For the second time this season, the NFL has moved the kickoff time of a Cincinnati Bengals game.
First, the league moved up the kickoff time for Cincinnati's Week 8 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, presumably because it thought that the game between the Bears and Commanders was a more attractive option. This time, the opposite has occurred, as the league has flexed the Bengals into a primetime spot.
Cincinnati's Week 11 game against the Chargers will now be on Sunday Night Football
Cincinnati's Week 11 meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers will now be on Sunday Night Football and will begin at 8:20 after initially being scheduled for an afternoon kickoff. The game replaces the matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets as the day's final contest. The game will air on NBC and it will be available to steam via Peacock. Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark will be on the call.
The Bengals will now play in back-to-back primetime games in Weeks 10 and 11, as they will travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens on Thursday Night Football before traveling to L.A. for Sunday Night Football.
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It will be the first time that the Bengals play in back-to-back primetime contests since Weeks 4 and 5 of 2022, when they hosted the Dolphins on Thursday Night Football and traveled to play Baltimore on Sunday Night Football.
There could be major playoff implications on the line for the battle between the Bengals and Chargers in Week 11. The Chargers are currently second in the AFC West with a 5-3 record, while the Bengals sit third in the AFC North at 4-5.
The game will also serve as a showcase of two top quarterbacks from the 2020 draft. Burrow went No. 1 overall to Cincinnati, while the Chargers snagged Herbert with the sixth pick.