Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The NFL is giving maximum exposure to a Week 17 matchup between NFC North rivals.
The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers’ Sunday game has been moved into the afternoon slot and will kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET, the NFL announced on Monday.
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles will meanwhile have their game moved up to 1 p.m. ET that afternoon.
The Vikings have a viable path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC if they win out following the Washington Commanders’ upset of the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday.
The Packers could clinch a playoff spot on Monday night with a win over the New Orleans Saints, but a loss could send them into Week 17 with a postseason berth on the line.
The Cowboys were meanwhile eliminated from postseason contention following the Eagles’ loss on Sunday night.
The Eagles are still on track to clinch the NFC East, but lost ground in the race for the No. 1 seed. More importantly, the team lost star quarterback Jalen Hurts to a concussion in the first quarter of the game. Backup Kenny Pickett took over for Hurts, but underwent X-rays for a rib injury after the game.
Hurts will need to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol before he is able to rejoin the team for Week 17. The Cowboys have already lost starter Dak Prescott for the rest of the season and will likely be going with Cooper Rush for next weekend’s matchup.
That quarterback uncertainty, and the potential playoff ramifications of Week 17 for both the Vikings and Packers, seems to have gotten the NFC North matchup prioritized over the NFC East clash.
The NFL already flexed the Saturday schedule ahead of Week 17 by putting the Commanders and Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football after Jayden Daniels’ last-second touchdown pass against the Eagles put Washington on track to potentially clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2020.
The league has several more flex decisions to make ahead of the last week of the regular season. The Vikings have a chance to end up in prime time once more if Minnesota faces the Detroit Lions with the top seed on the line in Week 18.
Leave a Reply