The combined successes of the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs, the television draw of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, along with the struggles of the 1-4 San Francisco 49ers, have brought a mid-season change to NBC’s Sunday Night Football lineup. Instead of carrying the Los Angeles Rams and the rival 49ers in a prime-time matchup, a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicates that the Bengals at Chiefs game will be “flexed” into the Sunday night slot on Sunday, October 21st, with the Rams/49ers tilt moved to 3:25 PM CT. Cincinnati at Kansas City was originally scheduled for a 12 noon kick that day.
The decision means that Kansas City will get a rare back-to-back Sunday of appearances on the prime-time package, with the unbeaten Chiefs going against Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts this coming Sunday night, October 14th. Cincinnati (4-1) will have a solid test of its own this Sunday, hosting the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bengals at Chiefs game could potentially light up the Arrowhead Stadium scoreboard, with KC leading the NFL at 35 points per game, while the Bengals are third at 30.6.