How to watch Thursday Night Football for free: live stream Titans vs. Steelers
In case you haven’t heard, Amazon is the exclusive broadcaster of Thursday Night Football games in 2023, with Al Michaels on play-by-play commentary joining analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Kaylee Hartung has sideline reporting duties.
How to watch the NFL’s Thursday Night Football Week 9 of the 2023-2024 season live online for free—and without cable
Both the Titans and the Steelers currently sit precariously in second place in their division (Tennessee in a two-way tie and Pittsburgh in a three-way). Whether they remain there could all come down to their quarterbacks.
The Steelers saw Kenny Pickett leave last week’s game early due to a rib injury. Pickett says he will “for sure” play in this week’s game, but fans will be on the lookout for signs of sensitivity or weakness.
The Titans, meanwhile, saw Ryan Tannehill suffer an ankle injury earlier this season, which meant rookie Will Levis was put in the driver’s seat last week. He turned in an impressive performance, with four touchdowns against the Falcons.
Will Levis continue to steal the show and add to the momentum the Titans have seen over the past few weeks? Or will experience be the critical factor this week?
Here’s a look at how to watch the matchup and what you can expect from Thursday night games tonight and moving forward.
Which NFL teams are playing on Thursdays this season?
Here’s who’s playing where and when. (The home team is listed second.)
Thursday, Nov. 2
Thursday, Nov. 9
Thursday, Nov. 16
Thursday, Nov. 23
Friday, Nov. 24
Thursday, Nov. 30
Thursday, Dec. 7
Thursday, Dec. 14
Thursday, Dec. 21
Thursday, Dec. 28
Can I watch NFL Thursday night games for free on broadcast television?
For the most part, no—though fans who live in Pittsburgh or Nashville will be the exception. Thursday night games are only viewable over the air if you’re in the broadcast zones of the two teams who are playing. If not, you’ll need an Amazon Prime account.
Can I stream NFL Thursday night games live online if I don’t have an Amazon Prime account?
Nope. Amazon has exclusivity to virtually all Thursday night games. (The only exception will be on Thanksgiving.) Other streaming services can’t carry them.
What changes has Amazon brought to 2023 NFL games?
Amazon is using machine learning this season to identify pivotal situations, letting fans read the play and track open receivers in real time. It will also guide viewers how fourth-down decisions are made. Meanwhile, a feature called Field Goal Target Zones overlays multiple lines on the field that show the statistical likelihoods that a kicker will make a field goal.
If you join the game in progress, a Rapid Recap feature lets you catch the action you missed before you jump into the livestream, streamlining the viewing process.
The broadcasts will also feature many of the twists from last year, including overlaying stats and game updates using its “X-Ray” technology, much like it offers information on which actors are in a scene during a film or TV show.
Who is Amazon’s broadcast team?
Al Michaels, who has called both Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football, is in charge of Amazon’s play-by-play calls. Kirk Herbstreit takes on color commentary duties. And an alternate stream for younger audiences, with the YouTube troop Dude Perfect replacing the standard play-by-play and color commentary team, is available.
Does the NFL offer any viewing packages to watch the Thursday night games?
The NFL App will let you stream games that are being broadcast locally in your market as well as any played in prime time.
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How to watch Thursday Night Football for free: live stream Titans vs. Steelers
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- Thursday Night Football live stream quick links:
- How to watch for free
- Thursday Night Football schedule
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Week 9 of the 2023 NFL schedule kicks off with a Thursday night duel between the Tennesee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams have put up middling results and still looking to find their identity, but there’s still plenty of time to make a late run and squeak into the playoffs. We’ll show you how to watch Thursday Night Football for free in this guide.
- Read more:How to watch NFL games without cable
- More football:How to watch Monday Night Football | How to watch Sunday Night Football
In case you haven’t heard, Amazon is the exclusive broadcaster of Thursday Night Football games in 2023, with Al Michaels on play-by-play commentary joining analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Kaylee Hartung has sideline reporting duties.
Amazon Prime subscribers can tune in on the web and smart devices as part of their membership, with a special Prime Vision broadcast available that shows analysis, statistics, and real-time game insights using the power of AI. You can also watch for free online via Twitch, and if you live in one of the markets of the teams playing, you can tap into local broadcasts via Fox.
Thursday Night Football live stream quick links:
- Access on Amazon Prime internationally via ExpressVPN (try it risk-free for 30 days)
- USA: Prime Video on Twitch (free) | Amazon Prime Video ($14.99 monthly or $139 annual Prime membership) | NFL+ ($6.99 monthly, mobile devices only)
- Watch on Fox in local markets via Sling Blue (
$40$20 for your first month) - When: Pre-game coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. GMT / 7 a.m. AWST (Friday).
How to watch Thursday Night Football from anywhere
If you’re in the US, Thursday Night Football streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United States. The latest game will always air on Amazon’s TNF page. Thursday Night Football also simulcasts on the Prime Video Twitch channel for free. Navigate to the page during the game’s airtime, and you’ll be set. Pre-game coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET, with Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Richard Sherman offering insights and analysis. Kickoff starts promptly at 8:15 p.m. ET.
The Twitch stream is your best bet if you’d rather not pay and don’t mind the detour. It’ll show the full broadcast, from pre-game to the final whistle.
If you’re outside of the US, then a VPN can help unlock these streaming options. This tool lets you trick sites into thinking you’re visiting from within a supported country. However, your best bet for TNF seems to be Prime Video. We were able to get a UK Prime subscription to show last week’s game when putting a VPN on. Twitch, on the other hand, was able to detect our VPNs, and we couldn’t access the live feed internationally – that’s super rare as we can usually access any site via a VPN from anywhere.
Do you have a Prime membership outside of the US, but don’t have a VPN? There’s a fantastic offer on the best VPN we’ve tested. Insiders have been using ExpressVPN for years for streaming and beefing up our online security. You can pick up Express VPN, save 49% on the usual price, and get three months for free. If you’re unsatisfied, there’s a hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Want to know more about the app? We’ve got you covered with a detailed ExpressVPN review.
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In the US, if you’d rather tune in via Prime Video, you’ll need an Amazon Prime subscription, which costs $14.99 monthly or $139 yearly after a free 30-day trial. Once signed up, head back to Amazon’s Thursday Night Football page to tune in. You can also catch the game from Amazon Prime Video apps on smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, streaming sticks, and gaming consoles.
NFL+ is a viable alternative. For $6.99 per month, you’ll have access to all local and prime time NFL games on smartphones and tablets. That rules out devices like laptops and gaming consoles, but there are ways to connect your mobile devices to your TV to mirror whatever’s playing. Look into HDMI cables designed for smartphones or an Apple TV to stream your iPad or iPhone to your TV using AirPlay.
There’s one last option for viewers living in the cities of the two teams playing. Fox broadcasts Thursday Night Football locally in both markets, so you can tune in using an over-the-air antenna, your cable service, or a live TV streaming service like Sling Blue.
How to watch Thursday Night Football for free
Twitch is usually freely accessible for everyone, but if you live outside the US, you may encounter restrictions watching Thursday Night Football on the Prime Video channel. You might be able to watch the game through subscription services like Amazon Prime Video. We’ll show you how to access these options internationally using a VPN ahead.
- Sign up for a VPN if you don’t have one.
- Install it on the device you’re using to watch the game.
- Turn it on and set it to a US location.
- Go to Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime.
- Watch Titans vs. Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
- Pre-game coverage starts: 7 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. GMT / 7 a.m. AWST (Friday).
Thursday Night Football schedule
Here’s a list of all upcoming Thursday Night Football games for the 2023 NFL season. The broadcast starts each week with pre-game commentary at 7 p.m. ET before the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.
- Week 8: Buccaneers at Bills, Oct. 26 (free on Twitch)
- Week 9: Titans at Steelers, Nov. 2 (free on Twitch)
- Week 10: Panthers at Bears, Nov. 9 (free on Twitch)
- Week 11: Bengals at Ravens, Nov. 16 (free on Twitch)
- Black Friday Football: Dolphins at Jets, Nov. 24 (free on Twitch)
- Week 13: Seahawks at Cowboys, Nov. 30 (free on Twitch)
- Week 14: Patriots at Steelers, Dec. 7 (free on Twitch)
- Week 15: Chargers at Raiders, Dec. 14 (free on Twitch)
- Week 16: Saints at Rams, Dec. 21 (free on Twitch)
- Week 17: Jets at Browns, Dec. 28 (free on Twitch)
Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.
Quentyn Kennemer is a career tech journalist and reporter and currently writes as an editorial fellow for Insider Reviews. A devout tech-head whose entire life story surrounds the matter, he also loves escaping to fascinating new worlds through video games. In addition to Insider, Quentyn has written and edited for top publications like Forbes, Consumer Reports, Digital Trends, and more.
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