My first question about tonight’s Sunday primetime game between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles is why NBC didn’t exercise their flex option to bring us a better matchup for the standalone night game?
Turns out NBC would have liked to shift to one of the more attractive games on the Week Eight Sunday schedule, but rules and regulations prevented it. NBC would have liked to have had the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills as their featured game, but both CBS and FOX have an option to protect one of their games … and CBS didn’t give up this compelling matchup.
NBC then wanted to shift to the Kansas City Chiefs contest in Denver against the Broncos. But, and this rule is a little sketchy, because the Chiefs/Broncos first game this season, which aired on Monday night during the opening weekend, CBS held the rights to this game by rule.
Okay, NBC said, let me have the Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions contest.
Nope. FOX had divisional-game protection on that game because the Lions/Vikings rematch is already scheduled for a Sunday night in Week 15.
Okay, NBC relented, we’ll settle for the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Cleveland Browns for our showcase broadcast.