On paper, the Week 4 "Thursday Night Football" matchup may not look too exciting. However, there is one predominant storyline that could add some extra excitement to this week's game.
Per usual, it's the quarterbacks. More specifically, each of the quarterbacks in this matchup was the No. 1 overall pick in their respective draft classes. They also played against one another in college, and both are surrounded by quality offensive weapons in Cincinnati and Jacksonville respectively.
That's what will make this meeting between the Bengals and the Jaguars so exciting. Both sides have the weaponry needed to make some noise on offense; now, the quarterbacks just have to take advantage of it.
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Either way, this figures to be a bit more explosive than the 24-9 Panthers win last week on "Thursday Night Football."
Below is everything to know about Thursday night's matchup, plus everything you need to know to watch the first Week 4 game of the 2021 NFL season.
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Who plays on 'Thursday Night Football' tonight?
- Matchup: Jaguars at Bengals
- Location: Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
The Jaguars and the Bengals are facing off on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 4. This matchup will be an intriguing one, as it features the last two No. 1 overall picks in the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts.
Joe Burrow will look to lead the Bengals to their third win of the season. He last played Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars' starter, during the LSU vs. Clemson game to determine the winner of the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship. Burrow's LSU squad won 42-25; he threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns.
The Jaguars will hope that Lawrence can avenge that loss and earn Jacksonville its first win of the Lawrence/Urban Meyer era. The Jaguars led 13-7 at halftime against Arizona in Week 3, but they ended up losing the game 31-19. They have been outscored by double digits in every game so far this season.
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What time is the NFL game tonight?
- Date: Thursday, Sept. 30
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
"Thursday Night Football" is scheduled to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET in Week 4's Jaguars at Bengals game. That's the scheduled start time for each Thursday night game over the remainder of the season.
NFL Network will air a pregame show that begins at 7:30 p.m. and plenty of other coverage ahead of the game as well.
What channel is the NFL game on tonight?
- Game: Jaguars at Bengals
- Date: Sept. 30, 2021
- TV channel: NFL Network
- Live stream: fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
Week 4 will mark the final week during the 2021 NFL season that NFL Network exclusively broadcasts the Thursday night game. There will be multiple watch options for "Thursday Night Football" beginning in Week 5.
NFL Network will still carry "Thursday Night Football", but it will come via a shared simulcast with Fox. Additionally, streamers will be able to watch the game live using Amazon Prime. These three services will combine to broadcast the show through Week 17 of the NFL season.
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).
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NFL live stream for 'Thursday Night Football'
NFL Network will exclusively broadcast the first Week 4 contest. Because of that, the game will be available to stream live free on the NFL App and Yahoo! Sports App for those with cable/satellite subscriptions.
Meanwhile, cord-cutters will have plenty of options to watch Bengals vs. Jaguars. They are as follows.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| NFL App | No | Yes | - | - |
| Yahoo! Sports App | No | Yes | - | - |
| 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 schedule Week 4
The Bengals and Jaguars will play to begin Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season. The matchup features the two most recent No. 1 overall picks, as Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence play for the first time since Burrow's LSU squad beat Lawrence's Clemson team in the 2020 College Football Playoff.
Of course, the biggest matchup of Week 4 will be the "Sunday Night Football" game between the Patriots and Buccaneers. That game marks Tom Brady's first game at Gillette Stadium as a visitor, as Tampa Bay takes on New England. Bill Belichick will look to help New England earn an upset win over the man who quarterbacked his team for more than two decades.
Below is the full schedule for Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season.
Week 4
- Thursday, Sept. 30
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Jaguars at Bengals | 8:20 p.m. ET | NFLN |
- Sunday, Oct. 3
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Titans at Jets | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Chiefs at Eagles | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Panthers at Cowboys | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Giants at Saints | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Browns at Vikings | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Lions at Bears | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Texans at Bills | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Colts at Dolphins | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Washington Football Team at Falcons | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Seahawks at 49ers | 4:05 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Cardinals at Rams | 4:05 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Steelers at Packers | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Ravens at Broncos | 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Buccaneers at Patriots | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
- Monday, Oct. 4
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Raiders at Chargers | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN |