The "Thursday Night Football" matchup for Week 11 is going to be one that fans are familiar with. It's a rematch of Super Bowl 51, and while the interconference rivalry isn't played that often, it has extra meaning when it is played.
The visiting squad for "TNF" was the one that won the Super Bowl. They famously made the NFL's largest Super Bowl comeback after trailing 28-3 in the late stages of the third quarter. However, the Patriots' offense looks a lot different than they did five years ago, as Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are in Tampa Bay, Julian Edelman is retired and James White is on IR.
The home team looks quite different as well. In fact, one of the only constants has been their quarterback, Matt Ryan. He is playing under an entirely new coaching staff that features Arthur Smith, and even Ryan's long-time counterpart Julio Jones is no longer with the team.
The Falcons and Patriots are both in the thick of the wild card race, and the Patriots are barely trailing the Bills for the lead in the AFC East. This game will be important in determining playoff positioning given the crowded nature of the AFC — 12 teams have records of .500 or better — and the mad scramble for the final two Wild Card spots in the more polarized NFC.
Below is everything to know about Thursday night's matchup, plus everything you need to know to watch the first Week 10 game of the 2021 NFL season.
MORE: Watch Patriots at Falcons live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Who plays on 'Thursday Night Football' tonight?
- Matchup: Patriots at Falcons
- Location: Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
The Patriots (6-4) are traveling to Atlanta to face the Falcons (4-5) on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 11. New England is coming off a 45-7 thrashing of the Browns at Gilette Stadium and with a win can put pressure on the first-place Bills, who have a record of 6-3.
New England relies heavily on its rushing attack to carry its offense. They run the ball 44.3 percent of the time, which is good for the ninth-highest rate in the NFL. The question for Thursday night is about whether Rhamondre Stevenson will carry the load again or if Damien Harris (concussion) will be able to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and play.
The Patriots' defense has played well this season, so if they can pressure Matt Ryan like the Cowboys did last week, they'll have a good chance to shut down Atlanta. That will take some pressure off Mac Jones, who is playing on a condensed week for the first time during his rookie season.
As for the Falcons, they are looking to bounce back off a 36-3 loss at the hands of the Cowboys. They were helpless to stop Dak Prescott and the Cowboys' offense last week, but their offense couldn't get anything going at all. Cordarrelle Patterson is going to be out with an injury, so the Falcons will need to rely on Kyle Pitts and Russell Gage to key their offense. Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman will replace Patterson in the backfield.
Atlanta is also looking to avoid its first back-to-back losses since Weeks 1 and 2 of the season. A win would tie them with the Panthers for the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff picture going into the weekend.
What time is the NFL game tonight?
- Date: Thursday, Nov. 18
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
The Patriots and Falcons will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET, the same time that all "Thursday Night Football" games are set to begin during the 2021 NFL season. Pregame coverage of the event will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on both NFL Network and Fox. NFL Network will also air "TNF First Look" on game day starting at 3 p.m. ET.
Streamers will be able to watch the game via Amazon Prime or by using fuboTV, which comes with a seven-day free trial.
Meanwhile, viewers in Canada can watch the game on DAZN free with a 30-day trial.
What channel is 'Thursday Night Football' on tonight?
- TV channels: Fox | NFL Network
- Live stream: Amazon Prime | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
"Thursday Night Football" will continue to be simulcast on both Fox and NFL Network. The two networks will each show a broadcast featuring Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call, and that will continue for the rest of the 2021 NFL season. Viewers will also be able to stream the game using Amazon Prime.
Most United States cable providers carry the NFL Network. 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
Streamers will be able to view "Thursday Night Football" for free with a cable subscription by using either the NFL App or the Yahoo! Sports App. You must enter cable/satellite subscription credentials to access it.
Meanwhile, cord-cutters will have plenty of options to watch Patriots vs. Falcons. They are as follows.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| NFL App | No | Yes | - | - |
| Yahoo! Sports App | No | Yes | - | - |
| DirecTV Stream | No | No | $69.99/month | No |
| fuboTV | No | No | $60/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 |
NFL Week 11 schedule
The Falcons vs. Patriots game will be the first game to kick off in Week 11. The Super Bowl 51 rematch will take place on "Thursday Night Football," and the Falcons will look to have their revenge on the Patriots at home in Atlanta.
The other prime-time games might not be as exciting as the Patriots-Falcons game, but they carry some playoff implications. The Steelers will face the Chargers on "Sunday Night Football" in a game that could go a long way toward determining one of the three AFC Wild Card spots.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers will look to bounce back off two consecutive losses to the Saints and Washington. They'll play the Giants on "Monday Night Football" for the second straight season. The Giants gave the Bucs trouble on "Monday Night Football" last year, so it could prove a tough test for Tampa Bay.
The biggest game of the week will be the interconference matchup between the Chiefs and the Cowboys. Both Kansas City and Dallas are coming off big wins, but now, the two explosive offenses will face off at Arrowhead Stadium. This should be another good litmus test for the Chiefs, who appeared to snap out of their season-long funk against the Raiders on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 10.
Below is the full schedule for Week 11 of the 2021 NFL season.
Week 11
- Thursday, Nov. 18
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Patriots at Falcons | 8:20 p.m. ET | Fox/NFLN/Amazon |
- Sunday, Nov. 21
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Saints at Eagles | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Dolphins at Jets | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Washington Football Team at Panthers | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Colts at Bills | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Lions at Browns | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| 49ers at Jaguars | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Texans at Titans | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Packers at Vikings | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Ravens at Bears | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Bengals at Raiders | 4:05 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Cardinals at Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Cowboys at Chiefs | 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Steelers at Chargers | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
- Monday, Nov. 22
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Giants at Buccaneers | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN |
