The NFL announced the flex games for Week 17 and the results aren’t pretty for fans of Sunday Night Football. While it is the only division title game in Week 17, I don’t know of anyone that would want to sit down and watch Rams-Seahawks in the final game of the regular season in primetime. Here are the other flexed games for the 4:00 national window as well…
FOX 4pm – Chicago @ Green Bay, Dallas @ Philadelphia, New York Giants @ Washington,
CBS 4 pm – Jacksonville @ Houston, Tennessee @ Indianapolis
NBC 8 pm – St Louis @ Seattle
It will be interesting to see what FOX considers their “A” game next week. If Philly beats Minnesota on Tuesday night than the Bears/Packers game has the most to play for outside the NFC West. Chicago will be playing for a first round bye and Green Bay will be playing to get a playoff spot. However, with FOX’s love for all things NFC East I could certainly see Buck and Aikman in Philadelphia to see Michael Vick against the Cowboys. (The stars!! The stories!! Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett and Michael VIck in the same stadium!! Imagine the possibilities for Pam Oliver’s FOX NFL Sunday showcase!!) CBS is unlucky that the only games with playoff spots alive are in the AFC South, and let’s face it, FIU has a better chance of beating the Colts than Tennessee does.
I can’t imagine why the NFL and NBC would want to showcase the worst division in NFL history with a primetime game in Week 17, even with a playoff spot up for grabs. Why not show the game’s best rivalry and a game with huge playoff implications in the Bears and Packers? Why showcase two teams that have drawn the scorn and mockery of the nation? Teams from the NFC West are -322 point differential against the rest of the league with a 13-27 record outside the division. It’d be like college football putting a proverbial Big East championship game on in primetime of the final week!
The ridiculousness of it is that a 6-9 team that has lost 3 straight games allowing 37.3 PPG and possibly starting Charlie Whitehust at QB will be hosting a game for a playoff spot to finish the season at 7-9. The troubling thing is that they may be favored against a young Rams team that is 2-5 on the road. Brace yourselves America, it will be ugly.
