When the NFL schedule came out in May, the Cincinnati Bengals game against the Philadelphia Eagles was originally supposed to be kicking off at 4:25 p.m. ET this week, but the NFL decided to flex the game out of that slot.
On Oct. 15, the league announced that the Bears-Commanders game would be moving to 4:25 p.m. ET and that the Bengals game would be moving to 1 p.m. ET.
Apparently, no one told Ja'Marr Chase about the NFL's flex decision because the Bengals receiver was absolutely shocked to hear about the change when the subject came up during his press conference on Thursday.
"Wait, this game got moved to 1 p.m.?" Chase incredulously said at his press conference (via Caleb Noe).
The receiver had been asked which kickoff time he prefers between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., which is how he found out that the game had been moved.
"I did not know that, and I don't think no one was going to tell me, either, until you did," Chase said of the NFL's decision to flex the game.
Chase went a full nine days without learning about that the kickoff time had been switched. The receiver said that he didn't know that the game had been moved because he lives "under a rock."
After learning that the game would be kicking off at 1 p.m. ET, Chase actually sounded kind of disappointed and that's because he seems to prefer playing in the 4 p.m. ET window.
"I don't like that time, though," Chase said of 1 p.m. games. "I don't like that time because it's too early in the morning for me to wake up. [4 p.m.] is pretty cool, it's like right in the middle of the day time and you get to leave after and you still have some time to go eat dinner with your family. I'd probably say 4. They should've kept it there."
Playing in a game at 1 p.m. might not be too early for more people, but Chase isn't a fan of it because he likes to sleep in.
"I'm not a morning person, it takes me about two hours to talk to people in the locker room," Chase said.
It's a good thing Chase now knows the correct kickoff time. Now, the Bengals don't have to worry about him showing up late for Sunday's game. The Bengals will be rocking their white tiger uniforms this weekend for their home game against the Eagles on CBS.
