The Denver Broncos’ Week 13 road game against the Washington Commanders will stay on Sunday Night Football and will not be flexed out of the primetime window, according to The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. The matchup remains set for Nov. 30 at Northwest Stadium, with kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
The decision locks in a national showcase between a 9-2 Broncos team riding an eight-game winning streak and a 3-8 Commanders squad on a six-game skid heading into their Week 12 byes.
Broncos-Commanders Will Stay on Sunday Night Football in Week 13
Under the NFL’s 2025 flexible scheduling procedures, Sunday Night Football games from Weeks 5–13 can be flexed with at least 12 days’ notice, with replacement games pulled from the Sunday afternoon window.
For Week 13, that deadline is November 18, but a decision has reportedly already been made. Jhabvala reported the Broncos-Commanders game will not be moved, meaning it will stay in the Week 13 SNF slot.
The league had at least one clear alternative. A recent CBS Sports flex-watch column circled Vikings at Seahawks as the most logical game to move into the Sunday night window, with Texans at Colts mentioned as another possibility.
Instead, the NFL is sticking with Broncos-Commanders, setting up a primetime contrast between one of the league’s hottest teams and one of its coldest.
Why Broncos-Commanders Was on the Flex Bubble
There was a real debate about this one.
The Broncos have turned into a ratings draw again. Bo Nix and Denver have ripped off eight straight wins, including a Week 11 home thriller over the Kansas City Chiefs decided by a Wil Lutz game-winning field goal.
At 9-2, the Broncos sit atop the AFC West and rank among the NFL’s better defenses, allowing just 17.5 points and 301.5 yards per game. Offensively, they’re scoring 23.4 points per contest and have won five straight heading into the bye.
Washington is the issue.
The Commanders have lost six in a row, including Sunday’s 16-13 overtime defeat to the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, which dropped them to 3-8 heading into their Week 12 off week.
Before the more competitive loss in Spain, Washington made unwanted history by losing four straight games by at least 21 points, part of a season defined by blowouts, turnovers and special teams mistakes.
There’s also the quarterback question.
Second-year starter Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow in the Week 9 blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He avoided ligament damage and surgery, and the Commanders deliberately kept him off injured reserve, leaving the door open for a return after their Week 12 bye, potentially in time for the Broncos game.
For now, veteran Marcus Mariota is starting, and he’s coming off a Madrid overtime loss that included a game-deciding interception on the first play of OT.
Put that together — a surging 9-2 team vs. a 3-8 team decimated by injuries and riding a six-game losing streak — and it’s clear why Broncos-Commanders was widely viewed as the top flex candidate heading into Week 11.
The league, though, clearly decided the combination of a red-hot Broncos team, a big D.C. market and the storyline around Daniels’ potential return was enough to keep this game in the SNF window.
What the NFL’s Flex Decision Means for Broncos, Commanders & Seahawks
For the Broncos, it’s a huge branding win.
Denver gets a standalone primetime showcase coming out of its bye, with a chance to extend its winning streak and strengthen its AFC playoff position in front of a national audience. With the Broncos already back in the national conversation after beating the Kansas City Chiefs on and seizing control of the AFC West, another night game keeps Bo Nix and Sean Payton in the spotlight.
For the Commanders, the decision is a mixed bag.
On one hand, a 3-8 team with quarterback uncertainty and injury issues is staying in one of the NFL’s biggest TV slots, which means another round of national scrutiny on Dan Quinn’s group and their six-game slide.
On the other, Washington gets a chance to reset off the bye and show progress in front of a massive audience. If Daniels is cleared, his return against a top defense in primetime becomes one of the biggest storylines of the week. If he’s not, Mariota has another audition with the whole league watching.
The Seahawks and Vikings, meanwhile, look like the biggest non-participants in this decision.
CBS Sports highlighted Minnesota at Seattle as the most compelling Week 13 flex option — a Sam Darnold “revenge game” in Seattle featuring one of the NFC’s best teams in the Seahawks — but that possibility effectively dies with Broncos-Commanders staying put.
Seattle will remain in the Sunday afternoon window instead of getting a second primetime showcase, and the league avoids reshuffling travel and TV windows for multiple teams late in November.
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