It’s just about that time of year. What day does the NFL season start you may wonder? Thursday, September 8 when the Buffalo Bills head to the city with two NFL teams and more specifically they will be playing the Rams and has the potential to be a dandy and most of the betting people are counting it being high scoring and close.

Thursday Night Football became a regular part of the NFL schedule in 2006. Initially reserved for the latter part of the year, TNF has since expanded to become a staple of the weekly NFL slate.

Now that we know when it originated, here are the opening lines for the Bills vs. Rams in NFL Week 1, followed by a look at the rest of this year’s Thursday Night Football schedule and the odds for this year’s games. The odds for the first Thursday night game of the year are the following:

Point spread: Bills -2 (-110), Rams +2 (-110)
Point total: 51.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
Moneyline: Bills -130, Rams +110

While Buffalo has rebuilt their team up to a contender since they were last competitive during the Jim Kelly era, this era’s version of the Bills have yet to make the Super Bowl. Last year, the season came to a close with a heartbreaking playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, a team which will likely be a rival in the years to come.

Josh Allen will be leading the way for the loaded offense once again, while the defense could be even better following the signing of Von Miller. While the Bills do have a legitimate shot at winning the AFC East it would be foolish to say they are going to have an easy road with three competitive teams in their division.

They will have to battle the Dolphins who in addition to having Tua as their quarterback, also have former Alabama teammate Jalen Waddle and also picked up speedster Tyreek Hill in the offseason. The New England Patriots have a lot of question marks this year, especially considering one of their top running backs in James White and cornerback Jason McCourty retired.

The Rams are once again going to be a team with the expectation of returning back to the Super Bowl.. The offense could be even more efficient in year two of the Matthew Stafford era, while the defense has the potential to be one of the league’s best.

The primetime game has shifted around broadcast outlets several times throughout its history. Amazon Prime is now the main home for TNF, but the Week 1 season opener and Thanksgiving night game will be on NBC.

Since 2006, all 32 teams have played multiple times on TNF. The San Francisco 49ers lead the way with 17 appearances through the end of the 2021 NFL season, while the Detroit Lions have appeared the fewest times with three.

Thursday Night Football Schedule

2023 NFL Football Season