As always, this week's slate of NFL games will include plenty of prime-time action. But Week 15 will kick off with a bigger, broader slate, as not one but three different Saturday games will take place even before Sunday's full schedule.
That's right. From Saturday afternoon to Saturday night, the NFL will dominate the football airwaves.
Why, exactly, are there three Saturday games occurring like this? And how can you tune in? Here's all you need to know:
How to watch
| GAME | TIME | TV | STREAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings at Bengals | 1 p.m. ET | NFL Network | fubo |
4:30 p.m. ET | NFL Network | fubo | |
| Broncos at Lions | 8:15 p.m. ET | NFL Network | fubo |
Why are there three Saturday games?
The primary reason is that college football is finally subsiding. Typically, NCAA games dominate the Saturday schedule, but now that we've reached a point where only select bowl games are on the broadcast slate, the NFL is free to fill the void with games of its own. And it makes sense, considering Saturdays mark the middle of winter weekends -- the time when, theoretically, more families and/or football fans will be looking for games to watch.
Two other factors in the equation: There is a federal law -- the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 -- that prohibits the NFL from televising games within a certain vicinity of live high school or college games, so as not to diminish potential attendance at the latter events. Now that most high school and college schedules have winded down, there is more flexibility on the NFL's part. Also, all 32 NFL teams have now had their bye weeks, creating more game slots for each week's schedule.
