Since it started in its current format as the NFL’s main primetime package in 2006, the defining feature of NBC’s Sunday Night Football has been the use of flexible scheduling to ensure the best matchups and showcase the best teams as the season goes along. Well, that’s the theory, anyway; the reality has not always lived up to the initial hype and has at times seemed downright mystifying. Regardless, I’m here to help you figure out what you can and can’t expect to see on Sunday nights on NBC.
A full explanation of all the factors that go into flexible scheduling decisions can be found on my NFL Flexible Scheduling Primer, but here’s the Cliffs Notes version with all the important points you need to know:
- The season can be broken down into three different periods (four if you count the first four weeks where flexible scheduling does not apply at all) for flexible scheduling purposes, each with similar yet different rules governing them: the early flex period, from weeks 5 to 10; the main flex period, from weeks 11 to 16; and week 17. In years where Christmas forces either the Sunday afternoon slate or the Sunday night game to Saturday in Week 16, flex scheduling does not apply that week, and the main flex period begins week 10.
- In all cases, only games scheduled for Sunday may be moved to Sunday night. Thursday and Monday night games, as well as late-season Saturday games, are not affected by Sunday night flexible scheduling (discounting the “flexible scheduling” applied to Saturday of Week 16 in recent years and Week 15 this year – see below).
- During the early and main flex periods, one game is “tentatively” scheduled for Sunday night and listed with the Sunday night start time of 8:20 PM ET. This game will usually remain at that start time and air on NBC, but may be flexed out for another game and moved to 1, 4:05, or 4:25 PM ET on Fox or CBS, no less than 12 days in advance of the game.
- No more than two games can be flexed to Sunday night over the course of the early flex period. If the NFL wishes to flex out a game in the early flex period twelve days in advance, CBS and Fox may elect to protect one game each from being moved to Sunday night. This is generally an emergency valve in situations where the value of the tentative game has plummeted since the schedule was announced, namely in cases of injury to a key star player.
- CBS and Fox may also each protect games in five out of six weeks of the main flex period, but all of those protections must be submitted after week 5, week 4 in years where the main flex period begins week 10 (so it is always six weeks before the start of the main flex period).
- No team may appear more than six times across the league’s three primetime packages on NBC, ESPN, and Fox/NFL Network, and only three teams are allowed to appear that often, with everyone else getting five. In addition, no team may appear more than four times on NBC. All teams’ number of appearances heading into this season may be seen here.
- According to the league’s official page, teams are notified when “they are no longer under consideration or eligible for a move to Sunday night.” However, they rarely make this known to the fans, and the list of each network’s protections has never officially been made public. It used to leak fairly regularly, but has not leaked since 2014.
- In all cases, the NFL is the ultimate arbiter of the schedule and consults with CBS, Fox, and NBC before moving any games to prime time. If the NFL does elect to flex out the Sunday night game, the network whose game is flexed in may receive the former tentative game, regardless of which network would “normally” air it under the “CBS=AFC, Fox=NFC” rules, keeping each network’s total number of games constant. At the same time, the NFL may also move games between 1 PM ET and 4:05/4:25 PM ET. However, this feature focuses primarily if not entirely on Sunday night flexible scheduling.
- In Week 17, the entire schedule is set on only six days notice, ensuring that NBC gets a game with playoff implications, generally a game where the winner is the division champion. More rarely, NBC may also show an intra-division game for a wild card spot, or a game where only one team wins the division with a win but doesn’t win the division with a loss, but such situations are rare and 2018 was the first time it showed such a game. If no game is guaranteed to have maximum playoff implications before Sunday night in this fashion, the league has been known not to schedule a Sunday night game at all. To ensure maximum flexibility, no protections or appearance limits apply to Week 17. The NFL also arranges the rest of the schedule such that no team playing at 4:25 PM ET (there are no 4:05 games Week 17) could have their playoff fate decided by the outcome of the 1 PM ET games, which usually means most if not all of the games with playoff implications outside Sunday night are played at 4:25 PM ET.
Here are the current tentatively-scheduled games and my predictions:
Week 17 (January 3):
- Tentative game: None (NBC will show game with guaranteed playoff implications).
- Possible games: Bidens-Eagles, Cowboys-Giants, Steelers-Browns, Cardinals-Rams. The Lions being eliminated from the playoffs constricts the league’s options even further than they already were, but not as much as you might think, as laid out last week; the Bills clinching the AFC East constricted the Sunday night options just as much if not more (though in a way that might come as a relief to the league office with the Bills playing on Monday night).
- Bidens-Eagles will be picked if: Washington and the Giants lose. I had one person try to claim that no way, no how, would an NFC East game be picked, and then eventually acknowledge that there was one scenario where a game’s implications didn’t depend on the other game: if the above results held and the Eagles beat the Cowboys, this would become a division title game. But if the Cowboys beat the Eagles, they’d be sitting tied on top of the division at 6-9 with a team that swept them, while the Giants would be lurking a game back at 5-10 having swept Washington; the Eagles would be out at 4-10-1. Thus, a Washington win would cinch the division, while if the Eagles and Giants both won, the Giants would win the three-way head-to-head tiebreaker, so Washington would win the division with a win while the Cowboys-Giants winner would win it with an Eagles win. This isn’t a situation that has ever produced a Sunday night game though, and while this isn’t reflected in the scenario I’ve laid out, the NFL would take a game that matters for both teams ahead of this if the Cowboys were to beat the Eagles… probably.
- Steelers-Browns will be picked if: The Steelers lose AND the Browns win AND (Washington wins OR the Giants win OR the Cowboys beat the Eagles). Because I started writing last week’s post before the Monday night game ended, I failed to appreciate that the loss to the Ravens was the Browns’ third division loss, meaning the Steelers already have the division tiebreaker locked up even with the loss to the Bengals. Therefore, the Browns need to be actually tied with the Steelers to still be alive for the division. Note that it is possible for this game to go to NBC even if the NFC East title game also happens, both as a sop to Fox and in recognition of this game representing a juicier story, but the NFC West games (especially Cardinals-Rams) will have importance no matter what else happens, while a Steelers loss would clinch the #1 seed for the Chiefs (who are playing at home anyway) and the Raiders need to beat the Dolphins and have the Ravens lose to stay alive for the playoffs, so Steelers-Browns should get better distribution on CBS than Bidens-Eagles would on Fox (indeed don’t be too surprised if Bidens-Eagles gets the nod even if the Eagles lose).
- Cardinals-Rams will be picked if: The Rams lose AND (the Cardinals win OR the Bears lose) AND none of the above scenarios happen (or if the Bidens-Eagles one does the Cowboys beat the Eagles). Bad news for the Rams and Jets could be good news for the NFL, as these teams move one step closer to their Week 17 matchup determining relative seeding. The danger here, which I didn’t realize last week, is that if the Rams beat the Seahawks this week, even if the Cardinals also won, if the Seahawks then lost to the Niners the Rams would have the division, and potentially their seed, clinched before gametime (as their sweep of the Seahawks would make the difference in a three-way tie). Even without that, the league would probably prefer to avoid this as wild card seeding is of questionable consequence. On top of that, if both teams lose the result of the Bears-Packers game could make the difference as to whether the Cardinals are playing to make the playoffs at all; indeed if the Bears win out the Cardinals would actually be eliminated by game time.
- Cowboys-Giants will be picked if: Washington loses AND the Giants win AND the Eagles beat the Cowboys AND none of the above scenarios happen. A second situation that could put an NFC East game in primetime the guy I linked to didn’t account for? This would put the Giants at 6-9 tied with a team they swept, the Eagles at 5-9-1, and the Cowboys at 5-10; because two teams ahead of them play each other, the Cowboys would thus be eliminated. A Giants win would give them the division with all tiebreakers, while a loss would put them behind the Bidens-Eagles winner. As before, this would be an unprecedented situation to put on Sunday night.
- Both NFC East games may be picked if: The Giants win AND (Washington wins OR the Cowboys beat the Eagles) AND none of the above scenarios happen. Moving on to the highly speculative prospect of the league giving NBC two games to regionalize and reverse-mirror on one of their cable outlets. This is all about avoiding Washington clinching the division (which they could do with a win and a Giant loss) or the division lapsing into a scenario where it can come down to one game.
- Packers-Bears and Falcons-Bucs may be picked if: The Packers win AND the Bears win AND the Cardinals win AND the Rams win AND the Bucs lose AND Washington wins AND the Giants lose AND (the Steelers win OR the Browns lose). A Packers win clinches the #1 overall seed no matter what the Saints do, meaning they have nothing to play for, while a Cardinals win eliminates the Vikings no matter what they do, meaning the Vikings-Saints result doesn’t matter. The Bears beat the Bucs so another Bucs loss and Bears win would go to the Bears if it’s a two-way tie; if the Cardinals lose to make it a three-way tie, both the Bears and Cardinals would have better conference records than the Bucs.
- Both NFC South games may be picked if: The Saints lose AND the Bucs win AND Washington wins AND the Giants lose AND none of the above scenarios happen. This isn’t a great situation to go with, but the fact the Bucs would have already clinched a playoff spot in this scenario could actually work in its favor compared to the one below (without even getting into the name value of the teams and quarterbacks involved).
- Both AFC South games may be picked if: The Colts win OR the Titans lose, AND Washington wins AND the Giants lose AND none of the above scenarios happen. Obviously if we do go with the last-resort option of picking and regionalizing two games this is the situation NBC would least like to be stuck with, seeing as it involves the least appetizing division in football from a television perspective. Note: if the Titans win and Colts lose, and that reverses itself next week, both teams would have identical 4-2 division records, identical records in common games, and identical 7-5 conference records, so the problem is that it would come down to strength of victory. The Titans’ unique wins would be against the Broncos, Bills, Ravens, and Jaguars; for the Colts it would be the Jets, Bengals, Texans, and Raiders. (Yes, the Colts, a likely playoff team, account for the Jags’ one win.) Right now the Titans’ unique wins are a combined 26-30 while the Colts’ unique losses are a combined 15-40-1 or 14-41-1, so the Titans have already locked up the strength of victory tiebreaker in this circumstance and thus would have clinched the division entering Week 17. Also note: if none of these scenarios happen (or if giving NBC two games isn’t actually an option), consider the prospect of the league giving NBC an afternoon game as was going to happen to Ravens-Steelers at one point, but I couldn’t begin to tell you which game that might be.
This is a potential total mess, and why the NFL should in future seasons simplify the last week by having ALL GAMES in one conference at 3:30 PM and the other conference at 7:30 PM (or if necessary to accommodate “60 Minutes” on CBS, 3:00 and 8:15 PM) with ALL games divided up between ALL of the NFL’s broadcast partners in the following manner (repeated from the last post):
NBC gets first pick for each time slot
FOX/CBS have between them picks 2-3 for each time slot
ABC gets fourth pick for each time slot
ESPN gets fifth pick for each time slot (game also airs on LivWell, ABC’s DT-2 channel or LAFF, ABC’s DT-3 channel)
NFL Network gets sixth pick for each time slot (game also airs on MOVIES, FOX’s DT-2 channel or BUZZR, FOX’s DT-4 channel)
CBS/FOX then between them get picks 7-8 for each time slot (games air on CBSSN AND DECADES, CBS’s DT-2 Channel and FS1 AND whichever of MOVIES/BUZZR DOES NOT air the NFLN game).
That’s how I do the last week.
Hi all,
My current Week 17 preferences for Sunday Night Football are:
#3 – Dolphins(9-5) @ Bills(11-3) <—could be for seeding and a last ditch chance for the Dolphins to make the playoffs, but due to Bills winning the division this is highly unlikely to make the cut
Jets(1-13) @ Patriots(6-8) <—hell no, not this game
Ravens(9-5) @ Bengals(3-10-1) <—hell no #2, not this game either
#1 – Steelers(11-3) @ Browns(10-4) <— I have this my #1, as I believe this will be for the division. I see the Steelers losing their 4th in a row (to the Colts) and the Browns beating the Jets
Jaguars(1-13) @ Colts(10-4) <—no way San Jose Sharks
Titans(10-4) @ Texans(4-10) <—AFC South and horrible game, enough said
Chargers(5-9) @ Chiefs(13-1) <—disaster, plus Chiefs will likely have the #1 seed locked up by this game
Raiders(7-7) @ Broncos(5-9) <—nada, as I see the Raiders being eliminated in Week 16
Cowboys(5-9) @ Giants(5-9) <—only if it turns into a "win and in," and we know that can't happen, so no
Redski…(6-8) @ Eagles(4-9-1) <—only if it turns into a "win and in" and this can happen, but would it overcome other, better matchups. Hard to say.
#4 – Packers(11-3) @ Bears(7-7) <—this has more chance than I expected, so maybe if Bears still can make the playoffs, but my Packers only clinch the NFC North with a win and a SEAHAWKS loss
Vikings(6-8) @ Lions(5-9) <—I say no
Saints(10-4) @ Panthers(4-10) <—nope
Falcons(4-10) @ Buccaneers(9-5) <—hell nope
#2 – Cardinals(8-6) @ Rams(9-5) <—time will tell. The Cardinals win this past weekend might have helped this game a good deal and the same thing in Week 15 to go along with a Rams loss made this game have more chance
Seahawks(10-4) @ 49ers(5-9) <—another and another 49ers loss ended the chances for this.
This Week 17 is so up in the air right now, that there are many ways that this could go. Should be interesting.
Go Pack Go this week in Week 16 on SNF at Lambeau vs the Titans. 🙂
Thoughts?
I think this week is one of those weeks where CBS could put Colts-Steelers, Browns-Jets and Panthers-WFT on nationally. I know, it’s Fox’s turn to have a doubleheader.
One thing to note about the possibility of a reverse-mirror doubleheader for NBC is that they would need an emergency C booth – especially as there’s a very realistic chance of needing one. We’re already just a week removed from Al missing an SNF for what sounded like contact tracing reasons, and how easy would it be to find a backup booth in the week Fox and CBS combine for 15 games each and as such use their “bench” booths (who in turn tend to do radio and/or college work for most of the season).
Assuming the NFC East comes down to both of its games and the other decisive games are all interconnected – a situation that typically would mean no SNF, but that would be very harsh on NBC after they already had their Thanksgiving window booped to Wednesday afternoon (!) – perhaps one of the AFC games could be crossflexed to FOX, leaving seven games for each network. That would free up Beth Mowins to be on standby for NBC, as Mowins/Barber is listed as the #8 CBS booth.
@ Jeff
I think that Packers@Bears matchup could carry the largest playoff implications beyond each team, deciding both playoff fate and top seeding for multiple NFC teams. If the Seahawks win this week (vs Rams), regardless of the Pack’s outcome against the Titans, Packers will need to win that final game to guarantee 1st seed, while the Bears (good chance of beating Jags) could clinch the final playoff seed with a W.
A 9-7 Cardinals team (losing just one vs49ers or @Rams) puts a 9-7 Bears at an advantage for the final playoff seed based on the common opponents tiebreaker (Bears 3-2 vs Cards 2-3 [at best] against Lions, Panthers, Giants, Rams).
If the Cards lose today and the Seahawks/Bears win/don’t blow it (respectively) tomorrow, I could see the Packers@Bears having the largest variety of significant implications. Any NFC east title game (while involving major markets) only affects one seed and one division.
If the Steelers lose and Browns + Ravens win this week, there’s similar potential in that Steelers(11-4)@Browns(11-4) game. Browns might be playing for the division title vs sitting out of the playoffs (depending on Ravens/Miami success). If a division title game is preferred for the flex, I suppose the nod would go to this one.
But as Saints fan, I’m sure you know how I’m pulling for things in the NFC to play out! That single team bye almost guarantees that more teams (on the winning side) play out the end of the season.
David:
If NBC indeed needed a “C” team because Al Michaels or Mike Tirico were unavailable, they likely could have Dan Hicks, who I believe has called Notre Dame Football in the past do PBP of a “B” game on NBC in a reverse-mirror situation. They also perhaps could borrow Tom McCarthy for that role since while he is mainly nationally on CBS/Westwood One, he also is play-by-play voice for the Phillies, whose games air mainly on NBC Sports Philadelphia (and sometimes WCAU-TV, the flagship NBC station as parent Comcast’s headquarters are in Philly).
If the Rams lose today, that automatically creates a “win and in” scenario against AZ with the Cardinals losing yesterday. But the question becomes this: how much name value will that hold versus other potential matchups.
Week 17 SNF has become a total clusterF……….we could see no game again.
Go Pack Go tonight at Lambeau vs the Titans
Jeff:
Perhaps the NFL finds a way to compensate DirecTV down the road and does what I would do on a permanent basis, and have it where in this case ALL AFC GAMES are at 3:00 PM AND ALL NFC GAMES are at 8:20 (with in subsequent years those being 3:30 and 7:30 as I wrote in my original post), with NBC getting first pick for each time slot and so forth as noted in the first post.
Washington/Philadelphia is SNF
GB@CHI flexed to 3:25pm
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1343403892135120896/photo/1
You nailed it Morgan. Way to go. That’s why we come to your site. Your knowledge on this subject is really second to none.
And even if DAL-NYG ends in a five-quarter tie, the Football still has to win regardless of the outcome (or if DAL-NYG ends in a tie, WSH-PHI ALSO ends in a tie) to win the division.
I do think in future seasons, however, especially since the NFL is likely to add a 17th game next season (most likely played at neutral sites to cover the London games), the NFL should go to having one conference go at 3:30 and the other at 7:30 and divide up all the games between ALL of the broadcast partners as noted in my original post. If necessary, I would add a 19th week with all teams having two bye weeks if that suffices DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket requirement. If that happened, at least one of the bye weeks as I would do it would be tied to midweek games so teams are not playing on three days rest with very limited exceptions.
You can also this way create the one new game I’ve been pushing for for some time, “The NFL Holiday Kickoff” on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving that would have a 7:30 PM ET kickoff and be tied to the tree lighting in Rockefeller Plaza that would take place during an expanded halftime (with most likely the Jets and Giants alternating as the hosts of that game that would be at Met Life Stadium, even occasionally having them play each other in that game).
CaliCannon’s Wild card weekend predictions:
Sat morning game: at Football Team/Giants/Boys (worst game on the schedule get it out of the way quick likely on ABC with the b team announcing)
Sat afternoon game: at Steelers (Steelers would like to play on Saturday likely to get an extra day’s rest for divisional round)
Sat Night game: At Buffalo (who doesn’t want to see a prime time night game in Buffalo in january? Maybe we could get a Raiders Patriots like snow bowl that vaults Buffalo into a 20-year run of AFC dominance ala the patriots?)
Sun morning game: at Titans (Jim nantz and Tony Romo warm up for their trip to Arrowhead the following week)
Sun Afternoon game: at Seahawks (Joe Buck and Troy aikman get Russell Wilson)
Sun Night game: at New Orleans (Bourbon Street and the Superdome on a Sunday night seems like the perfect cap to a Wild card weekend with Cris and Al calling the action)
I would guess the Chiefs and Packers would both like to play on Saturday of the divisional round to give them eight days to prepare for championship Sunday. Probably 1:30 p.m. Pacific for the Chiefs game on a Saturday and prime time for the Packers at lambeau to make our resident Packers fan here giddy 🍀 (tho I could see them having the saints play Saturday night and leaving the Packers for Sunday afternoon top ratings window with Joe and Troy at the mic on Fox)
Some other thoughts concerning Sunday:
The NFL should have made Raiders-Broncos and Chargers-Chiefs both 1:00 PM ET games, even if it meant an 11:00 AM local time start in Denver and moved Browns-Steelers to 4:25 PM. It would not have killed the NFL if for one week a game started at 11:00 AM local time.
And yes kudos to Morgan for that perfect breakdown of how and why the NFC East would be chosen for the Sunday night game. Absolutely nailed it. I wonder if the league itself checks out this website now and then to make sure it’s following its own rules and to pick up some clever ideas. Enjoy the playoffs everyone!
My predictions for SNF appearances in 2021 (17-game, 18-week season [includes kickoff game and thanksgiving]):
3 times: Chiefs, Cowboys, Packers, Steelers
2 times: Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Rams, Ravens, Saints, Seahawks, Titans
1 time: 49ers, Browns, Cardinals, Colts, Dolphins, Eagles, Football Team, Giants, Patriots, Raiders
only if flexed: Bengals, Broncos, Chargers, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Panthers, Texans, Vikings
I would have kept Chargers-Chiefs at 1pm.
Hi John,
For the preliminary matchups, for Sunday Night Football, there’s usually about 17 of the 32 teams assigned to the matchups. Most of the time it includes the 12 teams to have made the playoff and rarely involve teams that finish 4th in their Division, unless you’re the Cowboys or the Bears.
Next season might be the start of the 17 game/18 week schedule, as you mentioned, and there were 14 playoff teams this season. I see the possibility of there now being 19 teams preliminarily assigned to the Sunday Night Football package for the 2021 season. I guess we’ll see in about the 3rd week of April.
Happy New Year and peace to all.
Jeff
P.S. – Go Pack Go this Sunday in Chicago vs. the Bears. 🙂
Hi, Jeff. That’s amazing you mentioned about the matchups for Sunday night football NBC next season. I have predictions for a few Sunday night football games for the Packers next season. Hopefully, Green Bay Packers win the NFL Super Bowl next month.
1. Packers vs. Vikings at Lambeau Field on NFL kickoff opener if Packers win the NFL super bowl next month.
2. Packers vs. Seahawks at Lambeau
3. Packers vs. Ravens at Baltimore
Phase 2 of my alternate predictions of a few Sunday night football games for Packers
1. Packers vs. Bears at Lambeau on the NFL Kickoff opener if Green Bay wins the NFl super bowl next month.
2. Packers vs. Seahawks at Lambeau
3. Packers vs. Ravens at Baltimore
4. Packers vs. Vikings at Lambeau on NBC as a flex game for playoff implications with the game originally on Fox and then being flexed for NBC related to playoff implications such as fighting for the playoff spots.
If we had the 3:30/7:30 schedule the final week (or 3:00/8:20 if CBS had to air “60 Minutes”) this season, here’s how it likely would be (games are listed in the likely choice order the networks would have):
AFC games at 3:30 PM ET:
NBC: Steelers-Browns (Mike Tirico and Tony Dungy)
CBS: Dolphins-Bills (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
FOX: Titans-Texans (Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis)
ABC: Ravens-Bengals (Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge)
ESPN/LivWell or LAFF: Jaguars-Colts (Bob Wischusen and Dan Orlovsky)
NFLN/MOVIES or BUZZR: Jets-Patriots (Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth
FS1/MOVIES or BUZZR: Raiders-Broncos (Joe Davis and Robert Smith
CBSSN/DECADES: Chargers-Chiefs (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)
NFC games at 7:30 PM ET:
NBC: Packers-Bears (Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth)
FOX: Cardinals-Rams (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
CBS: Cowboys-Giants (Jim Nantz and Boomer Esiason)
ABC: Saints-Panthers (Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick)
ESPN/LivWell or LAFF: Seahawks-49ers (Dave Pasch and Mike Golic, Sr.)
NFLN/MOVIES or BUZZR: Football Team-Eagles (Kenny ALbert, Johnathan Vilma)
CBSSN/DECADES: Falcons-Buccaneers (Greg Gumbel and Trent Dilfer)
FS1/MOVIES or BUZZR: Vikings-Lions (Joe Davis, Robert Smith)
NOTE: Normally, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit would have in this scenario gotten the 3:30 PM ABC game but because Herbstreit tested positive for COVID and can’t be at the gamesite the way the NFL seems to want it they would not be on at all. Tony Romo is also out due to COVID protocols.
Second note: LivWell is ABC’s DT-2, LAFF is ABC’s DT-3, MOVIES is FOX’s DT-2, BUZZR is FOX’s DT-4, DECADES is CBS’s DT-2 channel.
This is how the last week should be done.
I guess NBC wanted Tommy Brady in primetime
Saturday
10 am colts at Buffalo on CBS
1 pm Rams at Seattle on Fox
5 pm Tampa Bay NFC East on NBC
Sunday
10 am Ravens at Titans on ABC/ESPN
1:00 p.m. bears at saints on CBS
5 pm Cleveland at Steelers on NBC
Guess so CaliCannon. Disgusting. Some interesting theories Brian.
Are you impressed by my theories about my predictions for a few SNF football NBC games of the Packers next season?
I am thinking you’re impressed with my theories of my predictions for a few SNF football games of the Packers next season, Jeff. What is your prediction for a few SNF football games of the Packers next season?
Hi Brian,
Based on the NFL being likely to add a 17th game to the schedule, the Packers would be playing the 1st place team in the AFC West, that means that the Pack would play KC. Home or away hasn’t yet been determined.
I could see GB/KC as a Sunday Night Football game. I’d say 99.9% chance, if indeed they add that 17th game.
GB @ NO or Sea @ GB is a matchup where 1 of these games will likely end up on Sunday Night Football.
And lastly, as we’re only allowed 3 Sunday Night Football games, I could see either Pitt @ GB or GB @ Balt being the final selection for Sunday Night Football.
We should know on about April 20th when the schedule comes out, unless they delay it like they did this season due to the pandemic. Let’s hope that the pandemic is starting to become under control by that point in time.
Go Pack Go at Lambeau next weekend vs. either the Bears, Rams, Bucs, or Redsk…
Hi, Jeff. Interesting comments you mentioned to me about that. That’s very cool. But normally every season to the Packers, the Packers would have either 1 or 2 divison games on SNF, but mostly they get one divison game on SNF every season.
And another thing, Jeff, it’s possible that the Saints vs. Packers game at the Superdome New Orleans next season may not air on SNF because the Packers and Saints faced each other on SNF at New Orleans 4 months ago at the end of September even though there is a possibility that Drew Brees could retire as a football player after this season.
Go Pack Go at Lambeau on the playoffs this month.
Oh man, its almost that time of the year where walt comes up with the most obscure flex scenarios, cant wait!
Right!? LOL! I am so ready for this season.
Great start to Monday Night Football. I am ready to talk flex scheduling later this week or after Week 2.
It’s time for a wall to take this job over full time. Morgan has checked out
Agreed. The end of the season will be very interesting, now that ABC is getting 2 games flexed to Saturday in week 18.
I see the fake Walt Gekko has struck again!!!!
John:
I think that is something the NFL will have to rectify in the future.
I do think the NFL will have to eventually add a 19th week (either going to 18 games or adding a second “bye” week that as I would do it would be tied to midweek games), most likely by the 2025 season as I suspect the International Olympic Committee is going to demand the NFL NOT have the Super Bowl during the Winter Olympics like it is this year in Bejing and make it so countries doing business with the NFL are “persona non grata” to the IOC for Olympic bids UNLESS the NFL agrees to this. The IOC is the ONE governing body bigger than the NFL that could make that demand, setting it up where in Olympic years, there is a THREE week gap between the conference title games and Super Bowl, though if so possibly where the IOC agrees to have the closing ceremony where it airs in the US live either Saturday night (if necessary, moving up the entire games by a day to accommodate that) OR Sunday morning into early afternoon before the Super Bowl pregame show.
That 19th week would also allow for the final Sunday having games airing simultaneously on ALL of the NFL’s broadcast partners as I laid out above, with one conference as noted at 3:30 and the other at 7:30 PM ET with NBC having first choice in each time slot and so forth from there (and this can include Amazon Prime, which begins doing Thursday night football next season). Week 18 can then be as it is this season but with a Monday Night Game (or go to 20 weeks with the second bye Week 19 being what Week 18 is this year and Week 20 being the “all games in a conference at the same time” week).
We waited all off season for THAT!?
p.s. nobody cares about the Olympics anymore (not real sports fans anyway). NFL doesn’t cowtow to anyone.
Wk 11 steelers chargers my early favorite to be 1st snf game flexed out
Cali:
You forget how big the IOC is. If they tell the NFL the Super Bowl can’t be during the Winter Olympics, then the NFL would have to kowtow and in such years schedule it so the conference title games are before the games and the Super Bowl is AFTER the closing ceremonies. Of course, the IOC could make this moot by scheduling the Winter Olympics in the Southern Hempishpere and hold them during the traditional time the SUMMER Olympic games take place.
Well all, it’s time to start looking at Flex Scheduling for Sunday Night Football. This happens from Weeks 5 through 18. Only 2 games can be flexed out from Weeks 5 through 10.
Here’s my take on things so far.
Week 5
# 1 – 49ers(2-1) @ Cardinals(3-0)
# 2 – Browns(2-1) @ Chargers(2-1)
# 3 – Packers(2-1) @ Bengals(2-1)
Tentative – Bills(2-1) @ Chiefs(1-2)
I just looked at nflcommunications.com and see that nothing has changed with the Week 5 schedule, which was expected. Remember I only select matchups of teams that have records of .500 or better for my rankings.
Week 6
# 1 – Raiders(3-0) @ Broncos(3-0)
# 2 – Chargers(2-1) @ Ravens(2-1)
# 3 – Cardinals(3-0) @ Browns(2-1)
Tentative – Seahawks(1-2) @ Steelers(1-2) – this game deserves to be in jeopardy if the Seahawks lose to the 49ers this week and if the Steelers lose to my Packers this week. Time will tell.
Week 7
#1 – Bengals(2-1) @ Ravens(2-1)
Tentative – Colts(0-3) @ 49ers(2-1) – this game could be in more jeopardy than the Week 6 tentative if the Colts lose to the Dolphins.
Week 8
Tentative – Cowboys(2-1) @ Vikings(1-2) – can’t foresee this game being replaced
Week 9
Tentative – Titans(2-1) @ Rams(3-0) – this will be the SNF game in Week 9
Week 10
Tentative – Chiefs(1-2) @ Raiders(3-0) – unless the Chiefs don’t win another game by Week 8, this will stay put
Week 11
Tentative – Steelers(1-2) @ Chargers(2-1) – the Steelers will be the team deciding if this game stays put
Week 12
Tentative – Browns(2-1) @ Ravens(2-1) – looks like the game we’ll see on Thanksgiving weekend
Week 13
Tentative – 49ers(2-1) @ Seahawks(1-2) – I think Seahawks will rebound enough to make this game stay put
Week 14
Tentative – Bears(1-2) @ Packers(2-1) – The Bears could knock this game out of this slot
Week 15
Tentative – Saints(2-1) @ Buccaneers(2-1) – this looks like a lock to stay put
Also of note for this week’s games: 2 of a pre-selected 5 games will be played on Sat. 12/18/21 on NFL Network exclusively
Panthers(3-0) @ Bills(2-1) – looking good
Raiders(3-0) @ Browns(2-1) – looking good
Patriots(1-2) @ Colts(0-3)
Jets(0-3) @ Dolphins(1-2)
Redskins(1-2) @ Eagles(1-2)
The decision has to be made by the conclusion of the Week 11 games at the latest
Week 16
Tentative – Redskins(1-2) @ Cowboys(2-1) – unless this game is a total mismatch and a much better alternative game is found, this stays put
Week 17
Tentative – Vikings(1-2) @ Packers(2-1) – I can see the Vikings improving and making this game pretty secure in its spot
Week 18 (sounds so weird to say that)
2 games will be moved from their preliminary Sunday slot to Sat. 01/08/22 and they’ll both be aired on ESPN/ABC. This is an interesting move to me. These 2 games and the SNF game will both be announced with the rest of the Week 18 schedule, at the conclusion of the Week 17 schedule (at the latest).
Tentative – none of course
Current Games and Records of each team
Jets(0-3) @ Bills(2-1)
Patriots(1-2) @ Dolphins(1-2)
Steelers(1-2) @ Ravens(2-1)
Bengals(2-1) @ Browns(2-1) – currently looking good for a Nationally televised game
Titans(2-1) @ Texans(1-2)
Colts(0-3) @ Jaguars(0-3)
Chiefs(1-2) @ Broncos(3-0)
Chargers(2-1) @ Raiders(3-0) – currently looking good for a Nationally televised game
Redskins(1-2) @ Giants(0-3)
Cowboys(2-1) @ Eagles(1-2)
Packers(2-1) @ Lions(0-3)
Bears(1-2) @ Vikings(1-2)
Saints(2-1) @ Falcons(1-2)
Panthers(3-0) @ Buccaneers(2-1) – currently looking good for a Nationally televised game
Seahawks(1-2) @ Cardinals(3-0)
49ers(2-1) @ Rams(3-0) – currently looking good for a Nationally televised game
I currently have 4 games for the 3 Nationally televised games in Week 18. We’ll see how that progresses.
Any thoughts anyone?
Go Pack Go this week at Lambeau vs. the Steelers
Here’s what I see happening as of now:
Weeks 5-6: No Flex
Week 7: Possibly Colts-49ers gets flexed for Bengals-Ravens (Bengals a surprise so far at 3-1 and can be flexed in five times since the Thursday nighter was their only scheduled national TV game)
Weeks 8-10: No Flex
Week 11: Steelers-Chargers could get flexed out for Bengals-Raiders
Week 12: No Flex
Week 13: 49ers-Seahawks could be flexed out for Chargers-Bengals (yes, the Bengals could flexed in for a third time)
Week 14: Bears-Packers could be flexed out for the second Ravens-Browns game (the first meeting in Week 12 is on SNF and CBS is almost certain to protect Bills-Bucaneers)
Week 15: No SNF Flex with the likely Saturday games being:
Panthers-Bills at 1:00 PM on NFL Network
Football Team-Eagles at 4:30 PM on Amazon Prime
Raiders-Browns at 8:15 PM on NFL Network
Week 16: No Flex unless the Football Team is out of it by then but even then there are no other games to really flex.
Week 17: If there is a flex that week with Vikings-Packers out, Cardinals-Cowboys likely goes in as FOX is likely to protect Rams-Ravens which is already a 4:25 game.
Week 18: Too early to tell.
Hey there Walt. Just so you know, there’s only going to be 2 Saturday games on Week 15, unless something changed that I’m not knowing about.
Hi, Jeff. Just to be clear of this season of NFL, I don’t see the Packers vs. Bears game at Lambeau Field week 14 or the Vikings vs. Packers game at Lambeau Field week 17 being flexed out of SNF NBC because those games Packers vs. Bears at Lambeau Field is a very popular draw on SNF NBC and the Vikings vs. Packers game at Lambeau Field or in U.S. Bank Stadium is also a popular draw on SNF NBC despite Vikings vs. Packers game at U.S. Bank Stadium on week 11 next month on TV channel Fox.
Hi Brian,
You’re likely right, but if the Bears are say 5-8 or 4-9 by the time Week 14 comes around, the game could be replaced.
See what happens by Week 12. Cheers to the football season!
Jeff
Cheers to the football season is right, Jeff. Cheers cheers. Anyhow, on the Vikings vs. Packers game at Lambeau Field SNF NBC week 17 in a few months on Sunday January 2nd 2022, I also consider that a popular draw and whenever the Vikings get eliminated in the playoffs, they would get eliminated in the playoffs right before the NFL regular season finale and this game could decide whether the Minnesota Vikings be in the playoffs this season or not.
Well all, it’s time to start looking at Flex Scheduling for Sunday Night Football. This happens from Weeks 5 through 18. Only 2 games can be flexed out from Weeks 5 through 10.
Here’s my take on things so far.
Week 6
# 1 – Cardinals(4-0) @ Browns(3-1)
# 2 – Chargers(3-1) @ Ravens(3-1)
# 3 – Raiders(3-1) @ Broncos(3-1)
# 4 – Packers(3-1) @ Bears(2-2)
# 5 – Chiefs(2-2) @ Redskins(2-2)
Tentative – Seahawks(2-2) @ Steelers(1-3) – I haven’t looked at nflcommunications.com yet to see about the Week 6 schedule, but I sure hope that the NFL moved either of my Top 2 choices to the SNF game. It’s the NFL though and I doubt they did anything like that. 🙁
Week 7
# 1 – Bengals(3-1) @ Ravens(3-1)
# 2 – Chiefs(2-2) @ Titans(2-2)
# 3 – Bears(2-2) @ Buccaneers(3-1)
# 4 – Redskins(2-2) @ Packers(3-1)
Tentative – Colts(1-3) @ 49ers(2-2) – Colts winning in Week 4 probably helped this game’s chances quite a bit. 49ers losing Garappolo hurt this game’s chances. If both teams on my # 1 win, then that game could get in.
Week 8
# 1 – Buccaneers(3-1) @ Saints(2-2)
# 2 – 49ers(2-2) @ Bears(2-2)
# 3 – Redskins(2-2) @ Broncos(3-1)
Tentative – Cowboys(3-1) @ Vikings(1-3) – can’t foresee this game being replaced, unless the Vikings lose their next 2
Week 9
Tentative – Titans(2-2) @ Rams(3-1) – this will be the SNF game in Week 9
Week 10
Tentative – Chiefs(2-2) @ Raiders(3-1) – this game will stay put
Week 11
Tentative – Steelers(1-3) @ Chargers(3-1) – the Steelers will be the team deciding if this game stays put and it’s chances are dwindling as bad as Big Ben
Week 12
Tentative – Browns(3-1) @ Ravens(3-1) – looks like the game we’ll see on Thanksgiving weekend and hell, why not.
Week 13
Tentative – 49ers(2-2) @ Seahawks(2-2) – I think Seahawks will rebound enough to make this game stay put, but the 49ers could tank this if they suck with their rookie QB as the starter
Week 14
Tentative – Bears(2-2) @ Packers(3-1) – The Bears could knock this game out of this slot, though they helped their chances last week. That was against the, now, 0-4 Lions though.
Week 15
Tentative – Saints(2-2) @ Buccaneers(3-1) – this looks like a lock to stay put
Also of note for this week’s games: 2 of a pre-selected 5 games will be played on Sat. 12/18/21 on NFL Network exclusively
Panthers(3-1) @ Bills(3-1) – looking good
Raiders(3-1) @ Browns(3-1) – looking good
Patriots(1-3) @ Colts(1-3)
Jets(1-3) @ Dolphins(1-3)
Redskins(2-2) @ Eagles(1-3)
The decision has to be made by the conclusion of the Week 11 games at the latest
Week 16
Tentative – Redskins(2-2) @ Cowboys(3-1) – unless this game is a total mismatch and a much better alternative game is found, this stays put
Week 17
Tentative – Vikings(1-3) @ Packers(3-1) – I can see the Vikings improving and making this game pretty secure in its spot & still can even after losing at home to the Browns in Week 4
Week 18 (sounds so weird to say that)
2 games will be moved from their preliminary Sunday slot to Sat. 01/08/22 and they’ll both be aired on ESPN/ABC. This is an interesting move to me. These 2 games and the SNF game will both be announced with the rest of the Week 18 schedule, at the conclusion of the Week 17 schedule (at the latest).
Tentative – none of course
Current Games and Records of each team
Jets(1-3) @ Bills(3-1)
Patriots(1-3) @ Dolphins(1-3)
Steelers(1-3) @ Ravens(3-1)
Bengals(3-1) @ Browns(3-1) – currently looking good for a Nationally televised game
Titans(2-2) @ Texans(1-3)
Colts(1-3) @ Jaguars(0-4)
Chiefs(2-2) @ Broncos(3-1) – I still believe the Broncos will keep this from being a Nationally televised game
Chargers(3-1) @ Raiders(3-1) – currently looking good for a Nationally televised game
Redskins(2-2) @ Giants(1-3)
Cowboys(3-1) @ Eagles(1-3)
Packers(3-1) @ Lions(0-4)
Bears(2-2) @ Vikings(1-3)
Saints(2-2) @ Falcons(1-3)
Panthers(3-1) @ Buccaneers(3-1) – currently looking good for a Nationally televised game
Seahawks(2-2) @ Cardinals(4-0) – this could sneak in over the other NFC West game
49ers(2-2) @ Rams(3-1) – currently looking good for a Nationally televised game, but not so sure now with Garappolo hurt
I currently have 3 to 4 games for the 3 Nationally televised games in Week 18. We’ll see how that progresses.
Any thoughts anyone?
Go Pack Go this week at the Bengals
Yeah, nothing changed in the Week 6 schedule. Not shocked that the NFL did nothing. Maybe if the Steelers hadn’t come back in Week 1 at the Bills and were 0-4, there would have been some chance for a flex. 🙁
Jeff:
I didn’t know that. I forgot it was three last year because of how Christmas fell and there are indeed two games on Christmas night this time.
In that case, I suspect Football Team-Eagles and Raiders-Browns will be the Saturday games as noted above. Panthers-Bills had the makings of a 1:00 PM Saturday game all along.
Brian:
If Cardinals-Cowboys is NOT protected (and given Rams-Ravens is already a 4:25 game on FOX, likely won’t be) in Week 17, I see it as a PRIME candidate to be moved, especially if that game has bearings on the #1 overall seed in the NFC. We all know the Cowboys are the biggest draw and NBC would sacrifice a game at Lambeau for that.
As for Week 14, most of us still expect the Bears to be REALLY bad and the Ravens-Browns meeting in Cleveland last year was the game of the year in the NFL. I would think that would play into moving it if the Bears falter as expected.
In my honest opinion, the NFL should flex San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts out of Sunday Night Football NBC week 7 since the 49ers are 2-3 since they lost against Arizona Cardinals at Arizona yesterday, 17 to 10 and Indianapolis Colts lost against Baltimore Ravens on OT at Baltimore tonight, 31 to 25.
I think, had the Bengals won on Sunday, the NFL would have pulled the trigger on flexing in Bengals-Ravens, instead of having the tentative Colts-49ers, as it would have been guaranteed to be a battle for 1st place. As it is, even with poor records, the Colts-49ers is going to get higher viewership, so I don’t see it moving now.