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Who plays on Sunday Night Football? Game, start time for week 9

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Who plays on Sunday Night Football? Game, start time for week 9

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This week's Sunday Night Football matchup features two teams in interesting situations early in the primetime game.

The Indianapolis Colts are on the road and will play their first game after benching second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson. Veteran Joe Flacco will instead start at center after the “tired” young gunslinger sat out the Colts' Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans for one play despite not suffering an injury.

On the other side of the field are the Minnesota Vikings, who return home on “Thursday Night Football” after a Week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Minnesota will look to avoid its third straight loss after opening the season with five straight wins. The two-game losing streak was enough to drop the Vikings from first place in the NFC North to third place.

Here's what you need to know for tonight's Sunday Night Football game:

NFL POWER RANKINGS: NFC East places Commanders and Eagles in top 10 after Week 8

Who's playing on Sunday Night Football tonight?

Both teams playing on Sunday Night Football this week are coming off Week 8 losses.

The Colts were in Houston for a divisional game that would decide which team would take first place in the AFC South in Week 9. At halftime, Indianapolis trailed 17-10, but Indianapolis' comeback attempt failed with a 23-20 loss.

Richardson made his sixth start under center this season and finished the game with 10 of 32 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His 31.3% completion rate was the worst of his career in 10 starts. The bigger problem with Richardson's poor performance, however, was his response when asked why he left the game in the third quarter with a crucial third-and-goal play before returning on the next drive.

“Tired, I’m not going to lie,” Richardson said. “I had to run quite a bit and I didn't think I would be there in the next game. I needed a break right there.”

On Tuesday, the Colts announced they were benching Richardson in favor of Flacco, their backup quarterback who has a 1-1 record in two starts this year.

Earlier this week, the Vikings lost their second straight game with a 30-20 loss to the Rams on “Thursday Night Football.” Minnesota's offense, especially quarterback Sam Darnold, started the game well with two straight touchdown drives. Darnold was a perfect 8-of-8 for 97 yards and two touchdown passes.

The Vikings slowed down after the first quarter and were only able to make two field goals the rest of the game. Darnold took a sack in the end zone late in the fourth quarter for a game-winning safety on Minnesota's final possession.

Their defense also continued to have some problems. After starting the season averaging just 10 points allowed per game, the Vikings gave up four touchdowns in Week 8 for the third time in four games. They also allowed their first touchdown in the first quarter of the season against the Rams.

ANTHONY RICHARDSON: The Colts will reportedly have to bench their starting quarterback following the controversy in Week 8

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Time: 8:20 p.m. ET/5:20 p.m. PT
  • Date: Sunday, November 3rd

“Sunday Night Football” begins at its regular start time, 8:20 p.m. ET.

Once again, Mike Tirico will handle play-by-play duties during the game, with Cris Collinsworth providing color commentary and Melissa Stark reporting from the sidelines for Colts vs. Vikings.

NBC's weekly pregame show “Football Night in America” ​​begins at 7:00 p.m. ET and features insight from a panel of analysts including Maria Taylor, Jason Garrett, Chris Simms, Mike Florio, Devin McCourty, Tony Dungy and more.

What channel is Sunday Night Football on tonight?

NBC will broadcast “Sunday Night Football” weekly for the 2024 NFL season.

Fans who prefer to stream football games can watch “Sunday Night Football” with a Peacock subscription or with Fubo, which offers a seven-day free trial.

Stream all Sunday Night Football games with a Peacock subscription

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