The teams playing on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 3 appear to be two of the best in the NFC in 2020. Though one team is off to a decidedly better start to the season than the other.
The Packers' offense exploded against the Vikings and the Lions over the first week and led Green Bay to a 2-0 start. The Saints looked sharp in Week 1 against the Buccaneers, but their offense struggled against the Raiders last week and dropped them to 1-1.
MORE: Watch tonight's NFL game live with fuboTV
This typically would be among the greatest challenges road teams in the NFL must face, but because no fans are allowed at the Superdome amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Packers won't have to deal with what otherwise would have been a noisy Saints crowd.
Below is more about the matchup, plus everything to know about how to watch "Sunday Night Football."
Who plays on "Sunday Night Football" tonight?
- Matchup: Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Packers vs. Saints in Week 3 is technically the fourth "Sunday Night Football" broadcast of the season if you include NBC's showing of the Thursday-night season opener in Kansas City. That game was all about the quarterbacks, and this one is no different.
Both Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are on their way to the Hall of Fame, but based on early signs this season, the Green Bay passer at age 36 has much more left physically than Brees at 41.
Rodgers is aiming for his third road game in a row with 300 or more passing yards and two or more passing touchdowns. He and running back Aaron Jones are two of the biggest reasons why the Packers are the fourth team in NFL history with 80 or more points (85) and 1,000 or more net yards of offense (1,010) through the first two weeks of season.
What time is the NFL game tonight?
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
- Kickoff time: 8:20 p.m. ET
All "Sunday Night Football" games in 2020 have the same set start time of 8:20 p.m. ET. There are Sunday night games scheduled for every week of the season except Week 17, though the NFL has the ability to flex a game into a Week 17 SNF window.
While the start times for all "Sunday Night Football" games in 2020 will go unchanged, the matchups might be tweaked.
The NFL has a flex scheduling procedure that allows for "quality matchups on Sunday night in those weeks and gave surprise teams a chance to play their way onto primetime." Here are the key rules for flex scheduling:
— Begins Sunday of Week 5 and in effect during Weeks 5-17
— Up to two games may be flexed into Sunday night between Weeks 5-10
— Only Sunday afternoon games are subject to being moved into the Sunday night window
— The game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night during flex weeks will be listed at 8:15 p.m. ET
— The announcement will come no later than 12 days prior to the game
What channel is "Sunday Night Football" on tonight?
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
All "Sunday Night Football" games in 2020 will broadcast live on NBC. The network's TV rights deal with the NFL gives it all "Sunday Night Football" games as well as the annual Thursday night season-opener, and NBC is given a spot in the Super Bowl broadcast rotation.
NBC's team of announcers features play-by-play man Al Michaels, analyst Cris Collinsworth and sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. However, Michaels this season will be given a few "bye weeks" because his age (75) puts him at a high risk for COVID-19. Veteran broadcaster Mike Tirico will take Michaels' place on those weeks.
Below are the top TV markets in the United States and the NBC affiliate/TV channel for each.
| Market | NBC TV channel (digital) |
| New York | 4 (36) |
| Los Angeles | 4 (36) |
| Chicago | 5 (29) |
| Philadelphia | 10 (34) |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 5 (24) |
| San Francisco/Bay Area | 11 (12) |
| Washington, D.C. | 4 (48) |
| Houston | 2 (35) |
| Boston | 15 (43) |
| Atlanta | 11 (10) |
| Phoenix | 12 (12) |
| Tampa/St. Petersburg | 8 (7) |
| Seattle | 5 (48) |
| Detroit | 4 (45) |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | 11 (11) |
| Miami | 6 (31) |
| Denver | 9 (9) |
| Orlando | 2 (11) |
| Cleveland | 3 (17) |
| Sacramento | 3 (35) |
| Charlotte | 36 (22) |
| Portland | 8 (8) |
| St. Louis | 5 (35) |
| Pittsburgh | 11 (23) |
| Baltimore | 11 (11) |
| Raleigh-Durham | 5 (48) |
| Nashville | 4 (10) |
| San Diego | 39 (40) |
| Salt Lake City | 5 (38) |
| San Antonio | 3 (16) |
| Kansas City | 41 (36) |
| Columbus | 4 (14) |
| Milwaukee | 4 (28) |
| Cincinnati | 5 (35) |
| Las Vegas | 3 (22) |
| Jacksonville | 12 (13) |
| Oklahoma City | 4 (27) |
| New Orleans | 6 (43) |
| Memphis | 5 (5) |
| Buffalo | 2 (33) |
NFL live stream for "Sunday Night Football"
Because NBC broadcasts all "Sunday Night Football" games, they are available to stream on all of the network's online platforms. This should be the preferred method for those who have a cable/satellite subscription but can't get in front of a TV.
For cord-cutters, there are plenty of live streaming options for "Sunday Night Football." Below are all of them.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| NBC Sports | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| NFL App | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Yahoo! Sports App | No | Yes | - | - |
| fuboTV | No | No | $60/month | Yes |
| AT&T TV Now | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Sling TV | No | No | $30/month | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $65/month | Yes |
"Sunday Night Football" schedule
Including the Thursday night NFL season-opener that was presented by NBC's "Sunday Night Football" crew, there are 17 SNF games on the 2020 schedule.
Before flex scheduling impacts the matchups, here is the complete "Sunday Night Football" schedule for 2020.
| Week 1 | Sept. 10 (Thur.) | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans |
| Sept. 13 | Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys | |
| Week 2 | Sept. 20 | Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots |
| Week 3 | Sept. 27 | New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers |
| Week 4 | Oct. 4 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles |
| Week 5 | Oct. 11 | Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings |
| Week 6 | Oct. 18 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams |
| Week 7 | Oct. 25 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Las Vegas Raiders |
| Week 8 | Nov. 1 | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys |
| Week 9 | Nov. 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints |
| Week 10 | Nov. 15 | New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens |
| Week 11 | Nov. 22 | Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs |
| Week 12 | Nov. 29 | Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears |
| Week 13 | Dec. 6 | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos |
| Week 14 | Dec. 13 | Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Week 15 | Dec. 20 | Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers |
| Week 16 | Dec. 27 | Green Bay Packers vs. Tennessee Titans |
| Week 17 | Jan. 3 | TBD |