The Broncos-Jets game in Week 5 could end up on Sunday night
Aug 2, 2023, 3:01 PM
Some people were a little surprised that this season’s Broncos-Jets matchup got relegated to the Sunday afternoon slot in Week 5. After all, it’s Russell Wilson vs. Aaron Rodgers. It’s Nathaniel Hackett’s return to Denver. It’s a matchup of two teams trying to break the longest playoff droughts in the NFL.
Ah, maybe that’s it. New York hasn’t been to the playoffs in 12 seasons. Denver’s streak is at seven.
After getting burned by the Broncos last year, when the hype around the acquisition of Wilson in the offseason led to a bevy of Denver games on national TV earlier in the season, the networks weren’t about to make that mistake again. They’re taking a wait-and-see approach with both of these teams, as the Jets could very well be a lot like the Broncos were a year ago.
Given the recent brouhaha between the two franchises, however, the matchup suddenly has even more intrigue. Sean Payton has entered the conversation, as Denver’s new head coach went after Hackett. That fired up the Jets. And the battle is on.
Had the NFL known this was coming, maybe they would’ve put the Broncos-Jets tilt in primetime. Well, they still have that chance.
The first time Sunday night games can be flexed this season is Week 5, which just happens to be when the Jets play at the Broncos.
Hard to imagine NBC would drop the Week 5 Cowboys-49ers matchup for it, but as usual, the NFL schedule makers/script writers nailed it.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2023
Schefter is right. The Cowboys-49ers is unlikely to be flexed out, with Dallas being one of the biggest draws in all of sports and San Francisco one of the Super Bowl favorites. But it could happen.
Last year at Week 5, both of those teams were without their starting quarterback. If Dak Prescott and/or Trey Lance or Brock Purdy are out, the luster is off this game a bit.
Plus, there’s a chance both the Broncos and Jets will get off to fast starts. They have advantageous schedules.
Denver opens at home with Las Vegas and Washington, before traveling to Miami and Chicago. They could easily be 3-1 heading into Week 5.
New York plays the Bills, Cowboys, Patriots and Chiefs, but three of those games are at home. They could be 2-2 or 3-1.
Suddenly, that makes things interesting. Bad blood and good teams equals TV gold.
The NFL clearly played their cards right on this one. If the Broncos and Jets sputter, they aren’t stuck with a dog game in primetime. But if they’re good, they can move them into a marquee spot.
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