Amazon reportedly asked NFL to have Kansas City Chiefs kick off its Thursday night games
.JPG "Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates with Travis Kelce after throwing a touchdown pass to his tight end Sunday in L.A. against the Chargers.")
The Kansas City Chiefs could have quite a challenge to start the 2022 NFL season if Amazon gets its way.
Starting with upcoming season, Thursday night football games will be shown exclusively on Amazon Prime (although an over-the-air affiliate also will show games involving local teams). In his weekly Football Morning In America column for NBC Sports, Peter King wrote Amazon wants to kick off its coverage with the Chiefs in Week 2.
Here is part of what King wrote in his column: “(F)or the Amazon opener. I’ve heard they want Kansas City and the Patrick Mahomes star power. Smart choice, if they can get it. As for the foe, I’m guessing Denver if the Broncos don’t make the opener, or the rejuvenated and explosive Chargers. Russell Wilson or Justin Herbert. Three times Herbert and Mahomes have faced off, and high-scoring tight games (margins of 3, 6 and 6) have resulted. Traditionally, the Week 2 Thursday-nighter has been a repository of mediocrity. This year, just watch: it will be an homage to (Amazon founder Jeff) Bezos.”
The Chiefs’ Thursday night game last season was against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, and Kansas City won 34-28 in overtime. In 2020, the Chiefs opened the NFL season with a Thursday game against the Texans at Arrowhead Stadium.
Thursday night games are rough on players, because of the turnaround following a usual Sunday game. But kicking off the Amazon package on Thursday night in Week 2 could be a way to get the game out of the way early, a sort of “rip the bandage” approach to the season.
The NFL season begins Sept. 8, and that first game is on NBC. So if King’s report is correct, the Chiefs would be playing on Amazon on Sept. 15.
We’ll know if Amazon got its way in May when the NFL schedule is expected to be released.
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 10:01 AM.
