Thursday Night Football announcer Al Michaels wasn't thrilled with last season's slate of games, joking at one point that “a game can be so bad, it’s almost good.”
Did he get better matchups to call on Amazon Prime Video this upcoming season?
The full NFL schedule was released Thursday, with the season set to open with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs facing the Detroit Lions in the 2023 Kickoff Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept 7.
That league opener, which over the last 20 years has been hosted by the reigning champion, will be played on a Thursday but will air on NBC.
The Thursday Night Football slate broadcasted by Amazon will begin Week 2 with the Minnesota Vikings at the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. It's a promising start to the season for Amazon with a star-studded matchup between two of the NFC's top three seeds from the 2022 playoffs.
The following week, Amazon features a game between two other NFC playoff teams with the New York Giants at the San Francisco 49ers.
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The defending champion Chiefs make an appearance on Amazon in Week 6 when they host Sean Payton, Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. Fellow AFC contenders square off in Week 11 on Amazon when Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens host Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the league's traditional Thanksgiving games airing on national television, the NFL's first Black Friday Football game will be broadcasted by Amazon the following day in Week 12 with the Miami Dolphins taking on Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.
The Jets also close out the Amazon schedule with a Week 17 matchup on the road against Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns.
Last season, Amazon Prime Video became the first streaming service to have a season-long broadcasting deal with the NFL. Amazon aired 15 TNF games during the 2022 regular season, with Michaels calling play-by-play and longtime college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit providing color commentary.
The quality of the games turned out to be not so great, including a touchdown-less Week 5 game in which the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Denver Broncos 12-9 in overtime.
"In fact, at one point during the game, I said to Kirk, ‘Is it possible this game could be so bad that it’s actually good?’" Michaels told The Athletic in January. "He’d never heard that from a partner and went, ‘No!'”
Hopefully, Amazon gets some more competitive and entertaining games this upcoming season. Here's the full Thursday Night Football schedule for the 2023 NFL season.
What is the 2023 Thursday Night Football schedule?
Week 1 - Sept. 7
Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs (NBC)
Week 2 - Sept. 14
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 3 - Sept. 21
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers
Week 4 - Sept. 28
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Week 5 - Oct. 5
Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders
Week 6 - Oct. 12
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 7 - Oct. 19
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
Week 8 - Oct. 26
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills
Week 9 - Nov. 2
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 10 - Nov. 9
Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears
Week 11 - Nov. 16
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
Week 12 - Nov. 24 (Friday)
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (Black Friday Football)
Week 13 - Nov. 30
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys
Week 14 - Dec. 7
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 15 - Dec. 14
San Diego Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders
Week 16 - Dec. 21
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams
Week 17 - Dec. 28
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns