NY Jets snubbed from possible primetime flex in Week 11

The NY Jets haven't played a game on Sunday Night Football in 11 years. Not since November of 2011, over 4,000 days ago, have the Jets taken the field on arguably the NFL's grandest regular-season stage.

Part of that shouldn't come as a surprise given how many games the franchise has lost over the last decade, but with the team now 6-3 coming off a stunning victory over the Buffalo Bills, now seems like the most appropriate time to consider throwing the Jets a primetime bone.

One such golden opportunity presented itself in Week 11 when the Jets and New England Patriots will return from their bye weeks to face off in a rematch from just a few weeks prior.

The NFL did decide to flex the planned Sunday night matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers out of that slot, but instead of giving it to the Jets and Patriots, they decided to put the Kansas City Chiefs/Los Angeles Chargers matchup in the slot instead.

Obviously, it's tough to compete with a Patrick Mahomes/Justin Herbert showdown, but it should be noted that both the Chiefs and Chargers already play a whopping five primetime games this season, including this exact same matchup back in Week 2.

It's a fun matchup, but monotony isn't ideal.

Will the NY Jets play on Sunday Night Football this season?

The Jets have had other opportunities to play on Sunday Night Football over the years. Their planned Week 16 matchup in 2012 with the then-San Diego Chargers was flexed out in favor of a Seattle Seahawks/San Francisco 49ers game that ended in a 42-13 Seahawks blowout.

They were given another opportunity in Week 16 of 2016 as well with an expected division showdown with the Patriots, only for that game to be flexed out as well, this time in favor of a Chiefs/Broncos game that, you guessed it, ended in a 33-10 Chiefs blowout win.

Since that date in 2016, the Jets have not had a scheduled Sunday Night Football game. They don't again this season, but there are always opportunities to flex later in the year.

A prime opportunity seems like the Jets' Week 12 matchup with the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings. Considering the SNF game that week is the Dallas Cowboys versus the disastrous Indianapolis Colts, that feels like a logical candidate.

If the Jets remain in contention later in the season, perhaps their matchups against the Geno Smith-led Seattle Seahawks or the Miami Dolphins in the last game of the season could also be possible flex options.

The Jets need to avenge their Sunday Night Football demons. They need to prove that they can continue to win in front of a national audience. To do so, however, they'll need a little help from the NFL schedule-makers.