Browns Receive Notable Schedule Update For Week 16

The NFL announced that the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals Thursday Night Football matchup is being flexed to Sunday Dec. 22

Oct 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) talk after the game at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns received a major schedule change for their Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

That showdown between AFC North foes was originally slated to be played on Thursday Night Football on Dec. 19 that week. Now, per an official release from the the NFL, that game will be moved to the 1 p.m. window of games on Sunday Dec. 22. In it's place, the league moved a matchup between Sean Payton's Denver Broncos and Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers into the Thursday Night slot.

If pre-game reports that Kevin Stefanski wasn't on the hot seat weren't enough, the #Browns buried that narrative entirely in their dramatic, comeback win over the #Steelers, played in the most memorable of settings https://t.co/8Uylm5kOTs

— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) November 22, 2024

Cleveland was originally schedule to play four prime time games this year, including last night's thrilling, 24-19 Thursday night win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their next prime time opportunity comes in immediately in Week 13 as the Browns will head to Denver for Monday Night Football after a mini bye following a short week.

With the road trip to Cincinnati now becoming a Sunday game, that leaves just one final prime time opportunity for the Browns in 2024, in the form of a Week 17, Sunday Night Football showdown with the Miami Dolphins.

Given the state of the Browns season, currently sitting at 3-8, and the Dolphins also being a distant wild card team at the moment, the NFL could ultimately opt for flexing that game out of it's biggest prime time stage. The league has up until six days before that contest to decide if it will flex that matchup to a different one. Should that happen, Cleveland will end up playing just two games under the lights this season.