If the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins tonight (8:30 PM ET on ESPN), the Giants at Minnesota Vikings game on December 27 will move to NBC *Sunday Night Football *at 8:30 PM ET. The Indianapolis Colts-Miami game will remain at 1 PM ET but cross flex from CBS to FOX.
If the Giants lose or tie tonight, the Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens will be the Sunday Night Football game. The Giants-Vikings game would remain at 1 PM ET on FOX. The Colts-Dolphins game would remain at 1 PM ET on CBS.
Regardless of the outcome of tonight's game, Jacksonville at New Orleans on CBS will move from 1 PM ET to 4:05 PM ET.
Following is the Week 16 NFL schedule with both Sunday night games under consideration for Sunday Night Football (all times local):
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24
|
SAN DIEGO AT OAKLAND |
5:25 PM (PT) |
NFLN |
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26
|
WASHINGTON AT PHILADELPHIA |
8:25 PM (ET) |
NFLN |
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27
|
CAROLINA AT ATLANTA |
1:00 PM (ET) |
FOX |
|
DALLAS AT BUFFALO |
1:00 PM (ET) |
FOX |
|
SAN FRANCISCO AT DETROIT |
1:00 PM (ET) |
FOX |
|
CLEVELAND AT KANSAS CITY |
1:00 PM (ET) |
FOX |
|
INDIANAPOLIS AT MIAMI |
1:00 PM (ET) |
CBS / FOX |
|
NEW ENGLAND AT NEW YORK JETS |
1:00 PM (ET) |
FOX |
|
HOUSTON AT TENNESSEE |
12:00 PM (CT) |
FOX |
|
CHICAGO AT TAMPA BAY |
1:05 PM (PT) |
FOX |
|
*JACKSONVILLE AT NEW ORLEANS |
3:05 PM (CT) |
CBS |
|
GREEN BAY AT ARIZONA |
2:25 PM (MT) |
CBS |
|
ST. LOUIS AT SEATTLE |
1:25 PM (PT) |
CBS |
|
NEW YORK GIANTS AT MINNESOTA* |
6:25 PM (CT) / 12:00 PM (CT) |
NBC/FOX |
|
PITTSBURGH AT BALTIMORE* |
8:30 PM (ET) / |
NBC/CBS |
MONDAY, DECEMBER 28
|
CINCINNATI AT DENVER |
6:30 PM (CT) |
ESPN |
The NFL uses "flexible scheduling" on Sundays in Weeks 11-17. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives 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 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.
