Broncos vs. Chargers Flexed into NFL Thursday Night Football over Browns vs. Bengals

Adam WellsNovember 22, 2024

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The NFL’s first flex of a Thursday Night Football game has occurred with an AFC West matchup between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers moving into the Dec. 19 slot.

Per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, the NFL exercised the rule to move the Broncos-Chargers matchup into the Week 16 spot that was originally set to feature the Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals.

The Browns-Bengals game will be played on Sunday, Dec. 22.

NFL owners approved a proposal to allow for flex scheduling of Thursday night games in May 2023. The rules for shifting a game into the Thursday window include a four-week lead time and it can only happen between Weeks 13-17.

Friday marked the final day for the league to decide on flexing the Browns-Bengals game out of Thursday night in Week 16.

The Browns did just play a Thursday night thriller with a 24-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers that saw the two teams combine for 27 points in the fourth quarter.

Nick Chubb scored the game-winning touchdown on a two-yard run with 57 seconds remaining.

Unfortunately, though, the Browns are only 3-8 this season after the win and unlikely to be a factor in the playoff race unless they win out.

The Bengals are one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch because they have an explosive offense capable of scoring against anyone with a leaky defense that often leads to high-scoring affairs.

Even with Joe Burrow having an MVP-caliber season, the Bengals’ 34-27 loss to the Chargers on Sunday really hurt their chances of being a playoff team. They are on a bye this week with a 4-7 record before hosting the Steelers on Dec. 1.

The Broncos and Chargers have been two of the most pleasant surprises in the NFL. They currently own two of the three wild card spots in the AFC entering Week 12. They own the top two defenses in the NFL by points allowed per game.

Bo Nix has shaken off a slow start to now be in the mix with Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The first meeting between the Chargers and Broncos this season saw Los Angeles prevail 23-16 in Denver on Oct. 13. The Chargers scored the first 23 points of the game before the Broncos responded with 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.