NFL Week 16 Saturday games: Patriots rooting guide, how to watch, open thread

Christmas weekend is in full swing, which also means NFL football at comparatively unusual times. Today is one of those, with a total of three games on the schedule. Here’s how you can watch them and our traditional New England Patriots rooting guide — because even with the Patriots eliminated from playoff contention, some teams are more plausible to root for than others.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) at Detroit Lions (5-9)

When: 1:00 p.m. ET

Where: Ford Field, Detroit MI

Television: NFL Network

Live streaming: fuboTV (Try for free here!)

SB Nation coverage: Bucs Nation (Buccaneers), Pride of Detroit (Lions)

Patriots rooting guide: Go Buccaneers! This comes down to two players: Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. With the Patriots officially out of the race for the Super Bowl, plenty of allegiances will shift to those two — for good reason given their legendary history in New England.

San Francisco 49ers (5-9) at Arizona Cardinals (8-6)

When: 4:30 p.m. ET

Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale AZ

Television: KNTV/NBC (San Francisco), KSAZ/FOX (Phoenix)

Live streaming: Amazon Prime, Twitch

SB Nation coverage: Niners Nation (Buccaneers), Revenge of the Birds (Cardinals)

Patriots rooting guide: Go 49ers! This has nothing to do with player history or the like but rather with the fact that a San Francisco win might eventually help the team finish with a worse draft slot than the Patriots next year.

Miami Dolphins (9-5) at Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)

When: 8:15 p.m. ET

Where: Allegiant Stadium, Paradise NV

Television: NFL Network

Live streaming: fuboTV (Try for free here!)

SB Nation coverage: The Phinsider (Dolphins), Silver and Black Pride (Raiders)

Patriots rooting guide: Go Raiders! While there are plenty of Patriots connections in Miami who are easy to root for — starting with head coach Brian Flores — rooting for Las Vegas is the best call. Once again this has to do with draft positioning: a Raiders win could help them finish with a better record and worse final draft slot.