Broncos vs. Patriots: New TV info, how to watch, and kickoff time

Updated TV info and how to watch Broncos vs. Patriots in NFL week five action.

The NFL announced that the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots would be flexing their game from an 11 AM MT start to a 2:25 PM MT start just a few weeks ago.

With the Patriots recently experiencing some issues on their roster with quarterback Cam Newton and cornerback Stephon Gilmore testing positive for COVID-19, the NFL has once again announced a schedule change for the game.

This time, a fairly drastic one.

Instead of the game being played on Sunday, the Broncos and Patriots will now face off on Monday. Not only will they face off on Monday, they will be playing on Monday afternoon.

This is a first for me as a Denver Broncos fan, as far as I can remember. We have seen Thursday games, Saturday, Sunday, Monday night…I can’t recall a time when the Broncos played Monday afternoon.

For those with flexible daily schedules, this will be somewhat of a fun deviation from the norm. For many fans, this will mean the game is inaccessible due to work hours not ending until at least 5:00 PM or later.

Let’s take a look at all of the new details for Monday’s Broncos vs. Patriots matchup.

Updated game information

Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)

Kickoff time: 3:00 PM MT (5:00 ET)

TV Information: ESPN (previously CBS)

Commentators: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Laura Rutledge

There was initially a concern that fans and viewers would need to specifically purchase the CBS All Access app in order to watch the game. That will no longer be the case.

Now, all you need is a streaming service with ESPN access and the game will be nationally televised. Considering there was a chance you might need the NFL Sunday Ticket app to watch the game on Sunday, this is actually a pretty nice trade for Broncos fans, but what about the team?

There are some substantial disadvantages the team is facing having to move this game ahead just a day, but there are ways they can also benefit.

The major disadvantage for the Broncos’ players is obvious. The team will now have one less day to recover from playing the Patriots to get ready for their week six matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

The Broncos will have to delay travel from Denver to New England, and their return home will be delayed by more than 24 hours.

That is obviously valuable recovery and preparation time for the next opponent, and the NFL is inadvertently giving the Miami Dolphins an advantage over the Broncos because the Patriots had players who tested positive.

The Broncos have followed protocols, haven’t had any positive tests this season, and while their health is of paramount importance, that is really the only true benefit to following the protocol, apparently.

The Broncos, as a team that followed protocol, now have to be at the mercy of the team that didn’t, and they will travel to an NFL city where multiple players have tested positive.

The Patriots have a bye week right after this game against Denver, so what do they care if the game is rescheduled? It gives their players an extra day of rest, another day of preparation, they don’t have to travel, and they have an additional 24 hours to get Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore off the COVID/reserve list.

The most important thing is the health and safety of all players and personnel, but it’s also important that the NFL finds ways not to punish teams like the Broncos that have done everything they can to keep players away from COVID and maintain a safe environment at their facility.