NFL Week 14 TV Info: Cowboys Once Again Get Nationwide Distribution

As we enter the fourth quarter of the 2015 NFL regular season, fans expect the league and networks to take advantage of flex scheduling procedures to deliver compelling matchups not only on Sunday night, but also as the primary late afternoon game for the network carrying that week’s doubleheader. Apparently FOX thinks the viewing public is nostalgic for the seventies, and wants to watch the Dallas Cowboys every week. For an incredible tenth time this season, the 3-8 Cowboys will be telecast universally or near-exclusively across the nation.

Week 1: Cowboys vs Giants, Sunday Night Football

Week 2: Cowboys at Eagles, sole late game on FOX (doubleheader)

Week 3: early game vs Atlanta

Week 4: Cowboys at Saints, Sunday Night Football

Week 5: Cowboys vs Patriots, primary late game on CBS (doubleheader)

Week 6: bye

Week 7: Cowboys at Giants, sole late game on FOX (doubleheader)

Week 8: Cowboys vs Seahawks, sole late game on FOX (doubleheader)

Week 9: Cowboys vs Eagles, Sunday Night Football

Week 10: early game at Tampa Bay

Week 11: early game at Miami

Week 12: Thanksgiving Day game #2 vs Panthers on CBS

Week 13: Cowboys at Washington, Monday Night Football

Week 14: Cowboys at Packers, sole late game on FOX (doubleheader)

Now to be fair there weren’t a whole lot of options. Minnesota at Arizona could not be moved because that was on Thursday night. CBS had already lost the New England-Houston game to Sunday Night on NBC, so they surely weren’t about to give up Pittsburgh at Cincinnati as a cross-flex on top of that – even though FOX had the doubleheader and that was the best remaining game (which is why cross-flex was instituted, but I digress). But why not move Atlanta-Carolina to the late afternoon slot? Sure, the Falcons have stumbled recently, but division rivals usually play each other tough – and after all the Panthers are the last undefeated team this year.

As for the rest of this week’s games, most of the eastern United States will get the Steelers-Bengals early on CBS while most areas west of the Mississippi will receive Oakland at Denver in the late slot. FOX has the doubleheader with regional coverage of the early game fairly evenly split; the Falcons-Panthers game gets as much distribution as any game, airing in New England, most of the southeast and much of the Great Lakes region.

8-4 Minnesota Vikings at 10-2 Arizona Cardinals (-7½, 45½)

Thursday Dec 10 at 8:25 pm ET on NFLN; Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

Nationwide broadcast distribution.

7-5 Pittsburgh Steelers at 10-2 Cincinnati Bengals (-3, 49½)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on CBS; Greg Gumbel, Trent Green

Broadcast in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, DC, Florida (except Jacksonville and Tampa), Georgia (except Atlanta), Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana (except New Orleans), Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (except Detroit), Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Las Vegas NV, North Carolina (except Charlotte), Ohio (except Cleveland), Pennsylvania (except Philadelphia), Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas (except Houston), Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

6-6 Buffalo Bills at 5-7 Philadelphia Eagles (pick’em, 47)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on CBS; Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots

Broadcast in western New York and Philadelphia.

6-6 Atlanta Falcons at 12-0 Carolina Panthers (-7½, 46½)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on FOX; Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch

Broadcast in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, southern California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Las Vegas NV, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pittsburgh PA, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming.

4-8 San Francisco 49ers at 2-12 Cleveland Browns (-1½, 41)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on FOX; Joe Davis, Brady Quinn

Broadcast in northern California and Ohio (except Toledo).

5-6 Washington Redskins at 5-7 Chicago Bears (-2½, 44)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on FOX; Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston

Broadcast in Connecticut, DC, Miami FL, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Salisbury MD, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York (except NYC), North Dakota, Pennsylvania (except Philadelphia and Pittsburgh), South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

4-8 Detroit Lions at 4-8 St. Louis Rams (-1, 40½)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on FOX; announcers TBD

Broadcast in southern Illinois, Michigan and Missouri (except Kansas City).

3-9 San Diego Chargers at 7-5 Kansas City Chiefs (-10, 45½)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on CBS; Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein

Broadcast in southern California, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri (except St. Louis), Nebraska and Oklahoma.

4-8 New Orleans Saints at 6-6 Tampa Bay Bucs (-3½, 50½)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on FOX; announcers TBD

Broadcast in Florida (except Jacksonville and Miami), Louisiana and Mississippi.

6-6 Indianapolis Colts at 4-8 Jacksonville Jaguars (pick’em)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on CBS; Tom McCarthy, Adam Archuleta

Broadcast in Jacksonville FL, Savannah GA, Illinois (except Chicago), Indiana and Houston TX.

3-9 Tennessee Titans at 7-5 New York Jets (-7, 43)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on CBS; Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon

Broadcast in Connecticut, Tupelo MS, Albany NY, New York City and Tennessee.

7-5 Seattle Seahawks at 4-8 Baltimore Ravens (+6)

Sunday Dec 13 at 1:00 pm ET on FOX; Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis

Broadcast in Alaska, Idaho, Baltimore MD, Montana, Reno NV, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

5-7 Oakland Raiders at 10-2 Denver Broncos (-7½, 43½)

Sunday Dec 13 at 4:05 pm ET on CBS; Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

Broadcast in Arizona, northern California, Colorado, DC, Tampa FL, Atlanta GA, Idaho, Chicago IL, New Orleans LA, Detroit MI, St. Louis MO, Montana, Reno NV, New Mexico, Charlotte NC, North Dakota, Cleveland OH, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

3-8 Dallas Cowboys at 8-4 Green Bay Packers (-7½, 44)

Sunday Dec 13 at 4:25 pm ET on FOX; Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Broadcast in all markets except Denver.

10-2 New England Patriots at 6-6 Houston Texans (+3, 45)

Sunday Dec 13 at 8:30 pm ET on NBC; Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth

Nationwide broadcast distribution.

5-7 New York Giants at 5-7 Miami Dolphins (pick’em, 47)

Monday Dec 14 at 8:30 pm ET on ESPN; Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden

Nationwide broadcast distribution.