NFL flexes Washington-Panthers to keep intrigue in Cowboys-Eagles

There’s still something to play for, so one of the most viewed rivalries in sports gets other things shifted to maintain it’s relevance.

  • The NFL flexed Washington-Carolina so that the outcome won’t be known by the time Dallas and Philadelphia kick off.
  • Entering Week 16, the NFC East title is still up for grabs with no teams capable of finishing above .500.
  • All four clubs have a path to the division title, but only Washington controls their own destiny.
  • One more Washington win will eliminate both the Cowboys and Eagles.

The Dallas Cowboys are just two days removed from their Sunday afternoon affair which was meant to be played on Sunday night. The NFL decided, rightfully so, that a matchup between a floundering Cowboys team and a flailing San Francisco 49ers did not deserve to be the flagship game of Week 15 and flexed them out of the primetime slot and into the early games. Little did they know Cowboys-49ers was going to be one of the most entertaining matchups of the weekend and the game that replaced it, Browns-Giants, was going to be a snoozer.

Now the NFL is continuing to shuffle the scheduling deck, this time to keep as many eyeballs on the Cowboys game instead of trying to avert the glare. Thanks to their win on Sunday, Dallas maintains the slimmest of hopes of winning the NFC East, so the league wants its premiere Week 16 matchup for FOX to have as much importance as possible.

That intrigue is dependent on both the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles still having something to play for, which means they have to manipulate a different game altogether. The NFL has moved the Washington Football Team and Carolina Panthers from a Noon CT kickoff to a 3:05 p.m. CT start.

There will still be intrigue for the Cowboys and Eagles when they kickoff at 3:25 p.m. CT.

Here’s why.

Washington currently leads the division with a 6-8 record, a game ahead of the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys (5-9), and a game and a half ahead of Philadelphia (4-9-1).

The New York Giants play the Baltimore Ravens at noon. Due to sweeping Washington, they would win a tiebreaker  if both teams end with the same record. Therefore, their game matters to them regardless.

A loss by New York, means Washington can clinch the division with a win in their game against Carolina.

Dallas and Philadelphia would have nothing to play for but their rivalry without a Washington loss. An early-game WFT victory` would’ve meant both the Cowboys and Eagles could turn to resting the few remaining uninjured stars and take away from the intrigue in the game.

Their destiny still won’t be completely in their hands, but now they will have to play like it is.

Whomever emerges from the Cowboys-Eagles game victorious still has a chance to win the division in Week 17, but only if Washington loses.

Dallas would then need to win over the Eagles on Sunday, beat the New York Giants in Week 17 and have the Eagles take out Washington that week in order to win the NFC East for the third time in three seasons.

Philadelphia (following a Washington loss to the Panthers) would need to beat Dallas and Washington, and have New York lose to either the Ravens or Cowboys.

The Giants would need to win their last two games over the Ravens and Cowboys and also have Washington lose one of their last two games.

Don’t even get us started if either of the games during the final two weeks ends up in ties.

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