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.
Despite the mismatch, “Sunday Night Football” still could produce record ratings.
Just one week after Taylor Swift’s appearance at Kansas City’s 41-10 blowout of the Bears helped attract 24.3 million viewers — the most-watched telecast of the week on any network — the pop icon reportedly will be in attendance at MetLife Stadium to support Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Immediately following last week’s game, the Jets sold the most tickets they had in a single day this season.
Even if you are irritated by the attention Swift is stealing from the field, you cannot argue it is unwarranted. If Swift and Kelce are in a relationship — consider me skeptical — it arguably would mark the most famous musician or actress/actor ever to date an active athlete at the height of their popularity.
(Madonna’s fling with Dennis Rodman may be the only competition. Joe DiMaggio didn’t meet Marilyn Monroe until just after he retired. I spent way too much time researching this.)
It is guaranteed that the cameras will be focused on Swift’s suite, that the commentators will make mention of her at every opportunity.
It is also a fixture of the history of sports broadcasting.
Gisele Bundchen used to get more air time than most Patriots.
Jessica Simpson was shown wearing a pink Cowboys jersey while cheering for Tony Romo.
Justin Verlander can’t pitch in the playoffs without cutaways to Kate Upton.
Andre Agassi’s run to the 1994 U.S. Open title run was filled with shots of Brooke Shields. Andy Roddick’s 2003 U.S. Open title run was filled with shots of Mandy Moore.
The Yankees haven’t won the World Series since Alex Rodriguez’s then-girlfriend, Kate Hudson, cheered with many of you at Yankee Stadium in 2009.
This, too, shall pass.
Shake it off.
Today’s back page
What we’re reading
⚾ Joel Sherman rolls up his sleeves and tries to fix the Yankees, beginning with what they can do to develop more of their own talent.
🏈 Mike Vaccaro writes that the more Jets GM Joe Douglas clings to Zach Wilson, the looser his grip on the team becomes.
🏀 The Connecticut Sun aren’t happy about Breanna Stewart and the Liberty, and it’s not just because they’re facing them in the WNBA semifinals.
🏒 Larry Brooks spoke with Alexis Lafreniere about the work he did this offseason and how the Rangers are planning to rely on him like never before.
Dame time for a ring
The Bucks have been here before.
When Damian Lillard decided to align with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to make the Bucks the NBA title favorites, it marked the second time the franchise pulled off a trade to form the best big-guard combo in the league.
It was 1970 when Milwaukee acquired Oscar Robertson, whose all-time brilliance was often wasted in 10 seasons in Cincinnati, ending with consecutive losing seasons and zero NBA Finals appearances, like Lillard has.
Lillard, 33, is a little more than a year older than Robertson — who had trade veto rights and chose Milwaukee over other teams — was in his first season with Lew Alcindor, who became MVP in his second season in the league.
The Bucks — who were eliminated by the Knicks in the Division Finals the season prior — went 66-16, then rolled to a title with a 12-2 mark in the postseason. Robertson provided much-needed support for the superstar center, averaging 19.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
Antetokounmpo now has the much-needed support of a legendary late-game assassin, who averaged a career-best 32.2 points last season along with 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds. Lillard now has the greatest teammate of his career and his best chance to win his first championship.
Lillard is one of 19 players among the NBA’s Top 75 without a title. A few of them spent their entire careers in one city, such as John Stockton and Reggie Miller.
Most others joined ready-made contenders in the later stages of their careers.
“I want to contribute to a championship as it would culminate my whole basketball life,” said “Pistol” Pete Maravich upon joining the Celtics for his final season in 1980 — they finished with the league’s best record, but lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Charles Barkley demanded a trade to a contender in 1996, but failed to reach the NBA Finals with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in Houston.
Karl Malone and Gary Payton were anointed champs upon signing discounted deals with the Lakers in 2003, but the Shaq-and-Kobe-led dynasty collapsed in the Finals.
The hype was similar when Steve Nash and Dwight Howard joined Bryant in 2012. The Lakers became co-favorites with LeBron James’ Heat, then fell in a first-round sweep.
James Harden forced his way to Brooklyn, then forced his way out one year later.
Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook joined James with the Lakers, but left without making the playoffs.
The breakthroughs are less common.
Drexler, who like Lillard, requested a trade out of Portland after more than a decade as the face of the franchise, helped the Rockets win their second straight title in 1995.
Payton picked up a ring as a role player with the Heat in 2006.
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen joined forces to win with Boston in 2008.
Kevin Durant couldn’t beat the Warriors, so he signed with them and found a shortcut to a pair of NBA Finals MVP honors.
The Bucks are less than three years removed from winning it all, but only months removed from one of the worst playoff meltdowns in history. Adding an all-time clutch performer and scorer makes Milwaukee the title favorite.
Lillard’s legacy is in his hands.
Meanwhile, the football games
Sunday night at MetLife Stadium is the exception. Everywhere else, the field will be the focus.
These are this weekend’s must-watch games:
No. 10 Utah (4-0) at No. 19 Oregon State (3-1), Friday, 9 p.m., FS1: The back-to-back Pac-12 champs are underdogs on the road, but star quarterback Cam Rising could return to make his first appearance of the season.
No. 8 USC (4-0) at Colorado (3-1), Saturday, noon, Fox: Reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams and the nation’s highest-scoring offense take on a Deion Sanders team that just allowed 42 points in a blowout loss at Oregon. Sanders’ son, Shedeur, has a better chance to make this a shootout against USC’s soft defense.
No. 1 Georgia (4-0) at Auburn (3-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m., CBS: The defending champs haven’t looked the part in the season’s first month. Their first road trip could ruin hopes of a three-peat.
No. 24 Kansas (4-0) at No. 3 Texas (4-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC: The Jayhawks are 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1914-15. Still, the Longhorns have the edge — unless they’re caught looking ahead to next week’s rivalry game against Oklahoma.
No. 13 LSU (3-1) at No. 20 Ole Miss (3-1), Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN: The Tigers have the talent to run the table. The Rebels took the most recent meeting in Oxford.
No. 11 Notre Dame (4-1) at No. 17 Duke (4-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ABC: The Irish must recover from a heartbreaking loss to Ohio State. The Blue Devils must not be overwhelmed, playing their most important game in decades after the school’s first visit from “ESPN Gameday.”
Falcons (2-1) at Jaguars (1-2), Sunday, 9:30 a.m., ESPN+: Trevor Lawrence heads to London ranked 26th in the NFL in QBR. The former top pick’s regression could continue against the Falcons’ fourth-ranked pass defense.
Dolphins (3-0) at Bills (2-1), Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS: A battle for the inside track atop the AFC East doubles as the most entertaining matchup of the young season. Miami leads the league in points per game (43.3). The Bills rank second (30.3).
Broncos (0-3) at Bears (0-3), Sunday, 1 p.m.: Kidding.
Ravens (2-1) at Browns (2-1), Sunday, 1 p.m.: Control of the AFC North won’t come easy for either team, but Lamar Jackson has the tougher task, facing a top-ranked Cleveland defense allowing 10.7 points per game.
Seahawks (2-1) at Giants (1-2), Monday, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC: Geno Smith returns to New Jersey. The former Giants backup — and Jets flameout — credited with ending Eli Manning’s 210-game starting streak could destroy the Giants’ hopes of returning to the postseason. Since 1990, teams that start 1-3 have made the playoffs less than 15 percent of the time.