In the midst of an already banner National Football League season for Amazon, the streamer is about to show arguably its biggest regular-season game ever.
Amazon will stream on Thursday Night Football a massive showdown in Seattle between the Rams and Seahawks, marking its first game since picking up the exclusive TNF rights in 2022 that it will have two teams with at least 11 wins each. The NFC West division rivals, both 11–3, are ranked No. 1 and 2 in betting odds to win Super Bowl LX, further showing the sizable competitive stakes in the game.
“It’s a big one. They all are at this point of the season,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the current favorite to win this season’s Most Valuable Player award. “Obviously, we know we’re playing a team that’s had a ton of success this year. … This is what you love playing NFL football for. It’s a quick turnaround [from Sunday] to get this one going, which is sometimes difficult, but we’ll be ready to rock and roll.”
Is 20M Reachable?
With such a compelling matchup, the question for Amazon is whether it will beat its Dec. 4 game between the Cowboys and Lions that averaged 19.4 million viewers, setting an audience record for a regular-season NFL game on Amazon. Viewership from the U.S. East Coast could be diminished because of the West Coast clash, but that also might tilt watching patterns later than normal TNF peaks that often occur in the second quarter of games.
For the season, Amazon is averaging 14.92 million viewers on TNF, up 13% from last year. The season also includes a 21% viewership increase on Black Friday for a high-profile game between the Bears and Eagles.
The clash between the Rams and Seahawks contrasts heavily with an upcoming Christmas night game on Amazon between the Broncos and Chiefs. That game saw its luster fade significantly due to Kansas City being eliminated from playoff contention and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes sustaining a season-ending knee injury.
The Rams, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, have already clinched a playoff spot. Los Angeles also won the first of two regular-season games against Seattle, prevailing 21–19 back on Nov. 16 at SoFi Stadium. Thursday night’s rematch at Lumen Field is expected to be played in rainy and blustery conditions.
