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Despite being scheduled to face the Cleveland Browns on “Thursday Night Football” next month, the Cincinnati Bengals have decided not to participate.

In Week 16, the Bengals will face battle against the Browns on Thursday night, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. December 19 will see the Denver Broncos take on the Los Angeles Chargers, and December 22 will see the Bengals take on the Browns at 1:00 p.m.

A Bengals game has been flexed twice this season. This past Sunday, “Sunday Night Football” featured their most recent matchup with the Chargers. At the time, the Bengals’ record was 4-5, putting them in a stronger position to make the playoffs by a hair. Their chances of advancing to the playoffs have dropped to less than 20%, and they are presently 4-7. Despite last night’s TNF victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns are now 3-8 and have even worse odds.

The National Football League did something it has never done before to avoid a primetime matchup between two clubs now out of the postseason hunt.

You won’t see this kind of thing happen at any other “Thursday Night Football” game.
Last year, NFL owners gave their stamp of approval to a plan that would have allowed for a full 28 days of early notice to flex Thursday night games from Weeks 13–17. Since the 2023 TNF schedule did not alter from the previous year, this will be the first season in which a Thursday night game is featured in the league.

The NFL had planned to make a move yesterday, but because the Browns and Steelers were playing that day, they decided to announce it the morning following.

For the league, this is a brilliant decision. Even though the Bengals and Browns have a long history of rivalry, a national audience won’t be interested in watching the game if neither club is in playoff contention. Since both the Broncos and the Chargers are currently in the AFC playoff hunt, that game is more likely to draw in fans.

As a team, the Bengals will reap some unique benefits from the transaction as well. By keeping the game on the 19th, they could have squeezed three games into eleven days. Before hosting the Browns, they have a stretch of road games against the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football” (December 9) and the Tennessee Titans (December 15). This means that instead of two weeks of rest, they will only have one shorter week.

I don’t know why the league went with the old schedule, but Cincinnati was never treated fairly. I think this is a fair solution.