The LA Chargers are currently on a run of three straight primetime games after the NFL flexed the team's Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals to Sunday Night Football. Primetime Justin Herbert is different, and it is special for Chargers fans to watch their team on primetime after many years of being ignored.
Not every primetime game is good, though.
Thursday Night Football adds volatility to the mix that can swing an entire game, and perhaps an entire season (just look at last night's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns). Thankfully, the Chargers were not scheduled a single game on Thursday this year, allowing the team to avoid the treacherous three-day turnaround.
This is, until this week. With new rules in place that were just established this season, the first-ever Thursday Night Football flex has happened. And unfortunately for the Chargers, they are involved.
🚨 WEEK 16 SCHEDULE FLEX 🚨
— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2024
Broncos vs. Chargers will now be played on Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.
Browns vs. Bengals will move to Sunday at 1pm ET on FOX. pic.twitter.com/bOJXUqMFUx
NFL screws Chargers and Broncos with Thursday Night Football flex
Playing on Thursdays is already hard enough in the NFL and it is even harder with only a month's notice. And to make matters worse for both teams, this is going to be a game with massive playoff implications as both teams are in the hunt for an AFC wild card spot.
From a business perspective, this flex makes a lot of sense for the league. The NFL swapped out one divisional game that many thought would have playoff implications to another that actually will have playoff implications. Plus, with no Thursday games on the original schedule, the Chargers were an obvious candidate for this flex.
But the business side of things does not make this any better for either team. Not only is this opening a volatility door neither team wanted to open but it is also increasing the chance of injury right before the playoffs start.
The only benefit for the Chargers is the fact the team is home the Sunday before this game while the Broncos are going to have to travel from Denver to Los Angeles in the three-day turnaround. Other than that, there is hardly a positive spin for the Bolts, who just need to survive this short-week game with the playoffs right around the corner.
But hey, at least the game will draw a marginally better rating on Amazon. Maybe it would have been better to have two teams with nothing to play for on Thursday night as the negative fallout would have been less substantial.