By Richard Deitsch, Zack Rosenblatt, Charlotte Carroll and Zach Berman
The NFL will kick off the holiday season with some divisional rivalry games, including the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins clash in the first-ever Black Friday game. Here’s what you need to know:
- The Jets and quarterback Aaron Rodgers will host Miami in an AFC East showdown on November 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
- The holiday action continues when the Eagles and New York Giants meet in Philadelphia at 4:30 p.m. ET on Christmas Day.
- To ring in 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals at 4:25 p.m. ET on New Year’s Eve.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Amazon lands big matchup
The NFL’s Black Friday game has a built-in cachet because it’s a new media franchise for the league. So there will always be curious people who tune in – especially on a day off for many people. But the NFL has — on paper at least — really taken care of its big partner by giving the Jets to Amazon in exchange for Dolphins.
Rodgers is on the shortlist of the most iconic players in the league – he’s also polarizing and that’s always a crowd puller. The Dolphins are expected to be playoff contenders. So you have two significant media markets and two teams with playoff potential in a division game that could have real meaning. There’s nothing quite like a Friday 3pm ET launch in terms of viewership, but I think Amazon will do very well here. Don’t be surprised if the viewership is a wow number. — German
Jets on Black Friday comes as no surprise
It’s no surprise the Jets are featured in one of the NFL’s new holiday games — but that’s exactly what happens when Rodgers is your quarterback. The Jets and Dolphins are likely to be in contention for the AFC East title by this game.
It was around this time last year that the Jets began their meltdown that knocked them out of the playoffs, so let’s hope that doesn’t happen again this time. Another plus: MetLife Stadium is right next to a mall that can be packed on Black Friday. Prepare accordingly. – rose petal
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Division game at Christmas
If we’re not playing Giants vs Jets on one of the holidays this season, a match against the Eagles is the next best thing. While the Eagles won all three matches last season — including a divisional round loss — the matches were expected rivalry games.
The NFL makes a great gift to two major markets and fan bases. Now it’s up to the Giants to claim their first win of the streak of the Brian Daboll era. -Carroll
Giants-Eagles could be crucial
Count on a Philadelphia crowd getting in the holiday spirit when you visit the Giants. That rivalry has shifted toward Philadelphia in recent seasons; The Eagles have won 16 of their last 20 games and the Giants have not won at Lincoln Financial Field since 2013.
As reigning NFC champions and one of the favorites to go back to the Super Bowl, the Eagles would be a disappointment if they didn’t have a track record at this point in the season. Fans are hoping the season has something to do with the Eagles’ last game of Christmas: when they beat the Raiders on a cold night in 2017 en route to their only Lombardi Trophy. — Berman
backstory
The addition of the Black Friday game comes after the NFL and Prime Video teamed up in the 2022 season to make Amazon the new home of Thursday Night Football. As part of their deal, Prime Video will broadcast 15 “TNF” games annually through the 2032 season.
The NFL has announced its slate of international games, including the Chiefs and Dolphins meeting in Germany at Frankfurt Stadium in Week 9. The full 2023 NFL schedule will be released Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
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(Photo: Sam Navarro / USA Today)