close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Who plays on Sunday Night Football? Game, start time for week 6
news

Who plays on Sunday Night Football? Game, start time for week 6

play

NBC presented a historic rivalry game in Week 5 of the “Sunday Night Football” schedule. Week 6 won’t have the same history, fans will get a chance to see at least one desperate team in action.

The Cincinnati Bengals are fighting to avoid a 1-5 start, which would make it extremely difficult for them to compete for a postseason berth. They are fresh off a disappointing 41-38 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a game in which Cincinnati twice led by 10 points in the fourth quarter before losing in overtime.

The New York Giants want to block the Bengals’ path back to AFC contention. New York was blown away by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, but has gone 2-2 in the four weeks since. Their losses were by a single score each, while their wins over the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks were considered upsets.

A Giants win would send shockwaves through the NFL and could push the Bengals into seller territory before the NFL trade deadline. As such, this ‘SNF’ battle could have a ripple effect in the NFL.

NFL COACHING HOT SEAT: Who’s on notice after Jets fire Robert Saleh?

Here’s everything you need to know about the ‘Sunday Night Football’ game for Week 6.

Who’s playing on Sunday Night Football tonight?

  • Match up: Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants
  • Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

The Bengals (1-4) travel to New Jersey to take on the Giants (2-3) in a must-win game for Cincinnati.

The Bengals got off to another slow start under Zac Taylor, but it stuck around after the first few weeks of the season. Cincinnati’s offense was great, with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins shining in Week 4 against the Ravens, but the Bengals’ defense was one of the worst stopping units in the NFL.

Lou Anarumo’s defense has been generally solid during his tenure, but Cincinnati entered Week 6 putting up the second-most points per game in the NFL (29) and seventh-most yards per game (365.4). Part of the problem is the cumulative effect of some key defensive losses in recent seasons (DJ Reader, Jesse Bates, Chidobe Awuzie). Still, the Bengals will have to contend with a Giants offense that has a strong performance against the Seahawks.

NANCY ARMOR: Aaron Rodgers has made it hard to believe anything he says

The Giants surprised many with their victory in Seattle. Many expected Daniel Jones to struggle to move the ball without his top receiver, Malik Nabers, available. Instead, Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton provided quality outings, while Tyrone Tracy Jr. Collected 129 rushing yards in place of a broken down Devin Singletary.

If Jones and Co. If they can keep moving the ball consistently, New York might be able to keep this game close. The Giants have a dominant pass rush led by Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the outside and Dexter Lawrence on the interior. Lawrence already has six sacks this season and claims he is the NFL’s best defensive lineman in the post-Aaron Donald era.

As such, it won’t be easy for Burrow and the Bengals to improve to 2-4 on the season and try to keep pace in the early days of the AFC wild-card race. And if the Giants can pull off a second straight upset, Brian Daboll will suddenly have his team at .500 and dreaming of a possible playoff berth.

Still, it’s worth noting that all of the Bengals’ losses in 2024 were by six points or fewer. At some point, you would expect the tables to turn and Cincinnati to finish games in a way that has thus far eluded them in 2024.

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Date: Sunday October 13
  • Time: 8:20 PM ET

“Sunday Night Football” begins at 8:20 PM ET in Week 6, the typical start time for most of NBC’s NFL broadcasts during the 2024 NFL season. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color analyst) and Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) will call the Giants-Bengals game.

NBC will also begin showing its pregame show, “Football Night In America,” at 7 p.m. ET. Maria Taylor will host the program alongside NBC talent including Jason Garrett, Tony Dungy, Devin McCourty and Matthew Berry.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Which channel is Sunday Night Football on tonight?

“Sunday Night Football” will air on NBC in 2024, just as it has since the network bought the rights to the program in 2006.

Cord cutters can still watch the game via NBC’s streaming service Peacock or Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Every now and then we recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate commission. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently and this does not impact our reporting.