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

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

philly/wash?

-dan

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

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

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

Steve Smith vs. Steve Smith in primetime!

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

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)

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.

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

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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

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