Clubs may be required to switch Sunday afternoon regular-season games to approximately 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday (and vice-versa), upon at least 28 days notice from the league office. The league’s late-season, fluid scheduling mechanic — in which games are listed with a time and date of “to be determined” — can be used to fill Thursday games as part of the flexing possibilities. In this scenario, for example, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 15 game at the Indianapolis Colts could be a candidate for flexing into Thursday night.
The resolution comes even after owners and the NFLPA raised issues with the proposal, voicing concerns regarding travel logistics and travel impact on fans, Pelissero reported.
Giants co-owner John Mara, who was one of the proposals most vocal critics back in March, told reporters on Monday that he was “disappointed, but certainly not surprised” by the vote.
Despite concerns, the premium placed on prime-time NFL games won out, leading to the possibility of a maximum of two TNF games being flexed per year. Monday’s resolution means each and every prime-time slot is now available for schedule flexing, giving the NFL the power to move the most anticipated games into the windows with the largest audiences.
We’ll wait to see if the NFL uses its new scheduling strength to create must-see TV in 2023.