The 2024 NFL season will kick off with a Thursday night matchup between the Dolphins and Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on September 12. The game will be exclusively televised on Amazon for viewers outside the Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Buffalo markets. This game is part of Amazon’s Thursday night package, with NBC already scheduled to air the opening Thursday night game between Baltimore and Kansas City on September 5. The Bills have dominated the Dolphins in recent matchups, winning four consecutive games, including last season’s encounters and a wild-card playoff game in January 2023.
Several other notable games have been announced as part of the NFL schedule. The Packers-Eagles game in Brazil will be broadcast on NBC stations in select markets and on the streaming service Peacock for the rest of the country. Tom Brady will make his debut as Fox’s lead game analyst alongside Kevin Burkhardt for the Dallas-Cleveland game in Week 1. Aaron Rodgers will start the season on Monday night against San Francisco on ESPN, following his injury in last season’s opener against Buffalo. CBS will air the Bengals-Chiefs matchup in Week 2, and Amazon Prime will feature a wild card playoff game, Thursday night games, and a Black Friday matchup.
In a move to compete with the College Football Playoff, the NFL has scheduled a regular-season game on December 21, the same day as three CFP games on ESPN. This decision follows the league’s strategy to challenge the NBA on Christmas and not let the new CFP go unchallenged. NBC will broadcast the Saturday game on December 21, with a second game scheduled for that day to be aired on Fox. The teams playing on December 21 will also play on December 25, with Netflix and Amazon vying for the rights to broadcast these Christmas games.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be a recurring guest on the “ManningCast” presentations of Monday Night Football hosted by Peyton and Eli Manning. Belichick will join other guests on the alternate MNF broadcast for about half of the games throughout the season. Additionally, Dolphins radio analyst Joe Rose and preseason TV analyst Kim Bokamper have teamed up to launch a new podcast called “Out to Pasture” aimed at an older audience. The podcast will feature guests over 50 and cover a wide range of topics beyond just sports, including former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, comedians, and military personnel.
Fanatics has partnered with WQAM afternoon co-host Channing Tindall, as well as ESPN’s Ryan Clark and Fred Taylor, for their Pivot podcast. This collaboration brings together various personalities in the sports media world to offer unique insights and discussions on relevant topics. Overall, the upcoming NFL season promises an exciting lineup of games and broadcasts, showcasing top teams, players, and broadcasting talent across various platforms.
