How The NFL Relates To Thursday Night TV

Tonight on Fox, the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals begin the National League Championship Series. At first glance, the other networks do not appear to feature sports in their Thursday night lineups. However, a closer look reveals that the shows on ABC, CBS, CW, and NBC all address this weekend’s action in the National Football League. Here’s how the NFL relates to each series, listed by Eastern and Pacific times.


ABC:

8:00 Ugly Betty: Insulting name applied by Tennessee Titans defenders to Washington Redskins running back Ladell Betts.

9:00 Gray’s Anatomy: The NFC West showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams has an unexpected disruption. Seattle guard Chris Gray suddenly goes streaking, displaying his anatomy to the entire Edward Jones Dome.

10:00 Six Degrees: The expected game-time temperature in Denver for the Broncos’ Sunday night matchup with Oakland.

CBS:

8:00 Survivor: Detroit Lions president Matt Millen continues to survive despite another poor start. But the fans have reason for optimism this weekend. The Tigers are on a roll.

9:00 CSI: With some rare free time during their bye week, the Colts Savor Indianapolis. Coach Tony Dungy encourages players to enjoy the city, as long as they don’t go to strip clubs with the Indiana Pacers.

10:00 Shark: A hockey player in San Jose, where fans of the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers can see a local sports team with a chance to win.

CW:

8:00 Smallville: Commissioner Roger Goodell stuns Los Angeles by revealing his preferred location for an NFL franchise.

9:00 Supernatural: Roy “The Natural” Hobbs suits up for the Houston Texans against the Dallas Cowboys. An improbable Super Bowl run begins.

NBC:

8:00 My Name Is Earl: What Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart says to the team doctor on Monday night after too many sacks by the Chicago Bears.

8:30 The Office: Where most of the workaholic NFL coaches will be sleeping this weekend.

9:00 Deal Or No Deal: Numerous Cincinnati Bengals check in with their attorneys regarding plea bargain options.

10:00 ER: Ed Reed looks to get his Baltimore Ravens back on the winning track against the Carolina Panthers. ER will go on for years, even after numerous stars leave him.