The moment NFL fans have been waiting for quite a while has finally come. Regular season NFL football is back, and per usual, the Super Bowl winner is in action against another high-quality team to begin the season.
The Rams will open up the 2022 NFL season at home fresh off their first Lombardi Trophy win since 2000. They will play host to the Bills, who have designs on winning their first Super Bowl this season.
Buffalo enters the year as the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl 57. The team has a strong offense — highlighted by the Josh Allen-to-Stefon Diggs connection — and one of the deepest defenses in the league. They are expected to give Los Angeles a run for its money in Week 1.
The Rams look a bit different than the team that won Super Bowl 56. Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth retired, pass rusher Von Miller joined the Bills in free agency, and Odell Beckham Jr. and Robert Woods are no longer with the team. Still, they have plenty of talent and a top-tier quarterback/receiver connection of their own in Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp.
MORE: Watch Bills vs. Rams live with fuboTV (free trial)
The Bills vs. Rams contest should be a tightly contested season opener that tells us which of these two teams is better positioned to contend the season. Below is everything to know about how to watch that contest as well as the rest of the NFL schedule as Week 1 gets underway.
What time is the NFL game tonight?
- Date: Thursday, Sept. 8
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
The Bills vs. Rams game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET. That will mark the official beginning of the 2022 NFL season.
The first Thursday night NFL game is at the same time that all of the NFL’s Thursday night games will kick off during the 2022 NFL season. Pregame coverage of the contest will begin at 7 p.m. ET on NBC with the network’s “NFL Kickoff 2022” program.
What channel is Thursday Night Football on tonight?
Thursday night’s NFL game will be broadcast on NBC as part of the network’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast package. That may be a little confusing to some, as the game will be taking place on Thursday night, but it will be branded as a “Sunday Night Football” broadcast.
Mike Tirico will serve as the play-by-play announcer for the Bills vs. Rams contest — his first game since replacing the legendary Al Michaels in that role — while Cris Collinsworth will serve as the in-game analyst. Melissa Stark will be NBC’s sideline reporter for 2022, replacing Michele Tafoya.
Week 1 will be the only time that NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast team televises a game on Thursday night. Streamers will be able to watch the contest using NBC’s streaming service Peacock or fuboTV, which comes with a free trial.
Meanwhile, viewers in Canada can watch the game on DAZN.
NFL live stream for Thursday night game
Streamers will be able to view the Thursday night game 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, NFL+ is limited to live local broadcasts and primetime games. Streamers can access other features with the NFL’s new streaming service as well, including NFL Network programming and game replays of each contest.
Cord-cutters will have plenty of options to watch Bills vs. Rams. They are as follows.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| NFL App | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Yahoo! Sports App | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| NFL+ | No | No | $9.99/month | Yes |
| DirecTV Stream | No | No | $49.99/month | Yes |
| fuboTV | No | No | $69.99/month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $69.99/month | Yes |
| Sling TV | No | No | $35/month | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $54.99/month | Yes |
NFL schedule Week 1
The Bills vs. Rams contest will kick off the NFL season in Week 1 and it is expected to be one of the best games of the week. After all, it features the reigning Super Bowl champion playing this year’s favored Super Bowl winner, so it could turn into an offensive slugfest.
The other two prime-time games are also exciting. The Cowboys and the Buccaneers will square off in Week 1 for the second consecutive season as both look to challenge for division titles in 2022.
On “Monday Night Football,” Russell Wilson will play his first game with the Broncos … against his former team, the Seahawks, in Seattle. It will surely be an emotional cap to Week 1 for the 33-year-old quarterback.
Baker Mayfield also gets to square off against his former team when the Panthers take on the Browns in a 1 p.m. ET game on Sunday. That may be the most intriguing of the non-prime-time games, though many will be interested to see how Trey Lance does in his first game since being named the full-time starter during the offseason.
Below is the full schedule for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.
Week 1
- Thursday, Sept. 8
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Bills vs. Rams | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
- Sunday, Sept. 11
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Saints vs. Falcons | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Browns vs. Panthers | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| 49ers vs. Bears | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Steelers vs. Bengals | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Eagles vs. Lions | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Colts vs. Texans | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Patriots vs. Dolphins | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Ravens vs. Jets | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Jaguars vs. Commanders | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Chiefs vs. Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Raiders vs. Chargers | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Packers vs. Vikings | 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Giants vs. Titans | 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Buccaneers vs. Cowboys | 8:20 p.m. ET | CBS |
- Monday, Sept. 12
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos vs. Seahawks | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN/ABC |