NFL flexes Eagles out of national TV broadcast
The Eagles Week 11 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers will now take place at 1 p.m. on Nov. 22.
The NFL just spared most of the country from having to watch the Eagles.
The NFL is flexing the Birds’ Week 11 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) — the “Battle of Pennsylvania” — on Sunday, Nov. 22 from a 4:25 p.m. national broadcast to 1 p.m. on CBS.
In its place, the league is moving up a much better matchup featuring the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2) and New York Giants (5-2-1).
It’s the first time this season the Eagles have been flexed out of a national broadcast, but it might not be the last.
The Eagles are currently scheduled to face the San Francisco 49ers (7-1) on Sunday Night Football in Week 17. If the 49ers have nothing to play for, it’s likely the NFL would swap it out in favor of a game with playoff implications.
The league could also flex out the Birds’ Christmas Eve matchup against the Houston Texans (3-5) in Week 16 on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, but a move is highly unlikely. Not only would the NFL have to announce it by Dec. 3 (and anger a lot of fans in the process), inventory is thin that week due to three Christmas games and two Saturday matchups.
The NFL is stuck with the Eagles in two other national broadcasts — Thanksgiving day against the Dallas Cowboys (4-5) on Fox, and Week 15 on Saturday, Dec. 19 against the Seattle Seahawks (5-4).
As a reminder, here are the current NFL flex rules:
Sunday Night Football (NBC): The NFL can flex twice between Weeks 5-10 any game during Weeks 11-17. Early-season flexes through Week 13 require at least 12 days notice, which drops to six days notice for Weeks 14-17.
Monday Night Football (ESPN/ABC): Any game between Weeks 12-17 can be flexed with at least 12 days notice.
Thursday Night Football (Amazon’s Prime Video): Two games can be flexed between Weeks 13-17 with 21 days notice.
