A change has been made to the NFL regular season schedule. The Chargers’ week 14 game against the Dolphins has been adapted to the “Sunday Night Football” slot game. In a corresponding move, the Chiefs-Broncos game in Denver will be moved from 8:20 p.m. ET to a 4:05 a.m. ET kickoff.
The Dolphins’ success, coupled with the Broncos’ struggles, likely played a big role in the schedule change. Winners of five straight games, the Dolphins are 8-3 overall under first-year head coach Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins are yet to lose this season when Tua Tagovailoa starts and ends the game. The Miami quarterback leads one of the most explosive offenses in the league which also includes wides Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. Hill, in his first season in Miami, is 767 yards away from becoming the first receiver to eclipse the 2,000-yard receiving barrier.
As the Dolphins soar, the Broncos struggle in what will ultimately be the franchise’s eighth consecutive non-playoff season. It was a season to remember for Russell Wilson, who certainly didn’t have the type of first season in Denver that he and Broncos fans had hoped for. A nine-time Pro Bowler in Seattle, Wilson is completing less than 60% of his passes this season. Denver’s 14.3 points per game is currently the lowest total at the end of a season since the Browns in 2000 (h/t ESPN).
The flexible calendar has historical significance. The Dolphins-Chargers matchup will take place nearly 40 years after their epic showdown in the 1982 Divisional Round of the AFC Playoffs. Up 24-0, the Chargers fell behind before rallying to force overtime. The Chargers then won in overtime in a game that ranks among the best in league history.
Miami’s opponent in Week 14 is no slouch either. The 6-5 Chargers, fresh off their last-second win at Arizona, are in the hunt for the playoffs. Los Angeles was led by quarterback Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler. Herbert is in the midst of another Pro Bowl-caliber season. Ekeler, arguably the most versatile running back in the league, has gained 1,051 total yards and 12 touchdowns in 11 games.
The team that really had the small end of the flex is the Chiefs, who at 9-2 did nothing to justify losing a prime-time game.
