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The Los Angeles Chargers have played their way into another prime-time appearance. Justin Herbert & Co. have had their Week 16 home game against the Denver Broncos flexed from Sunday, Dec. 22, to Thursday night, Dec. 19. Friday's announcement makes this the first time a game has been flexed to the Thursday night spot. The league amended its policy last season so that Thursday night games in Weeks 13 through 17 could be flexed with at least 28 days' notice prior to the game, and teams could make more than one appearance on Amazon Prime Video's 16-game package. Only two games per season in the five-week window can be flexed. The matchup of AFC West division rivals -- who are both contending for playoff spots -- bumps the game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals to Sunday afternoon. Despite the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as coach, the Chargers were one of six teams without a Thursday game when the NFL schedule was released in May. It is the second time the Chargers have been flexed into prime time this season. Their 34-27 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend was on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" after bumping the matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets. Los Angeles, which is 7-3 and on a four-game winning streak, hosts Baltimore this week on "Monday Night Football" in the third matchup between brothers John and Jim Harbaugh as coaches. The Chargers' Dec. 8 game at Kansas City is also on a Sunday night. Denver (6-5) had a Thursday night game Oct. 17, defeating the Saints 33-10 in coach Sean Payton's return to New Orleans. The Broncos have a Monday night game against Cleveland on Dec. 2. "We'd rather be flexed in than flexed out,'' Payton said after Friday's practice. "... It's a real good team (the Chargers) that's playing real good. And it flexes Cincinnati out who we play the following week ... It is what it is. Just tell us when we're playing.'' The Chargers beat the Broncos 23-16 in Denver on Oct. 13. That was the game where Harbaugh briefly went to the locker room due to an irregular heartbeat. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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