Hackett talks Broncos playing on Christmas, says “somebody’s got to do it”
Dec 19, 2022, 3:55 PM
The Broncos schedule was crazy to start the year.
They played four primetime games in their first six weeks. Two of those were on Mondays, one on a Sunday and one on a Thursday. Then, just two weeks later, the team had to travel to London before their bye in Week 9. It was a wild way to begin the season, and Denver was just 3-5 when the dust settled.
November and December brought normalcy, as the Broncos are in the midst of playing nine Sundays in a row. It allows them to get in a routine, with the same off day every week and kickoffs at either 11:00 a.m. or 2:05 / 2:25 p.m. each Sunday.
Still, this is a week Denver would rather not be playing on Sunday, as the calendar is such that it falls on Dec. 25, or Christmas. Most of the league will play on Saturday, Christmas Eve, and have the next day off to be with loved ones. That won’t be the case for the Broncos, as they’re one of three stand-alone games on a big day for the NFL.
At his press conference on Monday, head coach Nathaniel Hackett was asked about playing on the holiday. He smiled throughout the answer, but it’s safe to say he’s less than enthusiastic about the schedule falling the way it did.
“Somebody’s got to do it, and it’ll be us,” Hackett said before catching himself. “I’m very excited and honored for this team to be able to play on this day. I think it’ll be a great opportunity for them to get on TV again, to go against a great team in the Los Angeles Rams.”
Every game is on TV in 2022, but Hackett of course means national TV. The Broncos will play on CBS as the only game on during the 2:30 p.m. window. While they’ve struggled on primetime this year, it’s a good chance to win the country back after so many brutal games. Hackett said his family isn’t thrilled by the development.
“My kids aren’t happy about it, because it’s on Christmas,” Hackett said. “But we’ll make sure we get the morning the day before so guys can spend some time with their families.”
Presumably, this means Hackett will ask his players who celebrate Christmas to do it on Christmas Eve. That means the Broncos will likely fly to Los Angeles late that afternoon, which is fine since it’s a short flight. They’ll wake up early the next morning and treat it like a normal gameday.
With the NBA also featuring five games on Christmas, the NFL will have some competition. During the Broncos and Rams game, the hoops slate features the end of Lakers / Mavericks and the entirety of Bucks / Celtics.
That second game is a big one, so it might draw some eyes away from the football. Then again, the NFL is the biggest sport in America, so there won’t exactly be a shortage of viewers of Hackett and the Broncos.
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