The National Football League has officially flexed the Kansas City Chiefs‘ first game after this week’s bye to primetime, just as it was rumored earlier on Tuesday, with the announcement that the Chiefs’ scheduled Week 13 game hosting the Denver Broncos will now be broadcast on Sunday Night Football.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at 12:00 p.m. C.T. at Arrowhead to start the final stretch of the regular season schedule for Kansas City. Now the teams will kick off at 7:20 p.m. C.T. instead.
The original schedule called for the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks to be in that primetime spot, but ESPN reporter Adam Schefter noted earlier in the day that NBC might be interested in flexing in the AFC West showdown between Denver and Kansas City or a contest between AFC contenders in the L.A. Chargers against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The KC Chiefs and Broncos have been flexed to primetime in Week 13.
The Broncos are in last place, technically speaking, in the AFC West right now, but they’ve proven to be a tough out for good teams so far in 2021, with a solid win over the Dallas Cowboys just two weeks ago as one example. That said, the Chiefs should be able to take care of a team with Teddy Bridgewater at the helm, especially coming out of the bye.
The Chiefs have already been on Sunday Night Football three times this season, so this gives them a fourth primetime appearance there as well as one on Monday Night Football as well. The Chiefs are also scheduled to play the Chargers on a forthcoming Thursday Night Football game as well.