The NFL is flexing a “Thursday Night Football” matchup in Week 16, an unprecedented move considering how different preparation is for Thursday and Sunday games.
For the first time in league history, the NFL is flexing a “Thursday Night Football” game.
The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals were scheduled to play the Thursday night game during Week 16, but the NFL is replacing that matchup with the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The change is unprecedented because of how drastically different team preparation is between a Thursday and Sunday game.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Teams and players generally don’t like playing on Thursday because of a lack of recovery time and preparation can lead to injuries.
The Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 Thursday to improve to 3-8 and are closer to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft than playoff contention.
The Bengals, despite Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase playing well, are 4-7 and have an uphill climb to make the playoffs.
GIANTS MUTUALLY AGREE TO RELEASE DANIEL JONES AS QUARTERBACK’S TUMULTUOUS TENURE COMES TO AN END
The Chargers (7-3) and Broncos (6-5) both occupy playoff spots in the AFC and their Week 16 matchup could be pivotal for determining seeding, not to mention better ratings for the NFL.
The current seeding in the AFC:
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
4. Houston Texans (7-4)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
7. Denver Broncos (6-5)
The Indianapolis Colts (5-6) and Miami Dolphins (4-6) are on the outside looking in.
The Chargers will be home for the Thursday night matchup against the Broncos Dec.19. Both teams are home the prior week, potentially another reason the NFL made the schedule change.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
