ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There is a rule in the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement that states no team shall have to play two Thursday night games on the road in the same season.
The Broncos embraced the idea.
Denver’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, originally scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 22, has been flexed to Thursday night, Dec. 19.
It’s the first game ever flexed to a Thursday night. A league source said the Broncos welcomed the move even though they already played a Thursday night road game at New Orleans in week 7. That the Broncos trounced the Saints, 33-10 couldn’t have hurt decide to go along with the Thursday Night Football’s desire to flex their road game at the Chargers in what could be a pivotal AFC West matchup.
Initially, the Thursday night game on Dec. 19 was to be the Cleveland Browns at the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC North Division matchup. But both teams have been disappointments this season and while Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase are national draws, there’s been a little much Browns in stand-alone games lately. The Browns just played the Steelers on Thursday night and while the won the entertaining game played in a snowstorm, they are 3-8 and play the Broncos next Monday night, Dec. 2.
And the growth of Broncos' rookie quarterback Bo Nix has the nation intrigued to see what he's all about. The Broncos began the season with only two primetime games on their schedule -- the games against the Saints and Browns.
For the Broncos, the schedule shift means a shorter week of preparation against a familiar opponent -- the Broncos lost to the Chargers, 23-16, at Empower Field at Mile High on Oct. 13 -- while getting an extra amount of rest and prep for an unfamiliar opponent the following week at Cincinnati.
In is an odd coincidence the flex to Thursday night involves a following week's matchup involving one team getting flexed in (Broncos) and another team getting flexed out (Bengals). The Broncos pick up a six-day rest swing on the Bengals -- from minus-3 days rest had Cincinnati kept the Thursday night game to plus-3 days for the Broncos now they have Thursday night.
As an added bonus, Broncos players and coaches with families get a few extra days off the weekend before Christmas.
The biggest drawback is to Broncos' fans who had already booked flights and hotels to Los Angeles for the Dec. 20-22 weekend. Bronco fans traditionally travel well to games t the Chargers, to the point of 10,000 to 20,000 per game.
It is one reason why the NFL announced the flex four weeks in advance -- as opposed to 12 days notice for other flex scenarios. Hopefully, Broncos fans have enough time to change travel plans without incurring too big a hit in fees.
