KC Chiefs vs. Broncos flexed out of Sunday Night Football

The Kansas City Chiefs have oddly been flexed out of a primetime spot because their opponent, the Denver Broncos, are just that bad.

While the idea of a showdown with a division rival is always a good reason for Chiefs Kingdom to gear up for a game, it turns out that the national audience wasn’t so hot about watching Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos in primetime. That means the NFL has officially flexed out the upcoming Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos game in Week 14 out of Sunday Night Football.

Per a league-wide press release, the NFL has decided that a better showcase of its product in primetime in Week 14, which means Sunday, December 11, will be to broadcast the Miami Dolphins’ visit to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.

The Dolphins are an entertaining offense, to be sure, and the presence of Tyreek Hill guarantees a lot of fireworks on Sunday night either way. However, the Chargers are also still in the race for a playoff spot in the AFC which means it’s a valuable game for both teams.

The same cannot be said for a basement-dwelling Broncos team that has some major soul-searching to do in the next few weeks. Pretty much everyone would be shocked if Nathaniel Hackett were not fired after a disastrous season, but the Broncos just went through this same charade a year ago trying to find a new leader. And what head coach in waiting would want to handcuff himself to Russell Wilson into his mid-thirties?

Considering how popular the Chiefs are as a team and Patrick Mahomes is as a marquee player, the Broncos have to be really bad in order to force the NFL’s hand in this way.