Ok, I’ve explained this several times, but when I tweeted this information out, a lot of people were still surprised by the whole concept so I’ll explain it again.
But first things first. The NFL has announced its first flex of the season and yes, it’s earlier than you’re used to seeing. Starting this season, the NFL can start flexing in Week 5 and only twice between then and Week 10. From Week 11 on, it can flex like it has been doing since 2006.
This season begins the Crossover Games. In the first four weeks, we’ve seen a few crossovers, but they been mainly interconference games i.e., Buffalo at Chicago in Week 1 which would have been on CBS under the old rules was on Fox. Atlanta at Cincinnati in Week 2 that would have been on Fox went to CBS and today’s Carolina at Baltimore also went to CBS.
But in Week 6 on Sunday, October 12, the NFL has announced that it will move the Chicago at Atlanta game from 1 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m. It was originally scheduled for Fox and will remain on Fox for the national window. To replace that game in the early window, New England at Buffalo which was originally scheduled for CBS will be given to Fox.
With the flex, it makes for eight early games, four for CBS and four for Fox with four late games, one on CBS at 4:05 p.m. and three on Fox at 4:25 p.m. All of the other games originally scheduled for Week 6 remain where they are including Dallas at Seattle at 4:25 p.m. on Fox and the Sunday night game on NBC which is the New York Giants at Philadelphia.
Under the crossover concept, CBS will be able to air NFC games (as in Week 12 with Washington at San Francisco at 4:25 p.m. ET and on Thanksgiving Day when it will have Chicago at Detroit at 12:30 p.m.) and Fox can televise AFC games. It’s one way to balance the schedule and also send games into the 4:25 p.m. window to a bigger audience. New England at Buffalo to Fox is the first intraconferencce game to be aired under the Crossover Game flex concept.
Here’s the official announcement:
WEEK 6 FLEX SCHEDULING:
PATRIOTS-BILLS GOES TO 1:00 PM ET ON FOX;
BEARS-FALCONS TO 4:25 PM ET ON FOXThe Week 6 New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills game on Sunday, October 12 will be played at 1:00 PM ET on FOX and the Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons game at 4:25 PM ET on FOX, the NFL announced today.
Following is the final Week 6 NFL schedule:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9 (WEEK 6)
(Byes: Kansas City, New Orleans)
INDIANAPOLIS AT HOUSTON 8:25 PM (ET) CBS/NFLN SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12
GREEN BAY AT MIAMI 1:00 PM (ET) FOX *NEW ENGLAND AT BUFFALO 1:00 PM (ET) FOX CAROLINA AT CINCINNATI 1:00 PM (ET) FOX PITTSBURGH AT CLEVELAND 1:00 PM (ET) CBS DETROIT AT MINNESOTA 1:00 PM (ET) FOX DENVER AT N.Y. JETS 1:00 PM (ET) CBS BALTIMORE AT TAMPA BAY 1:00 PM (ET) CBS JACKSONVILLE AT TENNESSEE 1:00 PM (ET) CBS SAN DIEGO AT OAKLAND 4:05 PM (ET) CBS WASHINGTON AT ARIZONA 4:25 PM (ET) FOX *CHICAGO AT ATLANTA 4:25 PM (ET) FOX DALLAS AT SEATTLE 4:25 PM (ET) FOX N.Y. GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA 8:30 PM (ET) NBC MONDAY, OCTOBER 13
SAN FRANCISCO AT ST. LOUIS 8:30 PM (CT) ESPN The NFL uses “flexible scheduling” to ensure quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots and to give teams a chance to play their way onto primetime and into the late-afternoon 4:25 PM ET time slot on CBS or FOX.
For the first time, flexible scheduling may be applied in Weeks 5-10. During that period, flexible scheduling can be used in no more than two weeks by shifting a Sunday afternoon game into primetime and moving the Sunday night game to an afternoon start me.
Also, for the first time, a select number of games are being “cross-flexed,” moving between CBS and FOX to bring potentially under-distributed games to wider audiences.
The NFL will continue to use flexible scheduling on Sundays in Weeks 11-17. For each flexible scheduling week with the exception of Week 17, the NFL announces the start times of games on Sundays no later than 12 days prior to that weekend. To ensure a Sunday night game and doubleheader games with playoff implications in Week 17, flexible scheduling decisions for that Sunday can be made on six days notice.
There you have it.
