NFL TV Schedule 2020: Week 5 Channel Guide, Coverage Map and Live Stream

Week 5 is set to get off to an exciting start, with the 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers travelling to meet the 3-1 Chicago Bears on Thursday night. If the quarterback duel of Tom Brady and Nick Foles—you know, the same one from Super Bowl LII—doesn't get you excited, perhaps the game's ramifications will.

This is a huge game for both the Bears and the Buccaneers. Chicago sits one game behind the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North and would love nothing more than to stay on Green Bay's heels in the divisional race. Tampa, meanwhile, has a one-game divisional lead over the 2-2 New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. However, New Orleans owns one head-to-head victory already.

Throw in some elements of unpredictability—Buccaneers players Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette, LeSean McCoy and Scotty Miller are all questionable, doubtful or already out—and this should be a must-watch for members of the national audience.

As luck would have it, this is a multi-broadcast game, too, so the national audience should be on the larger side.

Here, you'll find scheduling and viewing information for Thursday night's opener, along with the rest of the Week 5 slate. We'll also take a closer look at two of the other pivotal games from the week.

NFL Week 5 Schedule, TV and Live Stream

Thursday, October 8

8:20 p.m. ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears: NFL Network, Fox, Fox Sports Go, Amazon

Sunday, October 11

1 p.m. ET

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens: CBS, CBS Sports App

Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans: CBS, CBS Sports App

Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: CBS, CBS Sports App

Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers: Fox, Fox Sports Go

Arizona Cardinals at New York Jets: Fox, Fox Sports Go

Los Angeles Rams at Washington Football Team: Fox, Fox Sports Go

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans: CBS, CBS Sports App

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: Fox, Fox Sports Go

4:05 p.m. ET

Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers: Fox, Fox Sports Go

4:25 p.m. ET

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: CBS, CBS Sports App

Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns: CBS CBS Sports App

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots: CBS, CBS Sports App

8:20 p.m. ET

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks: NBC, NBC Sports App

Monday, October 12

8:15 p.m. ET

Los Angeles Chargers at New Orleans Saints: ESPN, ESPN App

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

Steve Helber/Associated Press

While the Sunday afternoon matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens might not seem like a pivotal matchup, it really is.

The Bengals and rookie quarterback Joe Burrow picked up their first win of the season in Week 4. They now sit at 1-2-1 and can get right back in the AFC wild-card race with what admittedly would be a monumental upset and a 2-2-1 record.

The Ravens, meanwhile, sit a half-game behind the AFC-north-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Steelers facing a winnable game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5, it's imperative that Baltimore avoids the upset here.

So, while this is a mismatch on paper, Burrow has shown that he isn't in over his head as a pro. The Bengals have shown they have confidence in him. The Ravens, have not shown that they're good at playing from behind.

Baltimore is 0-5 with Lamar Jackson at quarterback in games in which it has trailed by at least 10 points. Jackson's inability to mount comebacks is a legitimate concern.

"A scout told me last week that he still wasn't all-in on Lamar Jackson because he thinks that Lamar is a great quarterback when they're front-runners," Dan Patrick said in Monday's edition of the Dan Patrick Show. "... He wants to see him be down 10 points, two touchdowns and come back and win those games."

If Burrow and the Bengals get out to an early lead, they can potentially stun the Ravens and shake up the AFC North race.

Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns

Along with the Ravens, the Cleveland Browns are 3-1 and a half-game behind the Steelers. The Indianapolis Colts are in the same position—3-1 and a half-game back from the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South.

This is an important game for both teams and one that could heavily impact two division races.

This should also be a fun game to watch for those who love throwback football. While a battle between Baker Mayfield and Philip Rivers might have seemed like a potential gun-slinger duel a couple of years ago, that's not who these two teams are.

Rivers and Mayfield are certainly playing well enough, but the Colts' calling card is their first-ranked defense. The Browns have been surging behind their first-ranked rushing offense and a few opportunistic defensive plays.

The Browns defense has 11 sacks and 10 takeaways on the season, while Myles Garrett has a strip-sack in each of his past three games.

Expect a low-scoring affair here, with plenty of defense, a lot of ground-and-pound on offense and a whole lot hanging in the balance.

If the Colts and/or Browns don't wind up as legitimate contenders in their respective divisions, they'll be direct competitors for the AFC's three wild-card spots.