The 2026 NFL season is rolling into Week 7, and fans will be eager to see the first matchup of what will officially be the middle third of the campaign.
Naturally, that will lead many to wonder whether there will be a "Thursday Night Football" game tonight, and who will be playing.
The NFL has featured a Thursday game in every week of the 2026 campaign thus far. In Week 1, the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams in the league's inaugural Australia game. It wasn't an official "TNF" game, but that kicked off an exciting slate of Thursday action.
The following week, the Buffalo Bills opened the officially "Thursday Night Football" game with their first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium in a 41-31 win over the Detroit Lions. The Green Bay Packers were then dealt their first home-opening loss since 2012 in a surprising loss to the Atlanta Falcons while Week 4 saw the Cleveland Brownsbriefly take sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Week 5 saw yet another upset, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stunned the Dallas Cowboys with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels quarterbacking the team. And last week, the Denver Broncos earned an overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks in what was a classic "TNF" defensive struggle.
What will Week 7 have in store for NFL fans? Here's what to know about this week's matchup and NFL schedule:
Watch Thursday Night Football with Prime Video
Is there a Thursday Night Football game tonight?
Yes, there is a "Thursday Night Football" game on Oct. 22.
The Chicago Bears are hosting the New England Patriots in the Week 7 edition of "Thursday Night Football." The matchup will feature a matchup between two of the top three picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, and two teams hoping to make a Super Bowl run in 2026.
The matchup is also a rematch of Super Bowl 20, fondly remembered by Chicagoans, especially in the wake of Mike Ditka's recent death.
The Bears and Patriots have each opened the 2026 NFL season with 4-2 records through six weeks. New England got there by notching a three-game winning streak following a 1-2 start – which featured poor performance from Drake Maye, who has since evened out considerably – while Chicago sports a winning record despite Caleb Williams missing three games with a hamstring injury.
Both the Bears and Patriots have blitz-heavy defenses, which could prove impactful in this matchup. Maye has struggled under pressure this season but has actually been very good against the blitz, posting a 102.8 passer rating against it, per Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, Williams has just a 79.9 passer rating against the blitz, so he could struggle against a Patriots defense that ranks sixth in blitz rate, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats.
This week's "TNF" game is scheduled to kick off at its usual 8:15 p.m. ET and will air nationally on Amazon Prime Video. Fans in the local market for each team will be able to watch the game on a local cable network.
Watch Bears vs. Patriots with Prime Video
NFL Week 7 schedule
Here's a look at the Week 7 schedule (all times Eastern):
Thursday, Oct. 22
- New England Patriots at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m. ET (Amazon Prime Video)
Sunday, Oct. 25
- Pittsburgh Steelers vs New Orleans Saints (Paris), 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network)
- San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- New York Giants at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Los Angeles Rams at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)*
Monday, Oct. 26
- Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
Bye week: Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is there a Thursday Night Football game tonight? NFL Week 7 schedule
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