Seymour93

NBC has yet to announce next Sunday night's matchup. It should come shortly, tommorow at the latest. Taking a look at the lineup of games it looks like Pats-Titans has to be one of the games getting signficant consideration.

http://www.nfl.com/scores/2006/week17

Teams involved with the playoff picture in bold

Buf-Balt
Pit-Cin
Cle-Hou
Jax-KC
Car-NO
Atl-Phil
NE-Ten
Ari-SD
GB-Chi
Det-Dal
Mia-Indy
Stl-Minn
Oak-NYJ
Sea-TB
SF-Den

Matchups with two playoff pictured teams

Jax-KC
Car-NO
Atl-Phil
NE-Ten
GB-Chi

Starting with the first one, Jacksonville are a small market team with limited appeal and an outside chance at the playoffs. KC has an outside chance of qualifying too. I doubt this one would be moved up to primetime.

Carolina at New Orleans. This is one of the most attractive games because of NO's storybook season alone. Carolina right now are on the outside looking in and they're a small market. This has a better chance of being promoted than Jax-KC.

Vick and the Falcons vs. Garcia and the Eagles. These are two high-profile teams with the Eagles looking to clinch a division. Atl are on the outside looking in but Mora's job is up in the air depending on this game so that adds another incentive for NBC. Would NBC want to show Philly two weeks in a row? If you had to carry a team two weeks in a row the Eagles would be at the top of the list. This game is the most likely to get moved up IMO.

"This is the last chance you'll ever get to see Brett Favre throw a pass in the NFL." - words any network would be creaming themselves over. GB has little chance of qualifying and the Bears regular season has been over for a month. Probably right up there with Atl-Phil however.

Finally we have Pats-Titans. The only negative this game has is Tennessee is traditionally a small market. If the Jets lose to Miami in a little bit which is a real possibility then the Titans have a good shot at the playoffs. Of course this game still means something to us, wiill we get #4 or can we squeeze into #3? Let's talk about the QB's which the networks love. Everybody wants to see Vince Young and this would be the first chance the entire country would be able to see him. As for Brady, do we really need to go into it? This game is probably a leading contender.

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Pats726

Didn't they say it was to be done 10 days before??? OR was that NOT true?? If it is tomorrow..it is but5 days before..I can NOT think that it is all fair doing that..FAIR to those who planned and are paying to go...

harveyw

The Jets are going to win tonight in Miami and do we really care what time the game is?

Patsfanin Philly

Yeah since it is a road game and getting home later (earlier monday a.m.) means less time to prep for a playoff game which may be on a Saturday night......

Seymour93

During the Eagles-Cowboys game they said they hadn't chosen a game yet and looking at the NFL.com schedule, it backs up their claim. That rule is probably scraped because at the end of the season you'd want to get two teams involved with the playoff picture and you can't really know who's a potential playoff team for sure until after Week 16.

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richpats

Jax-KC
Car-NO*
Atl-Phil
NE-Ten*
GB-Chi*

*These games involve playoff teams that essentially have nothing to play for. Their opponents may have an outside shot at the playoffs but it could be an 'easy' victory for them.

Jax-KC could be meaningless by gametime.

Atl-Phil will have playoff implications regardless. Even if ATL is eliminated, Philly can lock up the East with a win. The odds-on favorite.

My sleeper pick is Bengals-Steelers (and that rides heavy on the Jets losing tonight). For the Bengals, "win and they're in". For the Steelers (a HUGE TV draw no matter what) it's a chance to spoil their hated rival's playoff hopes and salvage an unspectacular season. Of course if the Jets win tonight I doubt this gets consideration (the Bengals will need a win and help to get in).

SVN

i think its almost zero chance
i would think they move GB-chi - last chance to heap praises on lord favre

richpats

Like I need to hear more "will he or won't he" commentary from the M&M boys.

SVN

we dont ..but the media thinks we need to hear it..esp god forbid the packers are still in the hunt for the last playoff spot

bradmahn

I disagree with saying the Pats having nothing to play for. If they win they get the third seed and would avoid playing the Broncos in the first round (assuming the Jets win tonight).

Out of all of those games, none of them are sure-fire big draws, and with the way the Titans have been playing (big, big comebacks, really entertaining games) I don't see any reason why the Pats-Titans would be ruled out.

Isn't there a "rule" that limits a team to one flex game (the only caveat that would get owners to rule in favor of such a thing)?