Who plays on 'Sunday Night Football' tonight? Time, TV channel, schedule for NFL Week 6

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Both of Week 6's "Sunday Night Football" participants have already played on Sunday night during the 2020 season.

The Los Angeles Rams have a Sunday night win under their belt and will travel to San Francisco to play the 49ers, who are 0-1 on Sunday night in 2020. San Francisco (2-3) is coming off a 43-17 drubbing at the hands of the Miami Dolphins, so Sunday night will provide a chance for a bounce-back, marquee win. The Rams have now won back-to-back games against bad NFC East teams, the Giants and the Washington Football Team, to move to 4-1 on the season. 

MORE: Watch tonight's NFL game live with fuboTV

Jimmy Garoppolo was pulled during the 49ers' loss to the Dolphins for C.J. Beathard, as Kyle Shanahan explained he thought Garoppolo was still dealing with the lingering effects of an ankle injury. If the 49ers want to keep up with a high-powered Rams offense led by Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, they'll need Jimmy G to be healthy and effective.

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: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers
  • Location: Levi's Stadium

The 2020 NFL season has already seen the 49ers play a prime-time game at Levi's Stadium once before. On "Sunday Night Football" against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, the 49ers lost 25-20 with Nick Mullens playing quarterback.

The Rams hosted the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 on "Sunday Night Football" and were winners, 20-13. L.A. will be hoping it can keep its SNF luck going while keeping the 49ers winless on Sunday night this season.

The 49ers will return to Sunday night action in Week 15 against the Cowboys, and will also play a Thursday and Monday night game still to come. The Rams are right back in prime time next week on "Monday Night Football" against the Chicago Bears.

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 18
  • 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 give 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?

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

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