The date was circled long ago.

Oct. 1 would produce one of the highest-rated NFL regular-season games of all time.

We would see the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs facing a rejuvenated Jets team dreaming of its first Super Bowl in more than 50 years. We would see the best player in the NFL (Patrick Mahomes) take on the most famous player in the NFL (Aaron Rodgers), quarterbacks who have combined to win four of the past five MVP awards. And we would see it in primetime.

Instead, we will watch the Chiefs (2-1) arrive as 9½-point favorites against a quarterback (Zach Wilson) whose play encourages fans to look away, who has led the Jets (1-2) to just 10 points in each of their past two games.