How 2023 NFL Black Friday game impacted Week 11

The NFL had multiple reasons for scheduling the New York Jets to host the Miami Dolphins for its first Black Friday game this November. 

"We told them that we wanted the best matchup, and all things being equal, we prefer New York," Amazon vice president of global sports video Marie Donoghue explained, per Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. "The holiday tradition in New York, media capital of the world, shopping capital of the world. We think there’s going to be so much excitement in New York around creating the holiday season."

NFL vice president of broadcast planning Mike North noted earlier this week that featuring "the retail capital of the world on the biggest retail day" (Nov. 24) made sense because Amazon is streaming the Black Friday game scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video for free. Deitsch added that new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers "is on the short list of the most well-known players in the league" and attracts a noteworthy "viewership draw."

It's since been learned that the Cincinnati Bengals volunteered to participate in this year's edition of the Black Friday contest and also wanted to make hosting the game an annual tradition, but the league instead scheduled the Bengals to play at the division-rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 on Thursday, Nov. 16. 

"We also asked them for a strong matchup the week before Black Friday because that’ll be a key promotional night for us and they gave us Cincy at Baltimore," Donoghue continued. "Lamar (Jackson) against Joe Burrow. It’s a big game, and it’s one of the best quarterback matchups you’ll see all year." 

Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith wrote Friday that "there’s been no indication that the league plans to make any one team the permanent host of the Black Friday game." That's hardly a surprise considering Donoghue made it known Amazon wants to keep its "Thursday Night Football" schedules flexible as the league plans for midweek games that will occur before future Thanksgiving holiday weekends.