The NFL's Christmas present to its fans is extra days of football. The league is hosting a Saturday doubleheader and a Christmas Day tripleheader in 2023, so there will be at least two games every day from Saturday to Monday.
The bad news? The NFL's Week 16 main slate is set to be the weakest of the season as a result.
There will only be nine games played in the afternoon windows on Sunday. Typically, there is at least a minimum of 10, but the league's unique schedule will set up for a quieter Christmas Eve.
MORE: Watch NFL Week 16 games live with Fubo (free trial)
This week, it's Fox's turn to broadcast in both the 1 p.m. ET and 4:25 p.m. ET slots while CBS will have to choose one game per region throughout the day. As such, Fox has the best draw among the nine games — a Dolphins vs. Cowboys matchup that will be a pseudo-national broadcast in the 4:25 p.m. ET window.
Fox's early slate has another great game in it between two playoff teams. The Vikings will host the Lions as Detroit looks to clinch the NFC North for the first time in team history.
As for CBS, that network will focus mostly on the Browns-Texans game in the early window as its biggest draw. Both teams are in playoff contention and are starting backup quarterbacks, so it will be an important game for the AFC wild-card race at a minimum.
MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 16
Below are the full NFL coverage maps for Week 16, plus a list of major TV markets and the CBS and Fox games that will be presented in each on Sunday.
NFL coverage map Week 16
(NFL coverage maps courtesy of 506sports.com)
- Fox early games
Red: Lions at Vikings
Blue: Colts at Falcons
Green: Packers at Panthers
Gray: No game (Texans enforcing local blackout)
- Fox late game
Red: Cowboys at Dolphins
Blue: Cardinals at Bears
- CBS single game
Red: Browns at Texans
Green: Seahawks at Titans
Yellow: Commanders at Jets
Blue: Jaguars at Buccaneers (LATE)
TV schedule for NFL Week 16 games
Below are the Sunday afternoon games that will be broadcast regionally by CBS and Fox.
CBS coverage
- Browns at Texans (1 p.m. ET)
- Seahawks at Titans (1 p.m. ET)
- Commanders at Jets (1 p.m. ET)
- Jaguars at Buccaneers (4:05 p.m. ET)
Fox coverage
- Lions at Vikings (1 p.m. ET)
- Colts at Falcons (1 p.m. ET)
- Packers at Panthers (1 p.m. ET)
- Cowboys at Dolphins (4:25 p.m. ET)
- Cardinals at Bears (4:25 p.m. ET)
The NFL main slate will have just nine games on Christmas Eve in Week 16. That's thanks to the NFL having both a Saturday doubleheader and a Christmas tripleheader as part of its coverage for the third-to-last week of the season.
The NFL's Sunday night game will be broadcast on NFL Network and will feature the Patriots and Broncos. Since NBC isn't broadcasting the game, it won't be known as "Sunday Night Football;" instead, it will be called the "Holiday Classic."
The Christmas Day tripleheader will begin Monday when the Chiefs host the Raiders at 1 p.m. ET. The Giants and Eagles will do battle at 4:30 p.m. ET in the middle game while the 49ers host the Ravens in a marquee finish to Week 16 at 8:15 p.m. ET.
The other important game on the Week 16 schedule will be played in the 4:25 p.m. ET window on Fox when the Dolphins host the Cowboys. Miami will be looking to win its first game against a team with a winning record while Dallas will attempt to bounce back after a 21-point loss to the Bills in Week 15.
List of Week 16 NFL games by TV market
(TV markets listed in order by size)
| Market | CBS early | Fox early | CBS late | Fox late |
| New York | Commanders at Jets | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Los Angeles | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Chicago | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cardinals at Bears |
| Philadelphia | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Dallas-Ft. Worth | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| San Francisco/Bay area | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Washington D.C. | Commanders at Jets | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Houston | Browns at Texans | No game (local blackout) | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Boston | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Atlanta | — | Colts at Falcons | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Phoenix | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cardinals at Bears |
| Tampa/St. Petersburg | — | Colts at Falcons | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Seattle | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Detroit | — | Lions at Vikings | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | — | Lions at Vikings | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Miami | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Denver | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Orlando | — | Lions at Vikings | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Cleveland | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Sacramento | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Charlotte | — | Packers at Panthers | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Portland | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| St. Louis | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Pittsburgh | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Indianapolis | — | Colts at Falcons | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Baltimore | Commanders at Jets | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Raleigh-Durham | Browns at Texans | Packers at Panthers | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Nashville | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| San Diego | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Salt Lake City | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| San Antonio | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Kansas City | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Columbus | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Milwaukee | — | Packers at Panthers | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Cincinnati | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Las Vegas | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Jacksonville | — | Colts at Falcons | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Oklahoma City | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| New Orleans | — | Colts at Falcons | Jaguars at Buccaneers | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Memphis | Seahawks at Titans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
| Buffalo | Browns at Texans | Lions at Vikings | — | Cowboys at Dolphins |
