Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills is the Thursday night game this week, and it kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET.
The broadcast lives on Prime Video, which means how you watch it has almost nothing to do with your cable package and almost everything to do with whether you hold an Amazon account, an antenna, or neither.
Here is every route into the game, sorted by what it costs you.
The game is at Highmark Stadium, on Thursday, September 17.
The short answer
Thursday night games belong to Amazon. There is no national broadcast channel for this one, so an antenna alone will not find it in most of the country.
The exception is the two home markets: Thursday night games are simulcast on a local broadcast station around Detroit, Michigan and Buffalo, New York, which puts the game on an antenna at no cost in those two regions. Check your local listings on game day before you assume either way.
Outside those markets the realistic options are a Prime membership, a live TV bundle that carries the Prime Video channel, or NFL+ if you are content to watch on a phone. Each one is broken down below.
Kickoff time where you are
| Time zone | Kickoff |
|---|---|
| Eastern | 8:15 p.m. |
| Central | 7:15 p.m. |
| Mountain | 6:15 p.m. |
| Pacific | 5:15 p.m. |
Prime Video, the national home of Thursday night
Amazon holds the Thursday night package, and the game streams inside Prime Video on phones, tablets, browsers, consoles and every major connected television.
A Prime membership runs about $15 a month, and new members get a 30-day free trial that covers four to five Thursday nights if you start it early in the season.
Two practical notes. First, the trial is one per customer, so it will not be waiting for you again next year. Second, write the trial end date on your calendar the same day you sign up: Prime renews automatically, and a forgotten renewal is the most common way people pay for football they meant to watch free.
Open the Sports tab inside Prime Video about thirty minutes before kickoff and set a reminder on the game card. Pregame coverage starts around 7:45 p.m. ET.
Every route in, and what it costs
| Route | Carries this game? | Cost | Where it plays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antenna, home markets only | Yes, around Detroit, Michigan and Buffalo, New York | $20-$40 one time | Television |
| Prime Video | Yes, nationally | About $15/mo, 30-day trial | Any device |
| NFL+ | Yes | About $7/mo | Phone and tablet only |
| Live TV bundle | Yes, through the Prime channel | $60-$90/mo | Any device |
| Free NFL app | No, coverage and highlights only | $0 | Any device |
The antenna route, and why it keeps winning
A $25 indoor antenna pulls CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC out of the air in most of the country, with no account attached to it and no monthly line on your card.
Those four networks carry the large majority of the season between them, so one purchase covers most weekends for as long as the antenna lasts.
Two things decide whether it works where you live: how far you sit from the transmitters, and what stands between you and them. A window facing the towers is usually enough inside a city; further out, an amplified or roof-mounted model earns its price.
The picture is often better than the streamed version of the same broadcast, because nothing is being compressed for a network connection, and it does not buffer in the fourth quarter.
NFL+, and the limit nobody reads first
NFL+ runs about $7 a month and does carry live games, with two conditions that decide everything: phones and tablets only, and only the games local to you plus the primetime windows.
It does not cast to a television. That restriction is the product rather than a fault in it, so if you watch on the big screen this is the wrong purchase.
For a commute, a kitchen counter or a seat in the stadium, it is the cheapest live football there is.
Live TV bundles, and when they actually make sense
A streaming bundle costs $60 to $90 a month and hands you CBS, FOX, NBC and ESPN behind one login, on any device, usually with a cloud recorder attached.
The math only works if you want most of the season. For a single game it is the most expensive route on this page, and every one of these services can be cancelled the week after you stop needing it.
If you are signing up anyway, check which bundle carries your local channels before you pay: the lineup changes by zip code, and the one your neighbour recommends may be missing the affiliate that matters to you.
Before kickoff, in order
- Confirm the carrier on game day rather than assuming it. The league schedule settles it in seconds.
- If a broadcast network has it, try the antenna first. After the one-time cost it is free, and it does not depend on your connection.
- If you are streaming, open the app and sign in early. Logins fail at kickoff, when everyone else is doing the same thing.
- On a phone, NFL+ is the cheapest way in. On a television, it is not an option at all.
- Test it on the device you will actually watch on, not the one nearest to you now.
Questions people ask about this game
What channel is Lions vs Bills on?
There is no national channel. Thursday night football streams on Prime Video, with a local broadcast simulcast in the two home markets.
Can I watch it free?
In the Detroit, Michigan and Buffalo, New York markets, yes, with an antenna. Everywhere else you need a Prime trial, a Prime membership, NFL+ or a live TV bundle.
Do I need cable for this game?
No. An antenna covers the broadcast networks at no recurring cost, and the streaming routes above replace cable entirely for the games they carry.
Will NFL+ put the game on my television?
No. NFL+ plays live games on phones and tablets only, and it does not cast to a big screen.
What if the stream drops in the middle of the game?
Have a second route ready before kickoff. An antenna is the steadiest fallback there is, because it does not depend on your internet connection at all.
Is there a way to watch without signing up for anything?
Only the antenna, and only when a broadcast network carries the game. Every streaming route asks for an account, even the ones with a free trial attached.
Where these details come from
Kickoff time and carrier come from the official league schedule, which is updated when a game moves.
Prices are the rates each service publishes for its own plans, and they change from time to time. Check the current figure on the service page before you subscribe.
Every app, side by side
This page covers one game. If you want the whole picture instead, the main guide compares every app that carries live football, what each one costs, and which of them work on a television rather than only on a phone.