It’s time for another edition of “Thursday Night Football,” and once again, two playoff contenders will be doing battle in a critical interconference clash.
The Bills will be hosting the Buccaneers as each team looks to put a disappointing loss into the rearview mirror.
Buffalo came into the season with Super Bowl aspirations but has posted a record of just 4-3 on the season. While the Bills beat the Dolphins in impressive fashion in Week 4, Buffalo has struggled to keep that positive momentum amid injuries to key defensive playmakers Tre’Davious White and Matt Milano.
Most recently, the Bills were defeated by Mac Jones’ Patriots 29-25 on the road. The Patriots entered the game against the Bills on a three-game losing streak during which they scored just 20 points. Buffalo’s banged-up defense couldn’t slow down that passing attack, nonetheless, so the unit will have its work cut out for it against Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers have actually exceeded expectations thus far in 2023, posting a record of 3-3 in their first six games while showing off a top-10 scoring defense. Baker Mayfield has been surprisingly effective as a starter and has been able to effectively distribute the ball to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin throughout the year.
So, what’s Tampa Bay’s issue? Well, the Bucs don’t run the ball well, and Mayfield tends to struggle under pressure. That’s part of the reason they lost 16-13 against the Falcons, as Mayfield was sacked three times during that contest.
Buffalo has the pass-rushing presence needed to rattle Mayfield, but the Buccaneers could take advantage of the Bills’ injury-ravaged back seven. That could set this contest up to be a closer one than most would anticipate.
POWER RANKINGS: Where Buccaneers, Bills rank among best teams in NFL
Here’s how you can catch the Week 8 “Thursday Night Football” game on Amazon Prime.
What time is the NFL game tonight?
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 26
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET (7:15 p.m. CT)
The NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” tilt featuring the Buccaneers and Bills will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET. That will be the uniform start time for all of Amazon Prime’s “TNF” contests for the 2023 NFL season.
Neither Tampa Bay nor Buffalo will have a body-clock advantage in this game, however. Both teams normally play in the Eastern time zone, so the local start time of the game will also be 8:15 p.m.
What channel is Thursday Night Football on tonight?
- TV channel (Tampa Bay): WTVT (Channel 13)
- TV channel (Buffalo): WKBW (Channel 7)
- Live stream: Amazon Prime Video | DAZN (in Canada)
“Thursday Night Football” will be broadcast by Amazon Prime during the 2023 NFL season and beyond. The streaming giant purchased the exclusive rights to the program ahead of the 2022 season, so NFL fans who want to watch “TNF” nationally over the next decade must subscribe to Amazon Prime.
Of course, the NFL is still broadcasting the games so those in the local area markets of the teams playing on “Thursday Night Football” can see the contests without subscriptions. In Tampa Bay, Fox affiliate WTVT (Channel 13) will carry the game while WKBW (Channel 7), an ABC affiliate, will have the contest in the Buffalo market.
Amazon’s broadcast team of Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color commentary) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) will be on the call for Thursday’s game. The trio is in their second season together as a broadcast unit but have plenty of experience thanks to the 78-year-old Michaels’ extensive résumé.
Meanwhile, Charissa Thompson will serve as the leader of a star-studded studio crew that will host the pregame, halftime and postgame coverage. She will be joined by a quartet of former players-turned-analysts — Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, Andrew Whitworth and Ryan Fitzpatrick — on that portion of the program.
Marshawn Lynch will also be a part of Amazon’s coverage with his pregame show segment “N Yo City.” The segment consists of the former Seahawks star performing an activity in or around the host city to show fans what that geographic region is like.
Notably, Lynch’s visit to Pennsylvania’s Amish country, as broadcast in Week 2, captured the attention of NFL fans everywhere.
“Y’all Amish people think y’all slick, man.”
Marshawn Lynch learned how to milk a cow 😅 pic.twitter.com/7MxL9MTU8s
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 15, 2023
Lynch’s Week 6 trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, along with Pat Mahomes Sr., also drew praise from audiences.
The duo you didn’t know you needed.
Pat Mahomes Sr. and Marshawn Lynch visit the @NLBMuseumKC on the latest edition of ‘N Yo’ City. pic.twitter.com/mAPiKv2sWB
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) October 12, 2023
Viewers in Canada will not have to have Amazon Prime to access “Thursday Night Football” in 2023. They will be able to watch the games on DAZN.
NFL live stream for Thursday night game
- Live stream: Amazon Prime
Those looking to stream “Thursday Night Football” during the 2023 NFL season will need a subscription to Amazon Prime in order to do so. The streaming service will be the exclusive home of the program for the next decade and only those in the participating teams’ local markets will be able to access the games using traditional, over-the-air TV broadcasts.
NFL schedule Week 8
The Bills vs. Buccaneers game will be an intriguing start to Week 8 as each team looks to come off a loss to a divisional rival. Buffalo will be looking to avoid dropping to .500 as the season midpoint draws nearer, so this will be an important game as the Bills look to get back on track following their upset loss to the Patriots.
For the second consecutive week, there is no NFL international game on Sunday morning, so “Sunday Night Football” will be the only stand-alone game that day. The Week 8 matchup between the Bears and Chargers may not be as spicy as the Eagles-Dolphins clash of titans, but both Matt Eberflus and Brandon Staley are on the hot seat. That means each will be coaching desperately as they try to retain their jobs in a matchup that is a bit light on defense.
Like the “TNF” game, “Monday Night Football” features a couple of teams coming off losses, as the Lions and Raiders were blown out by the Ravens and Bears respectively last week. Detroit will be looking to bounce back to further solidify its lead in the NFC North while Las Vegas will look to claw back to .500 while potentially getting starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back.
The Sunday main slate has a couple of strong-looking matchups on paper. The Jaguars and Steelers will do battle in a clash of playoff hopefuls i nthe early window while the Bengals and 49ers square off in what could be a Super Bowl preview — provided that Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins were able to get healthier during the Cincinnati bye week.
Below is the full schedule for Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season.
Week 8
- Thursday, Oct. 26
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills | 8:15 p.m. ET | Amazon Prime |
- Sunday, Oct. 29
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| New York Jets at New York Giants | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks | 4:05 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers | 8:15 p.m. ET | NBC |
- Monday, Oct. 30
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN, ABC |