The NFL announced changes to the 2019 regular season schedule on Tuesday. For the time being, none of them involve the Dallas Cowboys’ final slate of seven games. Nothing will change for the Week 11 schedule, but Week 12 is going to flip a couple of important, NFC matchups between the various time slots.
Those contests of course, are being moved around the ratings bonanza that will fall upon CBS when the Cowboys travel up north to take on the current AFC leaders in the New England Patriots. The league is swapping Green Bay against San Francisco along with Seattle against Philadelphia.
The Cowboys game will occupy the national, late afternoon start and kickoff at 3:25 p.m. central, as planned. The Fox network had the Packers and 49ers squaring off in a local coverage game, but Kyle Shanahan has his club at 8-1, and they warrant more national exposure. Aaron Rodgers vs Jimmy Garoppolo is now the Sunday night contest on .
To round out the moves, Russell Wilson’s Seahawks will now kick off at what would be 10 am in their local time zone, as they and Doug Pederson’s Eagles will now host Seattle at noon central.
In addition to these changes, the league has announced their Week 16 slate of Saturday games the weekend before the holidays.
The Houston Texans will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 12/21 at noon central. That will be followed by the Buffalo Bills visiting the New England Patriots at 3:30 p.m., then the Los Angeles Rams will take on the 49ers at 7:15 p.m.
All of the Saturday games will be broadcast on the NFL Network.
There can certainly be more changes in the coming weeks, as the league continues to try and get the best contest to the most eyeballs. On could even involve the Cowboys and Eagles’ Week 16 contest potentially getting the Sunday night treatment.
NFL is also going to need to flex new games into Sunday night Week 15 (currently MIN at LAC) and Week 16 (currently KC at CHI).
Not a lot of good candidates Week 15. SEA at CAR? Week 16 likely DAL at PHI. https://t.co/SGAgbALUVB
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@FO_ASchatz) November 12, 2019
NFL Official Rules On Schedule Changes
Flexible Scheduling
Allows teams to play their way onto the Sunday night schedule
In 2006 the NFL implemented a primetime “flexible scheduling” element on Sundays in Weeks 10-15 and in Week 17. In 2014 that was extended so that games between Weeks 5 and 17 could be affected by flex scheduling. However, only two games may be flexed into Sunday Night between Week 5 and 10.
Flexible scheduling ensured quality matchups on Sunday night in those weeks and gave surprise teams a chance to play their way onto primetime. The NBC Sunday night time slot for “flex” weeks lists the game tentatively scheduled for Sunday night.
Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game will be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights.
Just as the six major college football conferences have done for many years, the NFL has the flexibility to move the start times of games on Sundays, using a 12-day notice format.
For example, a game scheduled for a Sunday could move from a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff to an 8:15 p.m. start, but the change would be made and announced no later than the prior Tuesday, 12 days prior. Sunday afternoon games, as in the past, can still be moved between 1:00 and 4:05 or 4:25 p.m. ET.
In Week 17, in order to ensure a Sunday night game with playoff implications, the decision to move the start time may be made on six days notice.
NFL Flexible Scheduling 101
- Begins Sunday of Week 5
- In effect during Weeks 5-17
- Up to 2 games may be flexed into Sunday Night between Weeks 5-10
- Only Sunday afternoon games are subject to being moved into the Sunday night window.
- The game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night during flex weeks will be listed at 8:15 p.m. ET.
- The majority of games on Sundays will be listed at 1:00 p.m. ET during flex weeks except for games played in Pacific or Mountain Time zones which will be listed at 4:05 or 4:15 p.m. ET.
- No impact on Thursday, Saturday or Monday night games.
- The NFL will decide (after consultation with CBS, FOX, NBC) and announce as early as possible the game being played at 8:15 p.m. ET. The announcement will come no later than 12 days prior to the game. The NFL may also announce games moving to 4:05 p.m. ET and 4:25 p.m. ET.
- Week 17 start time changes could be decided on 6 days notice to ensure a game with playoff implications.
- The NBC Sunday night time slot in “flex” weeks will list the game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night.
- Fans and ticket holders must be aware that NFL games in flex weeks are subject to change 12 days in advance (6 days in Week 17) and should plan accordingly.
- NFL schedules all games.
- Teams will be informed as soon as they are no longer under consideration or eligible for a move to Sunday night.
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