NFL announces Saturday tripleheader for Week 16, featuring Bucs, Cardinals, Dolphins
The day after Christmas is traditionally for returning gifts that you don’t really want, but this year the NFL wants it to be about wall-to-wall football.
The NFL announced on Monday a Week 16 tripleheader that will feature games with potential playoff implications. If you’re worn out from all the ho, ho, ho-ing and Merry Christmas-ing, the NFL has given you the perfect reason to stay on the couch for nearly 12 hours on Dec. 26.
The day will start at 1 p.m. ET with a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions, played in Detroit. The Lions, of course, aren’t really in the running for any kind of playoff spot (though players may still be celebrating the firing of head coach Matt Patricia), but the Buccaneers are trying to catch the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South or secure a wild-card spot.
An NFC West contest is up next at 4:30 p.m., with the San Francisco 49ers traveling to play the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are desperately trying to hold on to some of the heat from their hot start to remain part of the playoff conversation. The Niners, who are finally getting some of their injured players back on the field, haven’t given up on their playoff dreams, but at the very least could play spoiler to a Cardinals team in a must-win situation.
To close out the day at 8:15 p.m. the Miami Dolphins will take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. The Dolphins and young QB Tua Tagovailoa are playing to secure their first playoff berth since 2009, while the Raiders’ hopes of ending their 18-year playoff drought are growing dimmer by the week.
The 1 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. games will both be broadcast on NFL Network. The 4:30 p.m. game will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch, but will also be shown on local networks.
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