dkmightyhammer
Livin' la vida loca
actually there is a sunday night game week 17
Here are the current tentatively-scheduled games and my predictions:
Week 11 (November 22):
Week 12 (November 29):
- Tentative game: Kansas City @ San Diego
- Prospects: 1-5 v. 2-4, in pretty bad shape.
- Likely protections: Bengals-Cardinals or Colts-Falcons (CBS) and Packers-Vikings if anything (FOX).
- Other possible games: Pretty much just CBS’ unprotected game; even Packers-Vikings might be too lopsided to be much of an option if it’s unprotected. The Eagles were the only 2-3 team to win and none of the unbeatens lost so I’m still looking at 2-3 teams; that Eagles win helps Bucs-Eagles some, but it’s still substantially behind CBS’ unprotected game. Cowboys-Dolphins is starting to emerge as an even darker horse.
Week 13 (December 6):
- Tentative game: New England @ Denver
- Prospects: Not a single loss between them, and possibly the last Brady-Manning showdown. No chance to lose its spot.
- Likely protections: Giants-Washington if anything (FOX).
- Other possible games: Thanksgiving Weekend, paucity of good games (I think it’s a mortal lock this is CBS’ unprotected week). I doubt it’s a coincidence the game you think is least likely to be flexed coming into the season is the one slated for this week. Vikings-Falcons is at least becoming a respectable option, but it really has no shot, while Bucs-Colts, Rams-Bengals, and Dolphins-Jets continue to wait in the wings.
Week 14 (December 13):
- Tentative game: Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh
- Prospects: 3-3 v. 4-2, a respectable but not worldbeating game, with marquee quarterbacks but small markets.
- Likely protections: Jets-Giants (CBS) and Eagles-Patriots (FOX).
- Other possible games: Only other options involve teams below .500, and even then there are only two games involving only teams at 2-3 or better. Falcons-Bucs is the only unbeaten-vs-2-3 game where the 2-3 team didn’t lose last week, and that only because the Bucs were on bye, and Cardinals-Rams is the only other option. This game will keep its spot if records hold.
Week 15 (December 20):
- Tentative game: Seattle @ Baltimore
- Prospects: 2-4 v. 1-5, same as Chiefs-Chargers earlier. Not looking good.
- Likely protections: Steelers-Bengals (CBS) and Cowboys-Packers or Falcons-Panthers (FOX).
- Other possible games: Either of Fox’s possible protected games would be very attractive, with at least one team unbeaten at the moment, and there may not really be any other option. Raiders-Broncos is another unbeaten v. 2-3 game, and Bills-Eagles at least pits two teams at .500, but that’s it.
Week 16 (December 27):
- Tentative game: Cincinnati @ San Francisco
- Prospects: 6-0 v. 2-4. Massively lopsided.
- Likely protections: Broncos-Steelers (CBS) and Panthers-Giants or Bears-Vikings (FOX).
- Other possible games: Panthers-Giants is increasingly lopsided, sitting at 5-0 v. 3-3, while Cardinals-Eagles is now 4-2 v. 3-3. Packers-Raiders is a bit too lopsided to be an option at the moment, at only a Raiders loss better than the tentative.
Week 17 (January 3):
- Tentative game: Pittsburgh @ Baltimore
- Prospects: 4-2 v. 1-5. One of the NFL’s better rivalries, but not in the best shape right now.
- Likely protections: Patriots-Jets (CBS) and Packers-Cardinals or Panthers-Falcons (FOX).
- Other possible games: As with the week with the first Panthers-Falcons matchup, Fox’s unprotected game is far and away ahead of any other contenders; Giants-Vikings is a very distant second, while Cowboys-Bills and Colts-Dolphins pit 3-3 v. 2-3 teams.
- See more at: SNF Flex Scheduling Watch – MorganWick.com
- Playoff positioning watch begins Week 9.
Gotcha. I was looking at the week 17 sched and it didn't have any late game listed so I assumed there wasn't one.