Sean Payton took no prisoners when he (rather accurately) ripped Nathaniel Hackett’s head coaching job with the Denver Broncos last year. New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh could only muster up a corny defense for his new offensive coordinator, while Hackett himself took a subtle “glass houses” shot at Payton — the new leader in Denver.
At the moment, the Broncos and Jets are scheduled to settle their differences in Week 5 in Denver. Given that Payton and Aaron Rodgers are involved, at minimum, it will likely be a CBS national game. But anyone hoping to see Denver and New York’s bubbling feud get the NFL’s primary regular season spotlight — Sunday Night Football — will probably be sorely disappointed.
You see, even while the NFL’s “flex” rules open up in Week 5, allowing the league the opportunity to put Broncos-Jets on Sunday night, it’s not going to replace the matchup already in place.
That would be the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of last year’s Divisional Round battle. Beyond the inherent quality between two NFC powerhouses, Dallas and San Francisco are also two of the most popular teams in pro football and are virtually guaranteed to create an early October ratings bonanza. This is no slight to Payton or Rodgers — they’re two household names who will be talked about aplenty this year — but they are simply not the same draw as the Cowboys and 49ers together on the same field. And barring utter catastrophe injury-wise for either team, NBC knows it.
If it’s any consolation to anyone suddenly very invested in the Broncos and Jets’ feud, I have a feeling their matchup will live up to the hype anyway. It doesn’t need to take place under the lights to be a ton of fun. And who knows? Maybe they’ll even have a grudge match in January.
This league could use a lot more substance to its drama.