⁠The NFL schedule has been set since spring. But the league is always making small adjustments. In Week 16, this also affects the Thursday Night Game.

The NFL is rescheduling. Week 16 will now not open with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns on Thursday night before the fourth weekend of Advent. Instead, the Los Angeles Chargers will play the Denver Broncos on the night of December 19-20.

So instead of the AFC West division duel, it will be the AFC North division duel. The Bengals and Browns are scheduled for the early Sunday slot. The reason for the swap is probably the significantly greater appeal of the new Thursday Night Game.

The Chargers are on course for the playoffs with a 7-3 record, as are the Broncos, who are 6-5. By contrast, the postseason seems to be taking place without the Bengals, who have won four of 11 games, and the Browns, who, with a 24-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, have at least improved their record to 3-8.

It is the first time the NFL has exercised its right to reschedule a Thursday Night Game. Under current rules, two of the five Thursday Night Games in Weeks 13 through 17 can be rescheduled with at least 28 days’ notice.

So far, the Chargers are one of six teams that have not been assigned a Thursday Night Football slot in the entire season.

Week 17 of the NFL starts on a Wednesday

The following matches will still take place as part of Thursday Night Football: In Week 13, due to Thanksgiving – which offers fans a triple header – the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders will not play until Friday evening. Week 14 will see the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers open, while in Week 15 the San Francisco 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams. A week later, as mentioned, the Chargers will host the Broncos, and in Week 17 the Chicago Bears will play the Seattle Seahawks.

On Thanksgiving, there are traditionally three games on Thursday, but these do not count as Thursday Night Football. There is a special feature in Week 17, which brings two games on Christmas Day, a Wednesday.