Who plays on thursday night football

It's official. We have reached the final "Thursday Night Football" matchup of the season, and the program is going out with a bang.

NFL Network will broadcast a game between the Titans and 49ers on Thursday night, and that contest will have a massive impact on the playoff picture in both the AFC and NFC.

The Titans are currently the top team in the AFC South, but they are just one game ahead of the Colts and are coming off a six-point loss to the Steelers. Had Tennessee won last week, they would have moved into the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Instead, they come in at No. 3 overall.

Meanwhile, the 49ers are one of the hottest teams in the league right now and are in control of their own destiny regarding one of the three NFC Wild Card playoff spots. They will be highly motivated to win this one on a short week, as a victory would guarantee that they would stay ahead of the pack of seven-win teams vying for Wild Card spots for at least another week.

Mike Vrabel vs. Kyle Shanahan should be a good coaching matchup, too, so expect a well-played game from both sides. That doesn't always happen 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 16 game of the 2021 NFL season.

MORE: Watch 49ers vs. Titans live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

Who plays on 'Thursday Night Football' tonight?

• Matchup: 49ers at Titans
• Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

The 49ers (8-6) will travel to Tennessee to face the Titans (9-5) in the season finale of "Thursday Night Football" in Week 16. Both teams are jockeying for playoff position, with the 49ers in the middle of a grueling Wild Card battle and the Titans clinging to a one-game lead in the AFC South.

San Francisco has been one of the best teams in the NFL of late, as they have won five of their last six games and are playing great defense. They have 18.7 points per game during their last six games and their offense — powered by Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and a strong running game — has looked great.

The 49ers are currently the No. 6 seed in the NFC, but they are punching above their weight. They're only rated that low because they are the third-best team in the stacked NFC West. Had they started the year a bit quicker, they could have been right there with the Cardinals and Rams. Either way, Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. will give the Titans a run for their money in this matchup.

Speaking of Tennessee, they're coming off a tough loss to the Steelers that saw them blow a 13-3 lead and fail to score in the second half. Their offense has sputtered of late, as Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones have all been out of action. That has made life difficult for Ryan Tannehill.

The Titans will have to continue to run D'Onta Foreman well against a tough defense to win in this spot. If they can't, their defense will have to force Garoppolo into some mistakes, which could prove difficult. Garoppolo has thrown just three interceptions in his last six games.

What time is the NFL game tonight?

• Date: Thursday, Dec. 23
• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET

The Chargers vs. Chiefs game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET in Week 16, the same time as all of the "Thursday Night Football" games have this season. Pregame coverage of the contest will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be shown exclusively on NFL Network, which will also air "TNF First Look" on game day starting at 3 p.m. ET.

Streamers will be able to watch the game by using fuboTV, which comes with a seven-day free trial.

Meanwhile, viewers in Canada can watch the game on DAZN.

What channel is 'Thursday Night Football' on tonight?

• TV channels: NFL Network
• Live stream: NFL App | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)

For the first time since the early stages of the season, NFL Network alone will broadcast "Thursday Night Football." It had shared the rights to the program for most of the season with Fox and Amazon Prime, but in Week 16, the spoils will all belong to NFL Network.

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).

NFL live stream for Thursday night game

Streamers will be able to view "Thursday Night Football" for free with a cable subscription by using either the NFL App or the Yahoo! Sports App. You must enter cable/satellite subscription credentials to access it.

Meanwhile, cord-cutters will have plenty of options to watch 49ers vs. Titans. They are as follows.

NFL schedule Week 16

The Titans vs. 49ers game will be a good way to kickstart NFL Week 16, which features a 16-game slate spread over four days. The NFL will have its usual three-prime time games with the Washington Football Team and Cowboys facing off on "Sunday Night Football" and the Dolphins and Saints playing on "Monday Night Football."

However, in addition to those contests, there will be an intriguing pair of Christmas Day games. The Browns and Packers will face off on Saturday afternoon as the Packers look to stay in control of the NFC's No. 1 seed while the Browns battle for the top spot in the jam-packed NFC North.

In the evening, the Cardinals and Colts will square off in a game featuring one of the hottest teams in the NFL against a juggernaut that has suddenly gone cold. The Cardinals have dropped back-to-back games. One against the Rams was understandable. The other, a blowout loss to the Lions, was not. Meanwhile, the Colts just beat the Patriots and are working their way back toward the top of the AFC South. A win would give them a solid lead in the AFC's close Wild Card race.

Below is the full schedule for Week 16 of the 2021 NFL season.

Week 16