NBC had to make a quick decision and they wanted to get on the Pats train. Also NBC probably didnot want to get suck with the Pats-jets or Pats-Dolphins down the road.

I think that NBC leaves Week 12, 13 and 14 alone, although they could go and switch Balt/Indy with SD/TENN.

But in Week 16, I think they'll go Houston/Indy instead of TB/SF and in Week 17, they'd take Detroit/GB.

Just my thoughts

whoops saw they can't take Houston/Indy...well if Cleveland stays in contention, perhaps Cleveland/Cincy...

What about week 17 Dal/Wash.

They kept 3 games that involve a 6-2 team that plays in the biggest TV market in the nation and you think that's dumb?

It's all about the money generated by viewership. Having a good team playing in the NY area will draw viewers in like flys to honey and raise their rates for advertising.

I'm glad you don't run my business.

They should definitely do either the Skins/Bucs or Skins/Vikings because the whole world deserves to see how terrible Joe Gibbs runs his offense.

Dallas has been booked for 6 prime time games already so Dallas/Detroit is out.

Too bad they can't switch the Dallas/GB game to NBC, hell I bet they would even take it on Thursday and bump the Thursday night lineup.

I'm glad anon doesn't run MY organization.

Everyone goes with the theory that "New York (and the NFC East in general) get the highest ratings." And yet MNF has submitted to that theory, and their highest-rated MNF game this year is Packers-Broncos.

Higher than the Cowboys
Higher than the Patriots
Higher than New York
Higher than all the other East Coast teams.

You know, TV people keep feeding us the same old bullshit, and IT'S NOT VALID.

I would take the NE-NYJ game based soley on the revenge factor. I think people will tune in to see how many points NE puts up on the Jets. I'd say the over under is 63pts.

Jesus, by having to declare a Sunday Night "predetermined" game each week, NBC kind of got screwed here.

How about Kansas City-Detroit in week 16?

I'm glad the second anon doesn't run MY organization.

Comparing ESPN to networks not considered cable only? Let's compare apples to oranges. ESPN has to submit to a different theory because there are parts of NYC that still don't have cable available. Why do you think every time the Giants and Jets are on ESPN, they're also on the local TV networks in the NYC area?

Talk about feeding people BS, get your story correct and support it with comparable facts. Not the ones with an ESPN logo on them.

"Stuck" with Pats/Jets?!? Am I the only one who thinks that the only Patriots regular season worth watching for the rest of the year is the Jets game?

Comptetitive? Hell No!! But it'll be fun to watch the Pats hang triple digits on the scoreboard. And even with the blowout, absolutly noone will tune out early, because they want to see Belicheck cold-cock Mangino at midfield after the game.

Q - What is the largest sports television market ?
A - New York, of course

Why protect 3 straight games involving a 6-2, likely playoff team, in the largest sports television market in the country ?

Hmmm, to get good ratings !!! Now that's just not dumb.

I'd like to see a couple of tennesse games get switched at the least pick up the colts and titans that series had ahd a few good games the last couple of times

Just don't tell me that New York games and the NFC East in general don't get higher ratings than the rest of the games.

And if they're not getting higher ratings than other teams, then maybe the other teams should be shown too.

They just say that "New York gets higher ratings," and NOBODY CHALLENGES IT. How do we know that New York and the Cowboys and the Patriots get the highest ratings? Because they said so? And yet Brett Favre got higher ratings than all of them?

Their "research" is a bunch of myopic bullshit. I guaran-fucking-tee you, if ESPN shoved the Tennessee Titans down our throats as much as they shove the Giants and Cowboys down our throat, they'd get amazing ratings too. If they led SportsCenter with Vince Young press conferences like they do with Michael Strahan and Terrell Owens, people would care.

They wouldn't have a choice.

One of the lowest rated World Series in recent years was the Mets-Yankees in '01? So you cannot assume big markets bring big ratings. Remember- the Colts-Pats game did a 22. Yes it had a big market in Boston, but the last time I checked, Indianapolis was one of the SMALLEST NFL markets.

Glad YOU don't run MY business

Look I can understand a Division game like NY-PHI getting good ratings, but you're crazy if you think the Giants-Bears game is going to get any ratings at all.

Sure you get the numbers in New York, but what about the rest of the country. FOX making that the top game is just dumb. Detroit-Minnesota has a much better story line in my opinion.

There's a reason CBS is killing them this season and it's not just because they have the AFC.

If FOX and CBS have to give their protect list by week four, as I understand the rule to be, the Giants were 2-2 when those protections were made.

Why wouldn't FOX protect its only late season Patriots game? I know, the Eagles are slumping this year (and were 1-3 when the protect lists came out), but with no Colts games available for them, you'd think FOX would want to retain their only Patriots game. I guess not...

The only *remaining* Patriots game, that is. FOX already showed a game between the Redskins and Pats a few weeks ago.

Wasn't Eagles-Patriots already scheduled to be on Sunday night? Nothing to protect - but I agree that they did a terrible job of picking games.

I'd bet everything i had on lions-packers being the week 17 nbc game. John Madden has a say on what goes on, and he wants Brett Favre more than anything else. Now is there anything regarding that division opponents cannot have both games on national TV, because the lions and packers are playing Thanksgiving day. I've just never remembered a division opponents playing each other on national TV both times in a regular season.

For week 13 I'd like to see either Houston at Tennessee or Cleveland at Arizona. Both of those games have big implications for the playoff races at the moment and those are the kind of games we need each week on NBC. Week 14 I'd like to see either San Diego at Tennessee or Arizona at Seattle(potentially important NFC West game). Tampa Bay at Houston wouldn't be bad either. Week 15 I'd like to see NBC keep Washington at NY Giants or perhaps flex over Buffalo at Cleveland. Remember that cold weather games in outdoor stadiums, late in the season have great appeal. Week 16 will be changed and I'd like to see the matchup on NBC be Kansas City at Detroit or Baltimore at Seattle. And lastly for week 17, the NBC game needs to be Tennessee at Indy, but it surely could be my Pack hosting the Lions. A Buffalo at Philly matchup could also be a very important game by that time as well. Time will tell since I write this just after week 11 has ended. The week 17 game on NBC will NOT be Kansas City at NY Jets. Based on last year with those teams being the Wild Cards from the AFC, I could see NBC thinking that game would matter. If I was a head of ESPN and was picking my games for Monday Night Football, I'd think outside of the box some when it came to MNF games. Usually there's plenty of change when it comes to playoff teams each year in the NFL and I'd pick games that appear to be horrible before the season, that I think would turn into real winners before the season comes to an end. I am really glad ESPN picked that Dallas at Buffalo game for MNF this year and it was the best(and weirdest) game of the year and proved that not all expected blowouts will be just that and that the games aren't played on paper, but on the field. ;)