NBC Flexing In Week Sixteen

Tuesday, December 09, 2008


NBC has decided to use their flex option for Week Sixteen, and their choice could quite possibly be the game of the year. The NFL is moving the Chargers and Bucs from the Sunday night spot to 1pm on CBS, and the Panthers and Giants will fill that hole. From Fang's Bites via NBC....

The Week 16 Carolina Panthers-New York Giants game on Sunday, December 21 will be played at 8:15 PM ET on NBC and the San Diego Chargers-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game that day will move to 1:00 PM ET on CBS, the NFL announced today. Two other Week 16 game-time changes: the Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons-Minnesota Vikings games on Sunday, December 21 move from 1:00 PM ET to 4:15 PM ET on FOX.
Obviously that's a great decision and with the potential of home field advantage at stake, that game could be a winner for NBC. Giants and Boys are obviously still in the Week Fifteen slot, and Week Seventeen won't be decided until next week. Here's the revised schedule for that week now.... (*- changed game time)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18 (WEEK 16)

Indy at Jacksonville (NFL-N, 8:15pm)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20

Baltimore at Dallas (NFL-N, 8:15pm)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21

Cincinnati at Cleveland (CBS, 1pm)
New Orleans at Detroit (FOX, 1pm)
Miami at Kansas City (CBS, 1pm)
Arizona at New England (FOX, 1pm)
San Francisco at St. Louis (FOX, 1pm)
San Diego at Tampa Bay (CBS, 1pm)*
Pittsburgh at Tennessee (CBS, 1pm)
Buffalo at Denver (CBS, 4pm)
Houston at Oakland (CBS, 4pm)
NY Jets at Seattle (CBS, 4pm)
Atlanta at Minnesota (FOX, 4pm)*
Philadelphia at Washington (FOX, 4pm)*
Carolina at NY Giants (NBC, 8:15pm)*

MONDAY, DECEMBER 22

Green Bay at Chicago (ESPN, 8:30pm)

17 Comments:

Week 17 is decided in 2 weeks, as they wait for the Monday before to flex....

The Rabbi said...
Dec 9, 2008, 4:40:00 PM  

what game did fox protect to lose out on this game???

philly/wash?

-dan

Anonymous said...
Dec 9, 2008, 5:00:00 PM  

@ Dan: Yes, Philly-Washington is game protected by Fox.

Justin F. said...
Dec 9, 2008, 5:09:00 PM  

stephen it will be Dolphins at Jets. Mmmm Madden spends christmas week with...............Brett Favre!!!!

Anonymous said...
Dec 9, 2008, 5:21:00 PM  

@ Anon: Let's all hope not. I don't want to even think about that possibility...

Justin F. said...
Dec 9, 2008, 5:27:00 PM  

Steve Smith vs. Steve Smith in primetime!

Anonymous said...
Dec 9, 2008, 5:38:00 PM  

JFein, that game will probably decide the AFC East so expect the verbal fellating.

GMoney said...
Dec 9, 2008, 5:40:00 PM  

I almost feel sorry for CBS having to conjure up a seventh crew for a game that will only be seen in SD's market (I assmume San Diego, Palm Springs and Yuma) and likely only Tampa. Ft Myers will get the Dolphin game (as a secondary market for both teams, they get the road game) and if Orlando requests the Fish they will get them for the same reason. Sounds like a good game to send Grandpa Dick to (and the Raiders get Macatee-Buerlein again)

Anonymous said...
Dec 9, 2008, 5:46:00 PM  

In actuallity, the Week 17 game will be decided no earlier than the finish of the December 21 day games, or December 23rd at the latest.

JamesCraven said...
Dec 9, 2008, 5:55:00 PM  

Poor Bucs, it seems like they always get flexed out of Sunday nights...then again it couldn't happen to a better city ;)

Anonymous said...
Dec 9, 2008, 7:39:00 PM  

Flexing Panthers/Giants will probably get great ratings since it will also affect any team in playoff contention(for tiebreakers)in most of the large TV markets on the East Coast.

Anonymous said...
Dec 9, 2008, 8:57:00 PM  

I wonder if Tampa fans will harbor contempt for John Madden for opting against doing their game against Seattle and for NBC pulling out of Bucs/Chargers? Now comes the big question, should the Bucs make the playoffs, will NBC get their hands on it?

Anonymous said...
Dec 10, 2008, 12:24:00 AM  

So... Bob Papa can be on time in NY from Dallas.

Anonymous said...
Dec 10, 2008, 11:31:00 AM  

I live in Boston, and I'm hoping that for once, just ONCE, I get a chance to watch a Falcons game.

I don't get it. Matt Ryan went to BC , and the Falcons are an exciting offensive team (I can only imagine). Instead, the Boston market has to watch the Giants every week. Hello? We New Englanders hate the F'n Giants (I'm sure you can guess why).

The ideal solution to problems like this, is for the NFL to stop price gouging fans by making them order direct TV, and show more games per week on other networks (NBC,ESPN, etc.) But since we know that won't happen, can they at least make the nationally televised game schedule less fixed and rigid? This to me is a bigger issue than fat guys taking starcaps.

Birdman said...
Dec 10, 2008, 11:42:00 AM  

Giants games don't always go into Boston. Back in Week 3 CBS had Dolphins-Patriots (the Wildcat game) and Bengals-Giants at the same time. All of New England got the Wildcat game, Hartford even.

At least with flex scheduling New York gets to see a Patriots game that's not in prime time. The Week 16 changes should put Cards-Pats into NYC as the early game for Fox.

Anonymous said...
Dec 10, 2008, 11:58:00 AM  

Panthers/Giants will be an excellent game, but hopefully the Broncos make it a little less so.

Brad James said...
Dec 10, 2008, 1:33:00 PM  

Yeah, Cards-Pats Eagles-Redskins will likely be the FOX twinbill for much of the USA.

JamesCraven said...
Dec 10, 2008, 1:46:00 PM  

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