Of the teams playing on "Thursday Night Football" tonight, neither is expected to be a contender in the AFC or even in its own division. But the fact that it's only Week 3 means both the Dolphins and the Jaguars are, at least internally, preserving hopes of reaching their goals in 2020 despite 0-2 and 1-1 starts, respectively.
This is an all-Florida matchup between the team that has most been connected to the concept of tanking over the last couple years and the team many believe are doing the same beginning this season. Yet Jacksonville won its first game and nearly beat Tennessee last week, reaffirming that Jaguars players and coaches aim to win every game regardless of the organization's long-term plans.
MORE: Watch tonight's NFL game live with fuboTV
Miami appears to be in a bit of a transition year, with first-round draft pick and future starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa temporarily riding the bench behind veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. Despite the perceptions of both of these teams, neither has been a pushover thus far in 2020.
Below is more about the Week 3 "Thursday Night Football" matchup and how to watch it.
Who plays on Thursday night football tonight?
- Matchup: Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars
- Location: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
This is technically the second "Thursday Night Football" game of the 2020 season since the Thursday night NFL season-opener was presented on NBC with the network's Sunday night crew. For Dolphins vs. Jaguars and for the next couple weeks, NFL Network will be the exclusive home for Thursday night games.
Unless Tagovailoa sees the field Thursday night, Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew will be the headliner. He is the reason Jacksonville has been a bit of a surprise early in 2020.
Minshew passed for 339 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for a 92.7 rating last week. In Week 3, he is aiming for his third home game in row with 3 or more touchdown passes and a rating of 100 or better. The sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft is one of three quarterbacks in the NFL (Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson) with a rating of 115 or better and a completion percentage of 75 or better this season (min. 20 attempts).
What time is the NFL game tonight?
- Date: Thursday, Sept. 24
- Kickoff time: 8:20 p.m. ET
All Thursday night games throughout the 2020 NFL season will start at 8:20 p.m. ET, though the TV viewing options (more on those below) will change in a couple weeks.
Thursday night's game in Jacksonville is Miami's only prime-time game on its 2020 schedule, though the Dolphins do have a TBD kickoff time against the Raiders in Week 16.
Likewise, this is the only prime-time game on the Jaguars' 2020 schedule. With the exception of a late-afternoon kickoff in Week 8 against the Chargers in Los Angeles, the rest of Jacksonville's games this season are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
What channel is "Thursday Night Football on tonight?
- TV channel: NFL Network
- Live stream: fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
For now, NFL Network is the exclusive TV home of "Thursday Night Football" and the only channel that will show Dolphins vs. Jaguars. That will be the case for all Thursday night games through Week 4.
Beginning in Week 5, all "Thursday Night Football" games will broadcast live on cable network Fox in addition to NFL Network. That simulcast setup will be in place through Week 16.
NFL Network is available via most cable providers in the United States. It also is available via satellite provider DirecTV (channels 212 and 1212) and IPTV providers Verizon FiOS (channels 88 and 588) and Google Fiber (channel 2019).
NFL live stream for Thursday night game
Because Thursday night's game in Jacksonville will be shown exclusively by NFL Network, the live stream options are limited. More will become available for "Thursday Night Football" in Week 5, when the games will start being simulcast on Fox.
Below are all of the live streaming options for "Thursday Night Football" in 2020.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| Fox Sports Go (Starting in Week 5) | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Amazon Prime Video (Starting in Week 5) | No | No | $8.99/month | No |
| NFL App | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Yahoo! Sports App | No | Yes | - | - |
| fuboTV | No | No | $60/month | Yes |
| AT&T TV Now (Not Weeks 2-4) | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV (Not Weeks 2-4) | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Sling TV | No | No | $30/month | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $65/month | Yes |
NFL Week 3 schedule
Dolphins vs. Jaguars on Thursday night kicks off a complete week of 16 NFL games, with perhaps the matchup of the year, Chiefs vs. Ravens, on Monday night bookending Week 3.
Sunday's slate of Week 3 NFL games also features some big-time matchups. The Cowboys will head to Seattle for a late-afternoon matchup against the Seahawks, and the "Sunday Night Football" game this week is a big one between the Packers and Saints in New Orleans.
Below is the complete schedule for Week 3 of the 2020 NFL season.
Thursday, Sept. 24
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Dolphins at Jaguars | 8:20 p.m. | NFL Network, fuboTV |
Sunday, Sept. 27
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Bears at Falcons | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Rams at Bills | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| WFT at Browns | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Titans at Vikings | 1 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Raiders at Patriots | 1 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| 49ers at Giants | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Bengals at Eagles | 1 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Texans at Steelers | 1 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Jets at Colts | 4:05 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Panthers at Chargers | 4:05 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Lions at Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Buccaneers at Broncos | 4:25 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Cowboys at Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Packers at Saints | 8:20 p.m. | NBC, fuboTV |
Monday, Sept. 28
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Chiefs at Ravens | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV |