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The Cowboys' current schedule has them playing five of their seven remaining games in front of a nationwide TV audience, either in primetime or as part of a special holiday showcase.
But the Cowboys were supposed to be a lot better than 3-5-1 heading into the regular season's home stretch. And now that they're not, fans may want to prepare for their team to get flexed out of (possibly) one of those high-profile timeslots.
The league will have to decide very soon if a very mediocre Cowboys team will still warrant a primetime slot just as the playoff chase is reaching its peak.
America's Team is always a sizable ratings draw for the networks, and Week 11's Monday Night Football will likely be no exception. Despite a matchup against the struggling Raiders and the Cowboys' lackluster record, there is high anticipation to see how the team will respond in their first outing since the tragic death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland on Nov. 6. The Cowboys' 88 MNF appearances are second-most of any NFL team, and their 50 wins rank third.
Week 13 puts Dallas back in their customary Thanksgiving Day spotlight. The team has been a late-afternoon fixture of the quintessential American holiday since 1966 (missing only two years during an ill-advised and quickly-abandoned experiment by the league in the '70s), and is always one of the most-watched games of the year. This year's showdown with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs will deliver monster numbers.
The Cowboys will play a second straight Thursday game on Dec. 4 when they travel to Detroit to face the Lions. This primetime offering has lost some its shine thanks to the Cowboys' win-loss record (they could even be mathematically eliminated from postseason contention by then), but the team's never-ending allure will still make for must-see TV. And besides, the NFL has to give 21 days' notice to reschedule a Thursday night game; that deadline has already passed.
After largely avoiding games on Dec. 25 for decades, the NFL has now gone all-in on Christmas Day. The Cowboys will kick off this year's tinsel-covered tripleheader with an early-afternoon renewal of their rivalry with the Washington Commanders. The 132nd meeting between the two storied franchises will be carried live on Netflix, and there's no way the streaming service will give up a chance to get a piece of the Cowboys viewership pie on their one day a year of NFL coverage.
But there's one other primetime appearance for Dallas, their Week 15 Sunday Night Football tilt against the Vikings, scheduled for Dec. 14. If the Cowboys are to be flexed out of a marquee timeslot, this would be the one.
The Vikings are currently sitting in last place in the NFC Central with a 4-6 record. Their playoff probability is just 5%, putting them in roughly the same long-shot boat as the Cowboys. With that Week 15's Sunday slate featuring a slew of genuine playoff-caliber teams going head-to-head (Chargers-Chiefs, Bills-Patriots, Packers-Broncos, Lions-Rams, Colts-Seahawks), it's hard to make a legitimate case for Vikings-Cowboys deserving the primetime stage.
Now, if Dallas should catch fire and go on a four-game win streak heading into that game, perhaps it's a different story. That would put their record at 7-5-1 and truly in the hunt for an NFC playoff berth. That three of those victories would have come against Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Detroit would only make the resurgent Cowboys even more of a draw, with NBC wanting to see if they can stay on a late-season roll.
The Vikings have a stacked schedule, too, prior to their date with the Cowboys. Their next two games are against Green Bay and Seattle, and then a battle with Washington. Running the table would have them one game above .500 by Week 15, but the statistical likelihood is that, like Dallas, Minnesota will be officially out of the playoff race by Dec. 14.
The NFL and NBC normally have to give at least 12 days' notice for flexing a game out of a Sunday night slot. But in Weeks 15 through 17, that window drops to six days; the deadline for Week 15's Minnesota-Dallas matchup would be Dec. 8.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Could Cowboys be flexed out of primetime appearance later this season?
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But the Cowboys were supposed to be a lot better than 3-5-1 heading into the regular season's home stretch. And now that they're not, fans may want to prepare for their team to get flexed out of (possibly) one of those high-profile timeslots.
The league will have to decide very soon if a very mediocre Cowboys team will still warrant a primetime slot just as the playoff chase is reaching its peak.
America's Team is always a sizable ratings draw for the networks, and Week 11's Monday Night Football will likely be no exception. Despite a matchup against the struggling Raiders and the Cowboys' lackluster record, there is high anticipation to see how the team will respond in their first outing since the tragic death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland on Nov. 6. The Cowboys' 88 MNF appearances are second-most of any NFL team, and their 50 wins rank third.
Week 13 puts Dallas back in their customary Thanksgiving Day spotlight. The team has been a late-afternoon fixture of the quintessential American holiday since 1966 (missing only two years during an ill-advised and quickly-abandoned experiment by the league in the '70s), and is always one of the most-watched games of the year. This year's showdown with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs will deliver monster numbers.
The Cowboys will play a second straight Thursday game on Dec. 4 when they travel to Detroit to face the Lions. This primetime offering has lost some its shine thanks to the Cowboys' win-loss record (they could even be mathematically eliminated from postseason contention by then), but the team's never-ending allure will still make for must-see TV. And besides, the NFL has to give 21 days' notice to reschedule a Thursday night game; that deadline has already passed.
After largely avoiding games on Dec. 25 for decades, the NFL has now gone all-in on Christmas Day. The Cowboys will kick off this year's tinsel-covered tripleheader with an early-afternoon renewal of their rivalry with the Washington Commanders. The 132nd meeting between the two storied franchises will be carried live on Netflix, and there's no way the streaming service will give up a chance to get a piece of the Cowboys viewership pie on their one day a year of NFL coverage.
But there's one other primetime appearance for Dallas, their Week 15 Sunday Night Football tilt against the Vikings, scheduled for Dec. 14. If the Cowboys are to be flexed out of a marquee timeslot, this would be the one.
The Vikings are currently sitting in last place in the NFC Central with a 4-6 record. Their playoff probability is just 5%, putting them in roughly the same long-shot boat as the Cowboys. With that Week 15's Sunday slate featuring a slew of genuine playoff-caliber teams going head-to-head (Chargers-Chiefs, Bills-Patriots, Packers-Broncos, Lions-Rams, Colts-Seahawks), it's hard to make a legitimate case for Vikings-Cowboys deserving the primetime stage.
Now, if Dallas should catch fire and go on a four-game win streak heading into that game, perhaps it's a different story. That would put their record at 7-5-1 and truly in the hunt for an NFC playoff berth. That three of those victories would have come against Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Detroit would only make the resurgent Cowboys even more of a draw, with NBC wanting to see if they can stay on a late-season roll.
The Vikings have a stacked schedule, too, prior to their date with the Cowboys. Their next two games are against Green Bay and Seattle, and then a battle with Washington. Running the table would have them one game above .500 by Week 15, but the statistical likelihood is that, like Dallas, Minnesota will be officially out of the playoff race by Dec. 14.
The NFL and NBC normally have to give at least 12 days' notice for flexing a game out of a Sunday night slot. But in Weeks 15 through 17, that window drops to six days; the deadline for Week 15's Minnesota-Dallas matchup would be Dec. 8.
Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Could Cowboys be flexed out of primetime appearance later this season?
Continue reading...
