After several weeks of crossflexes, the NFL has decided to hold steady in Week 16. With a Thursday Night game, the return of a Saturday doubleheader, a full Sunday schedule and the Monday Night contest, the NFL will not move any games between the CBS, Fox and NBC. It means no confusing crossflexes and the Sunday night game between Seattle and Arizona in Glendale will stay in place.
And the traditional scheduling rules among the Sunday afternoon partners, CBS and Fox is back with all AFC games on CBS and all NFC games on Fox including those interconference matchups where the “visiting” network airs the game.
So with nothing new for Week 16, there’s not much we can add except to post the final schedule:
WEEK 16 FLEX SCHEDULING
WEEK 16 SEAHAWKS-CARDINALS REMAINS NBC SUNDAY NIGHT GAME
The originally scheduled Week 16 Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals game remains in place on NBC’s Sunday Night Football on Sunday, December 21, the NFL confirmed today.
In addition, the NFL announced last week the final kickoff times for each of the Week 16 Saturday doubleheader games. The Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins game on Saturday, December 20 will be played at 4:30 PM ET and broadcast on NFL Network, followed by the San Diego Chargers at San Francisco 49ers game at 8:25 PM ET on CBS that also will be simulcast on NFL Network.
Following is the final Week 16 NFL schedule:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18 (WEEK 16)
TENNESSEE AT JACKSONVILLE 8:25 PM (ET) NFLN SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20
*PHILADELPHIA AT WASHINGTON 4:30 PM (ET) NFLN *SAN DIEGO AT SAN FRANCISCO 825 PM (ET) CBS/NFLN SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21
CLEVELAND AT CAROLINA 1:00 PM (ET) CBS DETROIT AT CHICAGO 1:00 PM (PT) FOX BALTIMORE AT HOUSTON 1:00 PM (PT) CBS MINNESOTA AT MIAMI 1:00 PM (ET) FOX ATLANTA AT NEW ORLEANS 1:00 PM (PT) FOX NEW ENGLAND AT N.Y. JETS 1:00 PM (ET) CBS KANSAS CITY AT PITTSBURGH 1:00 PM (ET) CBS GREEN BAY AT TAMPA BAY 1:00 PM (ET) FOX N.Y. GIANTS AT ST. LOUIS 4:05 PM (ET) FOX INDIANAPOLIS AT DALLAS 4:25 PM (ET) CBS BUFFALO AT OAKLAND 4:25 PM (ET) CBS SEATTLE AT ARIZONA 8:30 PM (ET) NBC MONDAY, DECEMBER 22
DENVER AT CINCINNATI 8:30 PM (ET) 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 time.
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.
Week 17’s final schedule will be announced on Sunday, December 21 during Arizona at Seattle.
That will do it.
