Amazon delivers its first Thursday Night Football broadcast tonight and it's not just the traditional matchup of the Green Bay Packers against the Chicago Bears that makes the game intriguing.

The game, played at Lambeau Field tonight at 8 p.m. ET (kickoff at 8:25 p.m. ET), is also the first game since Week 3's NFL action in which more than 250 players knelt during the national anthem at their respective games.

That escalating protest was begun last season by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who said he wanted to bring attention to the oppression of black people by the criminal justice system. He remains unsigned, but other players have continued to kneel during the anthem in support of him and the issue.

Last week, President Trump weighed in, saying players who kneel should be fired or suspended because the act disrespected the flag. That led to an increase in players protesting during the anthems at games Sunday and Monday. At the same time, some fans have begun their own protests against the players' actions by calling DirecTV to cancel their NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions and by burning team gear.

The protests could have an effect on viewership for this first of 11 streamed NFL Games on Amazon Prime Video — but it's not clear whether it will drive people away, bring in curious watchers, or both. The digital live streaming could also benefit any fans boycotting the game, since they could still turn their backs on the TV broadcast, but check in on the action on Amazon.

Even without the protests, the NFL is in relatively uncharted waters as it tries to expand its reach beyond pay TV to where more Americans are watching — over streaming devices that don't rely on a cable or satellite provider. Amazon counts an estimated 85 million members to its $99 a year Prime service.

Amazon reportedly paid $50 million to stream the games, an increase over the less than $10 million Twitter paid to stream Thursday Night Football games last year. You can watch on Amazon Fire TV devices, on Amazon.com, and also on the Amazon Prime Video apps. That makes it a cord-cutting alternative to the more traditional way: NBC and CBS broadcast Thursday Night Football games — tonight's it's on CBS — and the NFL Network.

The streaming audience for NFL games has paled compared to viewing on TV, but Twitter drew its biggest crowd with its final game, the Dec. 1 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings: 2.9 million total; on average, 310,000 were watching at any given time. That game was also the most watched Thursday Night game on TV.

But the real reason for streaming is for Internet companies to show off their technological prowess — and for Amazon, to deliver a few of its own ads during the broadcast, which it will be able to cross-reference with shopping trends.

Prior to tonight's game, Amazon will broadcast a live streamed pregame show with former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber and Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone, telling viewers how to plan NFL tailgate gatherings and viewing parties. Viewers can also shop for NFL merchandise during the show. (Don't be surprised if you also see some mention of Amazon's growing Alexa-powered product line-up including a new $99 Echo.)

Amazon might draw more than Twitter did last year because it has a built-in Prime Video audience in more than 200 countries. "I expect Amazon to do somewhat better but they still won’t be blowing the doors down in terms of audience numbers," MKM Partners senior research analyst Rob Sanderson said Thursday on CNBC.

Amazon is also producing three additional audio feeds (Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and a U.K. English language stream).

The historic nature of this matchup could also add to the audience: Chicago and Green Bay have played each other more than any other two NFL teams (194 times) and the series is tied at 94-94 with six ties.

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Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.