Amazon Prime’s first NFL broadcast featured an exciting, close divisional matchup between two AFC contenders: The Chargers and the Chiefs. The streaming service is hoping for a repeat as it prepares for another AFC divisional battle in Week 3.
MORE: Follow Steelers vs. Browns with TSN’s live blog
Once again, the two teams playing on “Thursday Night Football” enter the contest with the same record. Each is 1-1, and each will be looking to earn a victory to avoid dropping below .500 for the first time this season.
Both the Steelers and the Browns have solid rosters but are dealing with questions at the quarterback position. Pittsburgh is starting Mitch Trubisky, and while he hasn’t made too many critical errors, he hasn’t made many big plays, either.
Meanwhile, Cleveland is rolling with Jacoby Brissett until Deshaun Watson’s suspension ends. Brissett has been solid through two games but like Trubisky, dynamic plays have been few and far between with him at quarterback.
The Brissett vs. Trubisky battle may not excite many NFL fans, but it could actually end up being an entertaining game. Here’s everything to know about the Steelers-Browns contest ahead of Amazon’s Thursday night NFL broadcast.
Amazon’s second “Thursday Night Football” game is set to be another divisional battle between AFC foes. The Browns are playing host to the Steelers as each team looks to move over .500 in Week 3.
The Steelers (1-1) are fresh off a loss against the Patriots during which their offense sputtered. Their defense performed well considering that T.J. Watt was out of the lineup and held the Patriots to just 17 points. However, Mitch Trubisky and Co. scored just 14 points and were sluggish in all aspects of the game.
If Pittsburgh’s offense falters once again, then the team may start to hear increased chatter about Kenny Pickett starting. Mike Tomlin has said that he wants Pickett to sit out his entire rookie season, but if Trubisky can’t step up and be a more dynamic playmaker, the team may be forced to contemplate a quarterback switch sooner than they would like.
Meanwhile, the Browns (1-1) are coming off a crushing loss at the hands of the Jets. Cleveland held a 13-point lead with less than two minutes left in the game, but Joe Flacco and the Jets managed to complete an improbable comeback thanks to a 66-yard strike to Corey Davis and a score for Garrett Wilson after a recovered onside kick.
Cleveland’s defense will need to be better late than it was against the Jets. As for their offense, they have leaned heavily on Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and the running game and figure to do that again in Week 3. Jacoby Brissett has made some plays as a starter, so he is positioned to go toe-to-toe with Trubisky in this one.
Mike Tomlin’s Steelers have faced the Browns five times since Kevin Stefanski became head coach in 2020. Pittsburgh has a record of 3-2 in those contests but lost 48-37 when the two teams met in the 2021 NFL playoffs.
The Browns vs. Steelers game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday night. That is the time that all “Thursday Night Football” games are supposed to begin on Amazon during the streaming giant’s first year with the exclusive rights to the package.
Both Cleveland and Pittsburgh are in the Eastern time zone, so the local kickoff time in those cities will be at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Amazon Prime Video will broadcast all of the official “Thursday Night Football” games for the NFL in 2022. Viewers in the Pittsburgh and Cleveland markets will be able to watch the contest on local TV channels, but viewers outside of those markets will need an Amazon Prime subscription to access the game.
Amazon’s first NFL broadcast went off without a hitch. Al Michaels was as smooth as usual in the play-by-play role while Kirk Herbstreit proved a capable color commentator. Kaylee Hartung fared well in her return to the sidelines while the studio group of Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Ryan Fitzpatrick was solid.
Meanwhile, viewers in Canada will be able to watch the game on DAZN.
If you want to watch “Thursday Night Football” in 2022, you are going to need a subscription to Amazon Prime. The streaming service will be the exclusive streaming home of the program for the next 11 years, and the games will only be broadcast on over-the-air TV in the local markets of the participating teams.
The Steelers vs. Browns contest will be the first NFL Week 3 action of the 2022 season. It is expected to be a grind-it-out battle between two division rivals with strong defenses and questions at the quarterback position.
There will be two more prime-time games in Week 3 after Thursday night. The “Sunday Night Football” matchup between the 49ers and Broncos has the potential to be an interesting game. San Francisco lost Trey Lance to a broken ankle, so Jimmy Garoppolo will re-enter the starting lineup and hope to steady the ship.
As for Denver, they are off to an uninspired 1-1 start. First-time head coach Nathaniel Hackett has come under fire for his in-game management ability, and he will need to deliver a solid performance to quell concerns in Week 3.
The “Monday Night Football” game in Week 3 is another contest that features a team starting its backup quarterback. Cooper Rush and the Cowboys are fresh off a win and will be playing the surprising 2-0 Giants who have looked good during Brian Daboll’s first season as head coach.
There will be plenty of other solid games to watch in Week 3, but the best of the bunch is the Packers vs. Buccaneers contest in the 4:25 p.m. ET window on Fox. It will be a battle between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but Brady will likely be without his top two receiving weapons — Mike Evans (suspension) and Chris Godwin (hamstring).
Below is the full schedule for Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season.
