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Football is right around the corner. While we always knew that the 2024 season was on the horizon, the NFL unveiling its full regular season schedule on Wednesday night does paint a clearer picture of the action that’s ahead. That includes the latest slate of “Thursday Night Football” games.
Amazon Prime Video is entering its third season as the NFL’s exclusive partner of the Thursday night window and will enjoy a juicy collection of games, beginning on Sept. 12 (Week 2) when the Buffalo Bills will travel down to Hard Rock Stadium to face their AFC East rival, the Miami Dolphins. Prime Video will also be the home to another Black Friday matchup where the Las Vegas Raiders will head to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here’s a rundown of each “Thursday Night Football” matchup that is on the docket for 2024 and a ranking of every head-to-head (The Black Friday matchup will be listed in bold):
Week 2 (Sept. 12)
Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
We’ll get an early look at Aaron Rodgers with the Jets in the Thursday night window. We could also see No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye for New England if he wins the starting job to begin the year. While there will be some intrigue about how the Patriots look in the post-Bill Belichick world, the game itself doesn’t seem like it’ll be particularly competitive.
Sean Payton returns to New Orleans for the first time since being traded to the Broncos. That alone is worth the price of admission as the head coach will likely be given a hero’s welcome in the pregame ceremonies. Similar to the Pats-Jets game, however, the actual football element of this game may leave little to be desired. Neither New Orleans nor Denver is looked at as a highly competitive team in 2024, so this won’t get confused with a heavyweight bout.
Because this game happens so late in the year, it might not carry enough weight to mean much. That said, having Caleb Williams putting the finishing touches on his rookie season will be worth watching, as will this Seattle team that will be wrapping up Year 1 under Mike Macdonald.
An NFC East rivalry game is always good for some drama. Both of these teams will be wrapping up the first month of the year and it will be fascinating to see what kind of shape they are in. If the Cowboys struggle through the first three weeks, any issues in this head-to-head will only heat the seat under Mike McCarthy. On the flip side, Daniel Jones will be working his way back from a torn ACL and trying to get into a rhythm with first-round receiver Malik Nabers.
This has the makings of an old-fashioned AFC North brawl. Both Pittsburgh and Cleveland have stellar defenses that should be on display for this midseason showdown. With this division being so competitive, this game could have key implications for how the AFC playoff picture ultimately shakes out. While the defenses should garner plenty of attention, Deshaun Watson along with Russell Wilson/Justin Fields will also be key storylines in this matchup.
Might be a little too high on this game, but something about it intrigues me. By this point, Jayden Daniels should be Washington’s starting quarterback and starting to flex his potential as the No. 2 overall pick. If Daniels is as-advertised, he’s an electric talent that could give Philadelphia’s defense problems. Meanwhile, the Eagles have their own dual-threat quarterback in Jalen Hurts, so this game could be a dynamic display from the signal-callers.
The Black Friday game is an AFC West head-to-head between the Raiders and Chiefs, which has been a heated rivalry in recent seasons. While Kansas City has stacked up Lombardi Trophies, Las Vegas has always played them hard and the chess match between Patrick Mahomes and Maxx Crosby should make you opt for Cyber Monday.
The AFC North division could very well be on the line in this matchup. Joe Burrow and the Bengals have a Super Bowl-caliber ceiling, so whenever they get into prime time it’s appointment viewing. As for the Browns, they have a massive variance this season, which really falls on the shoulder of Deshaun Watson. If he can somehow rekindle his magic from when he was with the Texans, this could be an epic showdown. If he can’t, the defense will have to win it for Cleveland (something they are very capable of doing).
Kevin O’Connell vs. Sean McVay is the initial draw here for me. O’Connell worked under McVay before taking the Vikings head coaching job, so we do have a student vs. the master-type of setting on deck in Week 8. As for the game, Minnesota has a strong roster that will sink or swim depending on the play under center. J.J. McCarthy could be starting by this point and, if so, he’ll then square up with Matthew Stafford, who’ll have Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua at his disposal.
The Seahawks were not only swept by the 49ers last season, but they were unable to crack 20 points in either defeat. While that doesn’t set the stage for an exciting NFC West game, I think Mike Macdonald could be a difference-maker. As the defensive coordinator for the Ravens last year, he led a unit that stifled the 49ers offense, limiting them to 19 points and forcing Brock Purdy into four interceptions. Of course, the personnel is different, but I wonder if his scheme carries over to continue giving the Niners fits.
I think this is an early-season statement game within the NFC South. Atlanta took over the headlines for their offseason additions, headlined by signing Kirk Cousins. Now, they are looked at as the team to beat in the division, but Tampa Bay could head into Mercedes-Benz Stadium and remind them who the defending NFC South champions are. After all, they did bring back both Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, so the same cast of characters is largely still on board. Could be a spicy matchup that sets the tone in the division for the rest of the season.
The “Thursday Night Football” slate does kick off with a bang in Week 2 with this AFC East rivalry game. Buffalo has won the past four meetings with the Dolphins, which includes a Week 18 victory last year that ousted Miami from winning the division. Tua Tagovailoa’s club did start off hot with a 6-2 record to begin the 2023 campaign, so it’ll be fascinating to see if they are white hot again in 2024. As for the Bills, how the offense looks without two of its top pass catchers from a season ago in Stefon Diggs (traded to Texans) and Gabe Davis (signed with Jaguars) will be a worthwhile storyline to follow as well.
This is a rare non-divisional matchup in the “Thursday Night Football” slate and it’s a doozy. The Texans are one of the hottest young teams in the league led by C.J. Stroud, while the Jets will finally get to see what they look like with Aaron Rodgers under center. That quarterback matchup should provide some fireworks and this game has the potential to factor into playoff seeding if both of these teams reach their ceiling in 2024.
Everyone was on the Lions bandwagon last season and they rode it to an NFC Championship appearance. While Detroit was expected to take a leap, the Packers making a deep run in the playoffs in Year 1 of Jordan Love came largely out of left field. This year, neither the Lions nor Green Bay will be sneaking up on anyone, especially one another. Where this game lands on the calendar is also juicy as it could help swing the division in favor of either team. A division rivalry game between two historic franchises who could very well be pushing for a deep playoff run in the NFC? Sign me up!
Whenever Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan duke it out, it’s must-see television. The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a season where they reached the Super Bowl, while the Rams also went deep into the NFC playoffs. The talent is off the charts on both sides of the ball with each team, especially at the skill positions. L.A. has Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, while the Niners have George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk. Oh and Matthew Stafford vs. Brock Purdy isn’t too shabby either.
Joe Burrow vs. Lamar Jackson is about as good as you can get in terms of a quarterback matchup. When right, Burrow is in the discussion for being the best quarterback in the league, while Jackson is coming off his second-career MVP season. Not only do these teams have elite signal-callers, but rosters that are ready to win at a high level right now. This matchup is also the second and final one of the season between them, so this could be a pivotal head-to-head in terms of tiebreakers.
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