In a surprising move, the NFL has made its first major scheduling swap of the 2024 regular season, giving the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings the prime-time spotlight for Week 9. This decision was announced on Monday, with the two teams taking over the coveted “Sunday Night Football” slot from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles.
The matchup between the Colts and Vikings had been highly anticipated, especially with Jaguars coach Doug Pederson facing his former team. Pederson, who was instrumental in leading the Eagles to their first Super Bowl win in the 2017 season, also has a history with the Eagles as a former player with a less than stellar record. With the Jaguars struggling at 2-5 this season, there is speculation that Pederson’s job security could be on the line.
This scheduling change comes as a blow to the Jaguars, who have only had one other prime-time appearance this season, a humiliating 47-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 as part of a “Monday Night Football” doubleheader.
On the other hand, the Vikings have been one of the biggest surprises of the early season with a 5-1 record, while the Colts have been on a hot streak, winning four of their last five games to sit at 4-3.
The upcoming game between the Colts and Vikings will mark their first meeting since their memorable December 2022 matchup, where the Vikings pulled off a stunning comeback from a 33-point deficit to beat the Colts 39-36 in overtime. This game will surely be one to watch as these two teams face off once again.
