NFL has decided not to flex the Week 17 (New Year's Eve) MIA-BAL game to SNF in a surprising move

[chongli]

It was widely assumed the NFL would flex the early CBS Miami at Baltimore game to SNF Week 17 on New Year's Day in place of the scheduled Green Bay at Minnesota game (remember, only 6-days' notice is required for a SNF flex Weeks 14-18). But the NFL has decided to leave things in place:

 

MIA-BAL will remain in the CBS 1 PM slot 12/31.

CIN-KC will remain the feature late game in the 4:25 PM slot on CBS. [thanks to @Ned Flanders for catching my brain fart!]

GB-MIN will remain on SNF.

 

What's worse, many parts of the country will not be able to see MIA-BAL, including Houston and Tampa Bay, which will both black out CBS's early game to show their own teams exclusively, as is allowed since these teams are on the single-header network at home for more than four times this year.

 

At the very least, the NFL was expected to put MIA-BAL in the late CBS lot to feature them more. I guess Mahommes and Taylor trumped that idea? As well as the NFL maybe not wanting to interrupt people's New Year's Eve plans. Some also viewed this as a make-up move to CBS for not letting them feature a late Sunday game this year in a stand-alone slot, like FOX did last week for DAL-BUF. This will be a huge double header for CBS.

 

 

 

 

Here is the schedule for Week 17. The CBS announcers should be made known today or tomorrow...probably, and I will post then.

 

Week 17:

 

NATIONAL BROADCASTS

TNF: Thursday Night: NY Jets @ Cleveland (Amazon)

MNF: Saturday 8:15 PM ET: Detroit @ Dallas (ESPN/ABC)

SNF: Sunday Night: Green Bay @ Minnesota (NBC)

 

CBS EARLY

New England @ Buffalo

Miami @ Baltimore

Atlanta @ Chicago

Las Vegas @ Indianapolis

Carolina @ Jacksonville

 

CBS LATE

Cincinnati @ Kansas City

LA Chargers @ Denver

 

FOX SINGLE

LA Rams @ NY Giants

San Francisco @ Washington

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay

Arizona @ Philadelphia

Tennessee @ Houston

Pittsburgh @ Seattle (LATE)

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by chongli

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

Are they allergic to ratings?

[pkwwjd]

I'm guessing they didn't want Miami in that slot two weeks in a row ... Saving it for week 18

[Ned Flanders]

11 minutes ago, chongli said:

It was widely assumed the NFL would flex the early CBS Miami at Baltimore game to SNF Week 17 on New Year's Day in place of the scheduled Green Bay at Minnesota game (remember, only 6-days' notice is required for a SNF flex Weeks 14-18). But the NFL has decided to leave things in place:

 

MIA-BAL will remain in the CBS 1 PM slot 12/31.

NE-KC will remain the feature late game in the 4:25 PM slot on CBS.

GB-MIN will remain on SNF.

The late CBS game is Cincinnati at KC...which makes it a lot more watchable.

[chongli]

11 minutes ago, Ned Flanders said:

The late CBS game is Cincinnati at KC...which makes it a lot more watchable.

 

Yes, sorry, I was thinking of last week, lol! Good catch!

Edited December 21, 2023 by chongli

[uticaclub]

Miami is going to get smoked

[Gregg]

19 minutes ago, pkwwjd said:

I'm guessing they didn't want Miami in that slot two weeks in a row ... Saving it for week 18

 

If that game turns out to be for the AFCE then it is a slam dunk for SNF. 

[Tuco]

"Some also viewed this as a make-up move to CBS for not letting them feature a late Sunday game this year in a stand-alone slot, like FOX did last week for DAL-BUF. This will be a huge double header for CBS."

 

I'm thinking this is the biggest reason. All of those flex rules always say they will consult with CBS and FOX (mostly) before making decisions. With the league adding more and more and more prime time games and Saturday games the regular 1 PM and 4 PM slots are constantly getting thinned out. CBS probably stated their case and the league agreed.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

52 minutes ago, pkwwjd said:

I'm guessing they didn't want Miami in that slot two weeks in a row ... Saving it for week 18

That was my next comment. It's the only reason I can think of because someone ran the numbers and in Week 18 the Bills v Dolphins is the most likely to have some kind of playoff implication. Even if it's not for the division, it's almost certain that one or both teams will be playing for some kind of seeding.

34 minutes ago, Gregg said:

 

If that game turns out to be for the AFCE then it is a slam dunk for SNF. 

Even if not, I saw that when people ran out sims it's the game most likely to have some kind of seeding implication

[Dan Darragh]

I read this post.  Now my head hurts.

[WotAGuy]

27 minutes ago, Tuco said:

"Some also viewed this as a make-up move to CBS for not letting them feature a late Sunday game this year in a stand-alone slot, like FOX did last week for DAL-BUF. This will be a huge double header for CBS."

 

I'm thinking this is the biggest reason. All of those flex rules always say they will consult with CBS and FOX (mostly) before making decisions. With the league adding more and more and more prime time games and Saturday games the regular 1 PM and 4 PM slots are constantly getting thinned out. CBS probably stated their case and the league agreed.

Weird, because the Rams play the Giants in the same time slot so they will lose a lot of those two markets. 

[NewEra]

That’s so lame.  Was looking forward to watching that game on NYE

[chongli]

10 minutes ago, NewEra said:

That’s so lame.  Was looking forward to watching that game on NYE

 

If Burrow was healthy, there is a good chance CBS would have protected KC-CIN and the NFL would have then been more easily able to move small-market MIA-BAL to SNF. But now, CBS wants the MIA-BAL game more.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

It’s not that surprising.
 

Baltimore would’ve been playing three consecutive night primetime games if they made the switch. And and to be fair KC vs. Cincinnati is still a pretty attractive late game and Minnesota versus Green Bay still has quite a bit of importance in the NFC.

 

NFL also might be considering the 90% likelihood that they will want to have Buffalo at Miami as the final Sunday night game of the season. So had they move this game to Sunday night Miami would then be playing consecutive weeks on Sunday night football.

 

 

 

 

[Never NEVER Give-up]

1 hour ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

NFL also might be considering the 90% likelihood that they will want to have Buffalo at Miami as the final Sunday night game of the season. So had they move this game to Sunday night Miami would then be playing consecutive weeks on Sunday night football.

 

Watching the Fish getting smoked 2 weeks in a row!!  Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!!

[chongli]

49 minutes ago, Never NEVER Give-up said:

 

Watching the Fish getting smoked 2 weeks in a row!!  Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!!

 

The problem is now Baltimore has to fly back from SF early Tuesday and play Miami at 1 PM Sunday. Baltimore would have preferred a flex to SNF.

 

That also gives Miami more of a cgance to win that game too.

.

2 hours ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

Baltimore would’ve been playing three consecutive night primetime games if they made the switch.

 

 

One thing to consider though is Buffalo played in primetime three weeks in a row from Weeks 8-10. So that may not have been a consideration.

Edited December 21, 2023 by chongli