Monday’s news was a good reminder that the NFL’s schedule is written in pencil, not pen.
The league announced its first flex of the year on Monday, with a planned swap of two games broadcast by CBS in the Week 6 Sunday slate – just under two weeks away.
The matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers, which was originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, has been flexed to the late afternoon slate. Its new kickoff time is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.
Taking its place in the earlier slate of Sunday face-offs is an interconference battle between the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints. That game, which the Saints will still host, will now kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
Why did the NFL change its schedule?
The choice is likely a result of how the Week 6 Sunday slate is structured in addition to the performances of the four affected teams in the early season.
Week 6 is another with two ‘Monday Night Football’ games, meaning Sunday’s late-afternoon slate – with matchups scheduled after 4 p.m. ET – features only three games. That means each game will reach a wider national audience.
Given that the Saints are 0-4 and the Patriots are 2-2, their Week 6 meeting is guaranteed to feature at least one team with a losing record. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers and 49ers both appear to be playoff contenders with their matching 3-1 records.
By swapping the two games, the NFL on CBS is providing coverage of a Week 6 game with higher stakes and greater implications to a larger audience of NFL fans in the United States.
