Al Michaels shares strong opinion on ‘Thursday Night Football’ schedule

Aug 26, 2018; Arlington, TX, USA; Network television commentator Al Michaels before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Some of the worst games of the 2022 NFL season were played on ‘Thursday Night Football,’ and that had as much to do with the participants as it did with teams playing on short rest. Al Michaels seems to think things will be different this year.

Michaels, the play-by-play announcer for Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage, told Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina this week that he was very pleased when the new schedule was announced.

“Absolutely!” Michaels said when Traina asked him if he likes the schedule. “Love the way we come out of the gate. Three ‘A’ grade games. Two Aaron Rodgers games. Baltimore-Cincinnati, another good one. League did us a solid. I was raring to go the minute I saw the whole slate. Already thinking of story lines for each game, of which there is no shortage.”

It is impossible to know how certain teams will look this season, as so much can change in the NFL from one year to the next. Take, for example, the Denver Broncos, who were expected to be one of the strongest teams in the league last year. They were instead a total disaster and are hoping for a big turnaround under Sean Payton.

The Broncos will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 6. That has the potential to be a surprisingly good matchup, as do several other games that will be broadcast on Amazon Prime.

LET'S. GO.

The 2023 Thursday Night Football schedule is officially here!#TNFonPrime | @PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/Bfw7YdC7Tb

— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) May 12, 2023

Michaels also told Traina he thinks having a game on Black Friday is a “great idea.” That game will feature the Miami Dolphins and Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets.

Though he had a funny warning about one game on the Amazon slate, Michaels clearly feels the product will be a lot better this season than it was in 2022.