |