Thursday Night Football - Wikipedia Thursday Night Football This article is about the broadcasts of National Football League games. For those of the Canadian Football League, see CFL on TSN. For the college football broadcasts on ESPN, see ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2016 ) Thursday Night Football Thursday Night Football logo Also known as Run to the Playoffs ( 2006 -- present ) Thursday Night Football on NFL Network ( 2006 -- present ) Thursday Night Football on CBS ( 2014 -- present ) Thursday Night Football on NBC ( 2016 -- present ) Genre NFL football telecasts Presented by Jim Nantz Tony Romo Tracy Wolfson James Brown Bill Cowher Deion Sanders Rich Eisen Marshall Faulk Steve Mariucci Michael Irvin Kevin Harlan Rich Gannon Mike Tirico Cris Collinsworth Kurt Warner Heather Cox Bob Costas Tony Dungy Rodney Harrison Theme music composer Helmut VonLichten ( CBS ) Jimmy Greco ( NBC ) Opening theme `` TNF 32 '' ( CBS ) `` Ca n't Hold Us Down '' ( NBC ) Country of origin United States Original language ( s ) English No. of seasons 11 ( NFL Network seasons ) 3 ( CBS seasons ) 1 ( NBC seasons ) Total : 14 No. of episodes 57 ( games ) Production Location ( s ) Various NFL stadiums ( game telecasts, pregame, halftime and postgame shows ) Camera setup Multi-camera Running time 180 minutes or until game ends ( inc. adverts ) Production company ( s ) National Football League NFL Network ( 2006 -- present ) CBS Sports ( 2014 -- present ) NBC Sports ( 2016 -- present ) Release Original network NFL Network ( 2006 -- present ) CBS ( 2014 -- present ; select games ) NBC ( 2016 -- present ; select games ) Universo via Telemundo Deportes ( 2016 -- present ; Spanish simulcasts on select games ) Amazon Prime Video ( 2017 ; select games ) Picture format 480i ( SDTV ), 1080i ( HDTV ) Original release November 23, 2006 ( 2006 - 11 - 23 ) -- present Chronology Related shows NFL on CBS NFL on NBC The NFL Today Football Night in America NBC Sunday Night Football External links Website www.nfl.com/tnf Thursday Night Football is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League ( NFL ) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights, and occasionally on Saturdays in the later portion of the season. Most of the games kick off at 8 : 25 p.m. Eastern Time. Debuting on November 23, 2006, the telecasts were originally part of NFL Network 's Run to the Playoffs package, which consisted of eight total games broadcast on Thursday and Saturday nights ( five on Thursdays, and three on Saturdays, originally branded as Saturday Night Football ) during the latter portion of the season. Since 2012, the TNF package has begun during the second week of the NFL season ; the NFL Kickoff Game and the Thanksgiving primetime game are both broadcast as part of NBC Sports ' Sunday Night Football contract and are not included in Thursday Night Football, although the Thanksgiving primetime game was previously part of the package from 2006 until 2011. At its launch, the package proved highly controversial mainly due to the relative unavailability of NFL Network at the time ; the league used the games as leverage to encourage television providers to carry NFL Network on their basic service tiers, rather than in premium, sports - oriented packages that required subscribers to pay a higher fee ; although, as with all other national cable telecasts of NFL games, the league 's own regulations require the games to be syndicated to over-the - air television stations in the local markets of the teams. These issues were magnified in 2007, when a game that saw the New England Patriots close out a perfect regular season was simulcast nationally on both CBS and NBC, in addition to NFL Network and the local stations that the game was sold to, following concerns from politicians and other critics. In 2014, production of the Thursday Night Football games was taken over by CBS Sports under a one - year deal. As part of the deal, CBS would carry nine Thursday night games ( which were simulcast on NFL Network ) and lend its primary broadcast team, consisting of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, to cover the remaining Thursday telecasts airing exclusively on NFL Network. In addition, NFL Network extended the length of the Thursday telecasts to Week 16 of the season, and added a new Saturday doubleheader split between CBS and NFL Network. On January 18, 2015, CBS and NFL Network extended the same arrangement for a second season. On February 1, 2016, the NFL announced that CBS and NBC would split the broadcast television portion of the Thursday Night Football schedule for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, with each network broadcasting 5 games per year in simulcast with NFL Network. CBS will air the first 5 games and NBC will air the other 5 games. Additionally, games televised by CBS and NBC are steamed via Amazon 's Prime Video as part of an agreement for the 2017 season. The games are broadcast on radio via Westwood One, which syndicates the broadcasts to its partner radio stations around the United States. It also airs on Fox Sports Latin America, ESPN Brasil and Esporte Interativo. In Canada, it is simultaneously aired on CTV Two and TSN, the former simsubbing the CBS and NBC feeds, while the NFL Network feed is replaced with alternate programming, particularly the Top 10 lists. Contents 1 Background 1.1 Early history 1.2 2014 -- 2015 : partnership with CBS Sports 1.3 2016 -- 2017 : CBS and NBC 2 Coverage 2.1 Game announcers 2.2 Pregame, halftime and postgame coverage 2.3 Radio coverage 3 Game announcers 3.1 Television 3.1. 1 Current 3.1. 2 Former 3.2 Radio 3.2. 1 Current 3.2. 2 Former 4 Results 5 Thursday Night Football all - time team standings 6 Reception 6.1 Carriage 6.2 Game quality and viewership 6.3 Player safety 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Background Early history The NFL Network 's coverage was not the first time that NFL games were covered on Thursday or Saturday. Prior to the new contract, ESPN carried a handful of sporadic Thursday night games ( usually those displaced from Sunday night ) and the broadcast networks used to air several national games on Saturday afternoons in mid-to - late December after the college football regular season ended. Incidentally, the only reason the league is even allowed to televise football games on Saturday night stems from a legal loophole : the league 's antitrust exemption, the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, was written when the NFL regular season ended in mid-December, and as such, it contains specific language that prohibits televising NFL games in most markets on Friday nights and all day on Saturdays between the second week of September and the second week of December, to protect high school and college football. Since most high school and college seasons have ended by mid-December, other than bowl games, there has been little desire to close this loophole, even though the regular season has expanded well beyond mid-December since the law 's passage. In 2005, when the NFL negotiated a new set of television contracts, Comcast - owned OLN offered to pay $450 million for an eight - year contract to carry NFL prime time games. In exchange, Comcast planned to add NFL Network to its digital cable lineup. The channel was added, but NFL Network decided to air the games itself, foregoing a rights fee. The other television deals generated $3.735 billion per year over an eight - year period for CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and DirecTV ( owner of the out - of - market sports package NFL Sunday Ticket ). Thursday Night Football debuted on November 23, 2006, with the Kansas City Chiefs handing the visiting Denver Broncos a 19 -- 10 Thanksgiving defeat. Each of the game broadcasts were titled either Thursday Night Football or Saturday Night Football, depending on the night on which it aired. This format carried over to the 2007 season. Starting in 2008, NFL Network eliminated all but one of the Saturday night games and started their Thursday night package three weeks earlier. This was done to accommodate the earlier schedule and the league 's antitrust exemption that prohibits Saturday games from being held for most of the season. In the following season, all references to Saturday Night Football were dropped, and any games that are not played on Thursday ( such as in 2016, two Christmas weekend games and an NFL International Series game ) have since been branded as `` special editions '' of Thursday Night Football, or Thursday Night Special. The Thanksgiving matchup was moved from NFL Network to NBC 's Sunday Night Football package as part of the new broadcast contract after the 2011 season. During Super Bowl week in 2012, it was announced that the Thursday Night Football package would expand from eight to 13 games and air on NFL Network, again soliciting and rejecting offers from Turner Sports and Comcast. 2014 -- 2015 : partnership with CBS Sports In January 2014, it was reported that the NFL was planning to sub-license a package of up to eight Thursday Night Football games to another broadcaster for the 2014 NFL season. The league had negotiated with its existing broadcast partners, along with Turner Sports. These eight games were to be simulcast by NFL Network, and reports indicated that ESPN planned to place the games on ABC in the event it won the rights, bringing the NFL back to the network for the first time since Super Bowl XL and the move of Monday Night Football to ESPN in 2006. The remaining games would remain exclusive to NFL Network, due to carriage contracts with TV providers requiring at least eight NFL games to air exclusively on the channel per - season. The decision came as the league wished to heighten the profile of its Thursday night games, which had suffered from relatively lower viewership and advertising revenue in comparison to other games. On February 5, 2014, the NFL announced that CBS had acquired the partial rights to Thursday Night Football for the 2014 season. Under the agreement, all of the Thursday Night Football telecasts would be produced by CBS Sports and called by the network 's primary announcing team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. The first eight games of the season were simulcast nationally on NFL Network and CBS ; the remaining games in the package only aired nationally on NFL Network, but per league broadcast polices, were simulcast on local stations in the participating teams ' markets. CBS affiliates were given right of first refusal to air the local simulcast before it is offered to another station ( as had occurred in Cincinnati, Ohio where the market 's NBC affiliate WLWT aired a game between the Bengals and the Cleveland Browns instead of CBS affiliate WKRC - TV ). A Saturday doubleheader was also added on Week 16 : NFL Network aired the early game, while CBS aired the second, prime time game. The NFL considered CBS 's bid to be the most attractive, owing to the network 's overall ratings stature ( CBS had been the highest - rated broadcast network in the U.S. since the 2005 - 06 television season ), a commitment to aggressively promote the Thursday games across its properties, and its plans to utilize CBS Sports ' top NFL talent and production staff across all of the games in the package to ensure a major improvement in quality over the previous, in - house productions. CBS staff also cited experience with its joint coverage of the NCAA Men 's basketball tournament with Turner Sports as an advantage in its collaboration with NFL Network staff, as talent from both networks collaborate on pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage. During the games, a distinct graphics package co-branded with both CBS and NFL Network logos is used, certain players on each team wear microphones, and 4K cameras are used to allow zoom - in shots during instant replays. With the move of selected games to CBS, media executives expected more major match - ups to appear on Thursday Night Football than in previous years in order to attract better viewership ; in the past, Thursday Night Football had been criticized for often featuring games between lesser and poorer - performing teams. CBS and the NFL unveiled the games scheduled for Thursday Night Football in April 2014 ; CBS 's slate of games featured a number of major divisional rivalries, including New York Giants -- Washington, Green Bay -- Minnesota, and its opening game on September 11, 2014, featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. In the wake of the controversy surrounding Ravens player Ray Rice ( who had been removed from the team and suspended from the NFL earlier in the week following the discovery of footage showing the player physically assaulting his wife, Janay, who was engaged to Rice at the time the security camera footage was recorded ), changes were made to pre-game coverage on the first game in order to accommodate additional interviews and discussion related to the incident. Among these changes were the removal of an introductory segment featuring Rihanna ( who was similarly assaulted by fellow performer Chris Brown in 2009 ) performing her song `` Run This Town ''. Following complaints by Rihanna on Twitter regarding the removal, the song was pulled entirely from future broadcasts. The rights were negotiated under a one - year contract valued at $275 million ; on January 18, 2015, the NFL announced that it would renew the arrangement with CBS for the 2015 season, with its value increasing to around $300 million. 2016 -- 2017 : CBS and NBC In November 2015, The Hollywood Reporter reported that in response to the success of the package under CBS, the NFL was planning to negotiate a long - term contract for Thursday Night Football, with CBS, Fox, NBC, and Turner Sports showing interest. The New York Post reported that this deal would also include the sale of a stake in NFL Network itself. On December 16, 2015, it was reported that the NFL was shopping the Thursday Night Football package as a one - year deal with an option for a second year, similarly to the current arrangement with CBS ; the league also requested that bidders outline goals for `` growing '' NFL Network. The league was also reportedly interested in selling non-exclusive digital rights to simulcast the games to another partner, such as Amazon.com, Apple Inc., Google, or Yahoo ! ( which exclusively streamed an International Series as part of a trial during the 2015 season, but would shut down its original video content service in January 2016 ). In January 2016, it was reported that the NFL was considering splitting the Thursday Night Football package across multiple broadcasters in tandem with the possibility of expanding the overall package to 17 games. It was also reported that ESPN and Turner Sports were not interested in the package due to its short - term nature, and that Fox was attempting to outbid CBS. On February 1, 2016, the NFL announced that Thursday Night Football would be shared between CBS, NBC, and NFL Network for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. CBS and NBC will each air five games ( resulting in a schedule of 10 games on broadcast TV in comparison to 8 under the previous deal ), followed by an additional eight games exclusively on NFL Network to satisfy NFL Network 's retransmission consent contracts with cable providers ) ; the eight NFL Network - exclusive games included six Thursday contests, a Sunday morning International Series contest, and a Christmas afternoon game. As with the previous contract, all games will be simulcast by NFL Network. Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the league was `` thrilled to add NBC to the Thursday Night Football mix, a trusted partner with a proven track record of success broadcasting NFL football in primetime, and look forward to expanding with a digital partner for what will be a unique tri-cast on broadcast, cable and digital platforms. '' On April 5, 2016, it was revealed that Twitter had acquired non-exclusive worldwide digital streaming rights to the 10 broadcast television TNF games. The collaboration will also include streaming content on Twitter 's Periscope service, such as behind the scenes access. Rogers Media, who owns television rights to the Thursday Night Football package in Canada through the end of the 2016 season but has not yet acquired digital rights ( the majority of the NFL 's media rights in Canada are owned by Rogers 's rival, Bell Media ), successfully forced Twitter to block the game streams in that country, overriding the league 's insistence that the free stream be global. Due to the streaming deal, over-the - top television providers PlayStation Vue and Sling TV are also required to black out the simulcast of the games on NFL Network. The first game produced by NBC Sports was broadcast exclusively on NFL Network on November 3, 2016, while the first game simulcast nationally on NBC aired on November 17. A cappella group Pentatonix recorded a reworked version of their song `` Sing '' ( `` Weekend Go '' ) to serve as the opening theme song for NBC 's Thursday Night Football telecasts, NBC also commissioned new instrumental theme music by Jimmy Greco, `` Ca n't Hold Us Down '', which was performed by members of the orchestra from the Broadway musical Hamilton. On April 4, 2017, it was announced that Amazon.com had acquired non-exclusive streaming rights to the 10 broadcast television games for the 2017 season over their Amazon Prime Video service, under a deal valued at $50 million, a five-fold increase over the $10 million paid by Twitter. The streams will be exclusive to paid Prime subscribers. The deal includes $30 million worth of promotion. Coverage Game Announcers The initial NFL Network team consisted of HBO Sports ' Bryant Gumbel as play - by - play announcer, NBC Sports ' Cris Collinsworth as the color commentator for the Thursday telecasts, and Dick Vermeil replacing Collinsworth for Saturday telecasts. In 2007, Collinsworth replaced Vermeil alongside Gumbel for all games. Gumbel left the network after the 2007 season and his then - HBO colleague Bob Papa, who is also the radio voice of the New York Giants, was brought in to replace him. Collinsworth stayed on until the end of the 2008 season, then left to take over for the retiring John Madden as lead analyst on NBC Sunday Night Football. NFL Network replaced him with Matt Millen, who returned to broadcasting in 2009, and then added former ESPN analyst Joe Theismann for 2010. For 2011, then ESPN now CBS play - by - play man Brad Nessler took over the Thursday night broadcast. He was joined by NFL Network draft analyst and NBC Notre Dame color man Mike Mayock, and the pairing spent three seasons calling games. As a result of CBS taking over production responsibilities for the Thursday Night Football broadcasts, its number one broadcast team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms took over the broadcast booth. With NBC adding games in 2016, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, the broadcast team of NBC Sunday Night Football, are required under league contract to do the same. NBC had initially hired former Monday Night Football play - by - play man Mike Tirico for Thursdays before the league nixed the idea of any separate broadcast teams for Sunday and Thursday nights. Tirico would eventually call three Sunday Night Football games, including the Thanksgiving night game which is in the SNF package, in order for NBC to allow Michaels over a week 's rest before the end of the season. Tirico would also call the December 22, 2016 TNF game alongside Collinsworth, as well as two NBC - produced Thursday Night Special game broadcasts on December 18 and Christmas Day, respectively, both alongside former USFL and NFL quarterback Doug Flutie. On May 31, 2017, it was announced that Mike Tirico would replace Al Michaels full - time for NBC 's Thursday Night Football games. For 2017, CBS hired Tony Romo as its lead color commentator. Numerous complications needed to be resolved, namely Romo 's reluctance to cover both Sunday and Thursday nights as required under the Thursday Night Football contract, and the fact that Simms remains under contract with CBS through the next several years. However, the network confirmed via press release that Romo 's duties would include Sunday and Thursday games. Pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage Each game telecast is preceded on NFL Network by TNF GameDay, which broadcasts live from the site of each game and currently features Rich Eisen as its host, with Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin and either Marshall Faulk or Kurt Warner as analysts. The show generally begins two hours before game time ( 6 : 00 p.m. Eastern Time ). The game proper is preceded by a pre-game show ; CBS games are preceded by Thursday Night Kickoff, hosted by James Brown, Bill Cowher, and Deion Sanders. NBC games are preceded by Football Night in America ( renamed in reference of the host city of the game, such as Football Night in Tampa ), hosted by Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, and Rodney Harrison. CBS joined Thursday Night Kickoff at 7 : 30 p.m. Eastern Time during its games. This resulted in some controversy among viewers and the producers of syndicated programming in the locally programmed timeslot before network primetime, where the pre-game affects programs such as Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy ! and Entertainment Tonight ( all distributed by CBS 's sister syndication division CBS Television Distribution ), along with several other programs, which then require pre-emption or slotting on lower - profile alternate timeslots or stations to air in markets where they are carried by CBS or NBC affiliates in order to accommodate the Thursday games. Radio coverage Westwood One provides national radio broadcasts of the Thursday Night Football games, with Ian Eagle calling play - by - play, Tony Boselli handling color analysis and Hub Arkush as the sideline reporter. Boomer Esiason, the Monday Night Football analyst for Westwood One, is a regular substitute should Boselli be unavailable due to other commitments ( in some cases, Esiason would call the Thursday night game if he is unavailable for the previous / next Monday night game and / or if the Thursday game is in close proximity to his New York home. ) Game announcers This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2016 ) Television Current Pre-game show Primary James Brown -- CBS Host ( 2014 -- present ) Bill Cowher -- CBS Analyst ( 2014 -- present ) Deion Sanders -- CBS Analyst ( 2006 -- present ) Bob Costas -- NBC Host ( 2016 -- present ) Liam McHugh -- Fill - in NBC Host ( 2016 -- present ) Tony Dungy -- NBC Analyst and Fill - in Color Analyst ( 2016 -- present ) Rodney Harrison -- NBC Analyst ( 2016 -- present ) Secondary Rich Eisen -- Host ( 2006 -- present ) Chris Rose -- Fill - in Host ( 2016 -- present ) Marshall Faulk -- Analyst ( 2006 -- present ) Michael Irvin -- Analyst ( 2011 -- present ) Steve Mariucci -- Analyst ( 2006 -- present ) LaDanian Tomlinson -- Fill - in Analyst ( 2016 -- present ) Willie McGinest -- Fill - in Analyst ( 2016 -- present ) Game coverage Jim Nantz -- CBS Play - by - Play ( 2014 -- present ) Tony Romo -- CBS Color Analyst ( 2017 -- present ) Tracy Wolfson -- CBS Sideline Reporter ( 2014 -- present ) Kevin Harlan -- Fill - in CBS Play - by - Play ( 2014 and 2016 ) ; London, UK and Christmas Eve Special Play - by - play ( 2016 ) Dan Fouts -- Fill - in CBS Color Analyst ( 2014 ) ; London, UK Special Color Analyst ( 2016 ) Rich Gannon -- Fill - in CBS Color Analyst ( 2014 ) ; Christmas Eve Special Color Analyst ( 2016 ) Stacey Dales -- Fill - in CBS Sideline Reporter ( 2014 ) ; London, UK and Christmas Eve Special Sideline Reporter ( 2016 ) Mike Tirico -- NBC Play - by - Play ( 2017 -- present ) ; NBC Host & Fill - in Play - by - Play ( 2016 ) Cris Collinsworth - NFL Network Analyst ( 2006 -- 2008 ) ; NBC Color Analyst ( 2016 -- present ) Kurt Warner -- analyst ( 2010 -- 2011 ) ; Fill - in NBC Color Analyst ( 2017 -- present ) Heather Cox -- NBC Sideline Reporter ( 2016 -- present ) Former Fran Charles -- pre-game host ( 2006 - 2008 ) Jenny Dell -- Fill - in CBS Sideline Reporter ( 2014 ) Ian Eagle -- Fill - in CBS Play - by - Play ( 2014 -- 2015 ) Still calling Thursday Night Football on the Radio Side Alex Flanagan -- sideline reporter ( 2010 -- 2013 ) Doug Flutie -- Fill - in NBC Color Analyst ( 2016 ) Jay Glazer -- pre-game analyst ( 2010 -- 2011 ) Trent Green -- Fill - in CBS Color Analyst ( 2015 ) Bryant Gumbel -- play - by - play ( 2006 -- 2007 ) Tom Hammond -- substitute play - by - play ( 2007 ) Scott Hanson -- sideline reporter ( 2009 ) Kara Henderson -- pre-game host ( 2011 ) Harry Kalas -- sponsorship announcer ( 2006 -- 2008 ; deceased ) Mike Mayock -- color analyst ( 2011 -- 2013 ) Al Michaels - NBC play - by - play ( 2016 ) Matt Millen -- color analyst ( 2009 -- 2010 ) Jim Mora -- pre-game analyst ( 2010 ) Brad Nessler -- play - by - play ( 2011 -- 2013 ) Bob Papa -- play - by - play ( 2008 -- 2010 ) Warren Sapp -- pre-game analyst ( 2008 ) Adam Schefter -- sideline reporter ( 2006 -- 2008 ) Sterling Sharpe -- pre-game analyst ( 2010 -- 2011 ) Phil Simms -- CBS Color analyst ( 2014 -- 2016 ) Pat Summerall -- sponsorship announcer ( 2009 ; deceased ) Joe Theismann -- color analyst ( 2010 ) Dick Vermeil -- Saturday color analyst ( 2006 ) Evan Washburn -- Fill - in CBS Sideline Reporter ( 2015 ) Radio Current Ian Eagle -- play - by - play ( 2008 -- present ) Boomer Esiason -- color analyst ( 2013 -- present ) Select Games Tony Boselli -- color analyst ( 2015 -- present ) Select Games Former Bonnie Bernstein -- sideline reporter ( 2006 -- 2007 ) Randy Cross -- color analyst ( 2009 ) Dick Enberg -- play - by - play ( 2006 -- 2007 ) Dennis Green -- color analyst ( 2007 -- 2008 ) Mike Mayock -- color analyst ( 2014 ) Tim Ryan -- color analyst ( 2015 ) Select Games Sam Wyche -- color analyst ( 2006 ) Results Main article : NFL Network Thursday Night Football results ( 2006 -- present ) Thursday Night Football all - time team standings This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2016 ) This list shows the National Football League teams ' all - time standings in the games they played on Thursday Night Football since 2006. Standings are current as of December 25, 2016. Team Games Played Wins Losses Ties Win Pct. First Appearance Most Recent Appearance Indianapolis Colts 7 7 0 1.000 29 ! November 22, 2007 defeated Atlanta 31 -- 13 10 ! October 8, 2015 defeated Houston 27 -- 20 Kansas City Chiefs 7 5. 714 17 ! November 23, 2006 defeated Denver 19 -- 10 16 ! December 8, 2016 defeated Oakland 21 - 13 Pittsburgh Steelers 9 6. 667 01 ! December 7, 2006 defeated Cleveland 27 -- 7 06 ! December 25, 2016 defeated Baltimore 31 -- 27 New York Jets 7. 571 25 ! November 13, 2008 defeated New England 34 -- 31 29 ! September 15, 2016 defeated Buffalo 37 -- 31 Los Angeles Chargers ‡ 6 5. 833 18 ! December 4, 2008 defeated Oakland 34 -- 7 30 ! October 13, 2016 defeated Denver 21 - 13 Dallas Cowboys 9 7. 778 03 ! December 16, 2006 defeated Atlanta 38 -- 28 12 ! December 1, 2016 defeated Minnesota 17 -- 15 Philadelphia Eagles 7. 571 02 ! November 27, 2008 defeated Arizona 48 -- 20 20 ! December 22, 2016 defeated N.Y. Giants 24 -- 19 New York Giants 7. 571 04 ! December 30, 2006 defeated Washington 34 -- 28 07 ! December 22, 2016 lost to Philadelphia 24 -- 19 San Francisco 49ers 8 5. 625 09 ! December 14, 2006 defeated Seattle 24 -- 14 31 ! October 6, 2016 lost to Arizona 33 - 21 Denver Broncos 9 5. 556 27 ! November 23, 2006 lost to Kansas City 19 -- 10 02 ! October 13, 2016 lost to San Diego 21 -- 13 Atlanta Falcons 7 5. 714 24 ! December 16, 2006 lost to Dallas 38 -- 28 28 ! November 3, 2016 defeated Buccaneers 43 - 28 Chicago Bears 9 5. 444 30 ! December 6, 2007 lost to Washington 24 -- 16 05 ! September 28, 2017 lost to Green Bay 35 -- 14 Baltimore Ravens 9 6. 600 13 ! November 30, 2006 lost to Cincinnati 13 -- 7 14 ! December 25, 2016 lost to Pittsburgh 31 -- 27 Seattle Seahawks 5. 667 11 ! December 14, 2006 lost to San Francisco 24 -- 14 23 ! December 15, 2016 defeated L.A. Rams 24 -- 3 Green Bay Packers 6 5. 883 21 ! December 21, 2006 defeated Minnesota 9 -- 7 09 ! September 28, 2017 defeated Chicago 35 - 14 Arizona Cardinals 5. 600 28 ! November 27, 2008 lost to Philadelphia 48 -- 20 03 ! October 6, 2016 defeated San Francisco 33 -- 21 Washington Redskins 5. 400 12 ! December 30, 2006 lost to N.Y. Giants 34 -- 28 32 ! December 26, 2015 defeated Philadelphia 38 - 24 New England Patriots 6 5. 833 10 ! December 29, 2007 defeated N.Y. Giants 38 -- 35 15 ! September 22, 2016 defeated Houston Texans 27 -- 0 Miami Dolphins 8. 500 06 ! November 19, 2009 defeated Carolina 24 -- 17 24 ! December 17, 2016 defeated N.Y. Jets 34 -- 13 Houston Texans 6. 200 07 ! December 13, 2007 defeated Denver 31 -- 13 17 ! September 14, 2017 defeated Cincinnati 13 - 9 Oakland Raiders 7. 429 08 ! December 23, 2006 lost to Kansas City 20 -- 9 08 ! December 8, 2015 lost to Kansas City 21 -- 13 Cleveland Browns 7 5. 286 22 ! December 7, 2006 lost to Pittsburgh 27 -- 7 18 ! November 10, 2016 lost to Baltimore 28 -- 7 Cincinnati Bengals 8 5. 375 19 ! November 30, 2006 defeated Baltimore 13 -- 7 27 ! December 24, 2016 lost to Houston 12 -- 10 Carolina Panthers 6. 333 31 ! December 22, 2007 lost to Dallas 20 -- 13 21 ! November 17, 2016 defeated New Orleans 23 -- 20 Jacksonville Jaguars 7 5. 286 14 ! December 18, 2008 lost to Indianapolis 31 -- 24 13 ! October 27, 2016 lost to Tennessee 36 -- 22 Tennessee Titans 7 5. 286 16 ! December 25, 2009 lost to San Diego 42 -- 17 19 ! November 19, 2015 defeated Jacksonville 36 - 22 New Orleans Saints 7 5. 286 23 ! December 11, 2008 lost to Chicago 27 -- 24 26 ! November 17, 2016 lost to Carolina 23 -- 20 Buffalo Bills 6. 333 26 ! December 3, 2009 lost to N.Y. Jets 19 -- 13 04 ! September 15, 2016 lost to N.Y. Jets 37 -- 31 Los Angeles Rams †. 500 05 ! December 20, 2007 lost to Pittsburgh 41 -- 24 01 ! December 15, 2016 lost to Seattle 35 -- 11 Minnesota Vikings 6 5. 167 15 ! December 21, 2006 lost to Green Bay 9 -- 7 11 ! December 1, 2016 lost to Dallas 17 -- 15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5. 200 16 ! December 17, 2011 lost to Dallas 31 -- 15 16 ! November 3, 2016 lost to Atlanta 43 -- 28 Detroit Lions 0. 000 16 ! December 3, 2015 lost to Green Bay 27 - 23 16 ! December 3, 2015 lost to Green Bay 27 - 23 † St. Louis Rams, 1995 -- 2015 ‡ San Diego Chargers, 1961 -- 2016 Reception Carriage Upon the original launch of the Thursday and Saturday night games, few television service providers carried the NFL Network due to disputes during the network 's terms in its carriage contracts during negotiations. These disputes were magnified throughout the 2007 season, as two high - profile matchups were to be broadcast by the network. The first was a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers which was scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving and saw both teams at 10 - 1, vying for the top seed in the NFC, and the second was Week 17 Saturday night game between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, where the Patriots had a chance to become the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to end a regular season undefeated. In the first case, fans were displeased that a matchup between two teams at such a critical point in the season was not available on broadcast television except in the Dallas and Green Bay markets. To avoid such a problem with the potential sixteenth victory for the Patriots, CBS and NBC bought broadcast rights to the game so it could be seen by a nationwide audience on both cable and broadcast television. This ended up causing another controversy, however, as the move by the networks infringed on the exclusivity that would normally have been enjoyed by WWOR - TV in New York City and WCVB - TV in Boston, which were the Giants ' and Patriots ' respective local over-the - air broadcasters for cable - televised games ( the game aired on these stations, as well as on WCBS - TV, WNBC, WBZ - TV and WHDH in the teams ' market areas ). Game quality and viewership Thursday Night Football games on NFL Network are among the lowest - rated nationally televised NFL broadcasts. Critics have argued that the games televised on Thursday Night Football have been of lower quality than other prime time games, as they often featured match - ups between lesser or poor - performing teams, and that the shortened rest between games triggered by Thursday games also has an effect on their overall quality. In an analysis by Sports on Earth writer Aaron Roberts, it was determined that most Thursday games were of average or above - average quality in comparison to normal, non-prime time games, but that this was `` by design '' due to the leverage of other NFL broadcasters on how games are scheduled throughout the season ( which traditionally prioritizes `` major '' games for either late - afternoon or Sunday and Monday nights ). The move of selected games to CBS brought improved ratings : the inaugural game was the highest - rated program of the night, with an audience share of 13.7 and an average of 20.7 million viewers, representing a 108 % increase in ratings over the first NFL Network game in 2013. The game, whose ratings were boosted by coverage of the Ray Rice scandal, also brought CBS its highest prime time ratings on a Thursday night since May 2006. While lower, at 9.6 million viewers, the Week 3 game between the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was also the highest - rated program of the night. The first four games of the package, however, featured blowout victories. In total, average viewership of the games increased from around 7 million to around 11.8 million in the 2014 season. Controversy over ratings and the quality of play in Thursday night contests escalated when on November 28, 2016, a report circulated that the league was considering ending the franchise. The NFL, however, denied this rumor. The subsequent game on December 1, 2016 between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings was the highest rated Thursday Night Football of the season. During the 2016 season, current and former players including Richard Sherman, J.J. Watt, and Charles Woodson expressed their dislikes for Thursday Night Football, with Richard Sherman calling it a `` poopfest ''. Player safety As mentioned, a team needing to play a Thursday night game can result in a shortened rest period for players between games. On October 6, 2014, Arian Foster, then of the Houston Texans, made a statement considering it hypocritical for the NFL to emphasize the safety of players ( particularly in regards to concussions ) while allowing its players to play a game on only three days ' rest, which he considered to be equally `` dangerous ''. On January 29, 2015, the NFL released its health and safety report, which states that an average of 4.8 injuries were sustained during Thursday games compared to 6.9 injuries per game on Sundays and Mondays. See also Fox NFL NFL on CBS NFL on NBC NBC Sunday Night Football Monday Night Football References Jump up ^ NBCSports.com ( 2 November 2016 ). `` Listen to NBC Sports ' Thursday Night Football theme music ''. ^ Jump up to : Brian Steinberg ( January 18, 2015 ). `` CBS, NFL Renew Deal For ' Thursday Night Football ' ''. Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 18, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Amazon will stream ' Thursday Night Football ' in 2017. Here 's what you need to know ''. SBNation. Retrieved 5 April 2017. Jump up ^ John Ourand ( January 25, 2009 ). `` Why NFL Network is on the sidelines ''. Sports Business Journal. Retrieved January 27, 2009. Jump up ^ `` N.F.L. Explores New TV Deal ''. The New York Times. January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Sources : NFL Wants Thursday Games Simulcast On NFL Network ''. Sports Business Journal. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Sources : ABC Planning To Bid For Thursday Night NFL Package ''. Sports Business Journal. January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014. Jump up ^ `` NFL Expected to Receive Bids to Air Thursday Games ''. The Wall Street Journal. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` NFL aims to boost network with ' Thursday Night Football ' bidding war ''. New York Post. Retrieved 28 November 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` How CBS won Thursday night ''. Sports Business Daily. Retrieved September 17, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Panthers ' blowout loss sinks TV interest, too ''. Charlotte Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved October 23, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Bengals - Browns game on WLWT - TV on Thursday ''. Cincinnati.com. Gannett Company. November 3, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Rivalries Abound in CBS Thursday Night Football Slate ''. Adweek. Retrieved August 14, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` CBS to broadcast eight Thursday night football games in 2014 ''. CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` CBS to broadcast NFL games on Thursday in 2014 ''. USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved February 5, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` CBS, NFL Network Begin Final Push for Thursday Night Football Launch ''. Sports Video Group. August 21, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Execs expect strong NFL slate for CBS ''. Sports Business Journal. April 7, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Dan Levy. `` Is Thursday Night Football Hurting the NFL Brand ? ''. Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 26, 2014. Jump up ^ Eye on Football staff. `` 2014 NFL Thursday Night Football schedule ''. CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 14, 2014. Jump up ^ `` CBS announces changes to TNF coverage in wake of Ray Rice saga ''. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Ray - Riceless Ravens are playing Pittsburgh tonight. The opening act is Rihanna. ''. The Washington Post. September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Rihanna Dropped From Thursday Night Football After She Slams NFL and CBS ''. Time. September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` NFL Targets Massive Payday in Thursday Night TV Deal ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` NFL Ready To Accept New Bids For Thursday Night Package, Including Streaming Companies ''. Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 16 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Fox Sports in Aggressive Bid to Steal NFL Thursday Night Games from CBS ''. TheStreet.com. Retrieved 13 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Sources : NFL Could Split Up Thursday Night Package Among Multiple Broadcast Networks ''. Sports Business Daily. Retrieved 13 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` CBS & NBC To Share ' Thursday Night Football ' With NFL Network ; League Eyes `` Tri-Cast '' With Digital Partner ``. Deadline.com. Retrieved 1 February 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` NFL reaches deal with CBS, NBC to split ' Thursday Night Football ' ''. Washington Post. Retrieved 1 February 2016. Jump up ^ Brodkin, Jon ( 5 April 2016 ). `` Twitter buys NFL streaming rights for 10 Thursday Night Football games ''. Ars Technica. Conde Nast. Retrieved 5 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Rogers blacks out NFL games on Twitter in Canada ''. Toronto Sun. Retrieved 19 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Canadians will be blacked out from Twitter Inc 's deal to broadcast Thursday night NFL games ''. Financial Post. Retrieved 19 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Surprise ! Thursday Night Football not available for streaming on Sling, PS Vue ''. Awful Announcing. Retrieved 19 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Pentatonix to Sing NFL Thursday Night Football Opening Song ''. Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` NBC gearing up to produce ' Thursday Night Football ' ''. NFL.com. Retrieved 4 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` FIRST LISTEN : Hamilton Orchestra Performs Thursday Night Football Theme Music ''. People. Retrieved 5 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` Amazon 's NFL Deal Includes $30 Million in Free Marketing ''. Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 April 2017. Jump up ^ Raissman, Bob ( August 20, 2016 ). `` Al Michaels, not Mike Tirico, will be calling NFL games on Thursday for NBC ''. New York Daily News. Retrieved August 24, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Syracuse University alum Mike Tirico to call NFL games on NBC ''. Syracuse.com. Retrieved 13 February 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tirico To Call `` Thursday Night Football '' For NBC This Season ``. Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 1 June 2017. Jump up ^ Ourand, John ( April 4, 2017 ). `` Sources : Romo To Land With CBS ; Could Replace Simms As Top Analyst ''. sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved August 8, 2017. Jump up ^ Gantt, Darin ( April 4, 2017 ). `` Phil Simms ' agent : `` Multiple years '' left on contract ``. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 8, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tony Romo Joins CBS Sports as Lead NFL Game Analyst ''. CBS Sports. April 4, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017. Jump up ^ Timothy Burke ( December 12, 2014 ). `` How CBS And The NFL Teamed Up To Screw Wheel Of Fortune And Jeopardy ! ''. Deadspin. Retrieved January 24, 2015. Jump up ^ `` NFL Announcers ''. Westwood One Sports. Retrieved January 4, 2015. Jump up ^ Dusty Saunders ( January 2, 2008 ). `` COMMENTARY : Antitrust threat prompted NFL 's reversal ''. Rocky Mountain News. Arkansas Democrat - Gazette. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2008. Jump up ^ `` By design, Thursday Night Football is merely average. ''. Sports On Earth. Retrieved August 14, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Thursday Night Blights ''. Sports On Earth. Retrieved August 14, 2014. Jump up ^ `` CBS ' ' Thursday Night Football ' Easily Dominates Thursday Ratings ''. Variety. Penske Media Company. Retrieved September 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` ' Thursday Night Football ' ratings up from last year, down from last week ''. SBNation. Vox Media. Retrieved September 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` CBS gets 13.7 rating, up 108 percent, for Ravens - Steelers ''. USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved September 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Bucs Turning Point, Week 3 : Worst Thursday Night Football game ever ''. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Thursday Night Football a mixed bag in the TV ratings ''. Sporting News. Retrieved October 23, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Brian Smith ( October 6, 2014 ). `` Texans ' Arian Foster says NFL Thursday night games are dangerous, hypocritical ''. The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 6, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Thursday Night Football package saw viewer increase this season ''. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 18, 2015. Jump up ^ `` NFL Denies Speculation About ' Thursday Night Football ' Ending Amid Ratings Slump ''. Variety. Retrieved 5 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` TV Ratings : ' Thursday Night Football ' Surges to Season High, CW Crossover Stays Strong ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` Dallas Cowboys Rustle Up Big NFL ' Thursday Night Football ' Numbers ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved 5 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` Why I Hate Thursday Night Football - The Players ' Tribune ''. Jump up ^ `` J.J. Watt : Thursday night games are `` very difficult '' ``. Jump up ^ `` NFL 's Thursday night football : A bad idea here to stay ''. Jump up ^ Wire, SI. `` Richard Sherman rips Thursday Night Football ''. Jump up ^ Darin Gantt ( January 29, 2015 ). `` NFL health and safety report says concussions, ACLs are down ''. Pro Football Talk. Retrieved January 30, 2015. 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Question: who's calling the thursday night football game
Answer: Tony Romo