Here are the likely reasons the NFL chose Chiefs-Raiders game for Saturday afternoon

This is the second season of a 17-game schedule in the NFL, and once again the Chiefs’ final regular-season contest will be played earlier than the rest of the league’s.

The NFL announced Sunday night that the Chiefs’ game at the Las Vegas Raiders will be played Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Technically, the game wasn’t flexed because the NFL had yet to announce the Week 18 schedule.

Here’s why the game likely will be played on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Why are NFL games played on Saturday?

When the NFL announced its 11-year, $110 billion television deal with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and Amazon Prime in March 2021, the league added a number of changes to the schedule.

That included a Week 18 doubleheader on the final Saturday of the season for ESPN/ABC. A year ago, the Chiefs’ game against the Broncos in Denver was moved up a day and aired on the networks. That game also kicked off at 3:30 p.m.

“The added two Saturday games will take place during the final week of the regular season and will showcase matchups with playoff implications,” ESPN wrote at the time. “Both of those games will be simulcast on ABC and ESPN.”

Why are the Chiefs playing Saturday?

The Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday with an overtime loss to San Francisco, so there are no postseason implications for Las Vegas.

While the Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West championship, they are still in the running for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff field. Regardless of what happens in Monday’s game between the Bengals and Bills, the Chiefs almost certainly will need to beat the Raiders to be the top seed.

If the Bengals win Monday, the Chiefs could clinch the No. 1 seed with a victory over the Raiders.

That’s part of the reason why NBC Sports’ Peter King believes the Chiefs-Raiders game was moved to Saturday.

“Three reasons: Kansas City (13-3) needs to win to stay in play for the AFC’s top seed, Patrick Mahomes is always a ratings draw, and the Raiders (6-10), though eliminated from the playoffs, showed off an incredible performance by Jarrett Stidham in his first NFL start Sunday,” King wrote in his “Football Morning In America” column. ”The game should get a good rating.”

TV executives know the Chiefs attract viewers. Last month’s Chiefs-Broncos game was flexed out of “Sunday Night Football” and ratings tumbled.

What is the second NFL game on Saturday?

In the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Jacksonville Jaguars will play host to the Tennessee Titans at 7:15 p.m. The winner will make the playoffs as the AFC South champion.

Jacksonville could lose and still make it, but the Jaguars would need a lot of help.