NFL changes time of Eagles-Cowboys game Sunday
It's the third time the Eagles have been moved off national TV this season.
The Eagles (12-3) won’t get one last regular-season game with Tom Brady in the broadcast booth after all.
The NFL has decided to move the Birds’ lackluster matchup against the Dallas Cowboys (7-8) on Sunday off Fox’s national 4:25 p.m. broadcast and shift it earlier to 1 p.m.
Replacing it on Fox is an NFC North matchup between the Minnesota Vikings (13-2) and Green Bay Packers (10-4).
The Packers could be playing to clinch a playoff spot if they lose tonight to the New Orleans Saints. Plus the Vikings remain alive in the hunt for both the NFC North title and the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, since the Detroit Lions’ game next week against the San Francisco 49ers isn’t until Monday night.
While the Eagles will be playing to clinch the NFC East and the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed, the Cowboys’ slim playoff hopes were extinguished Sunday when the Washington Commanders (10-5) posted a comeback victory over the Birds. It’s also unclear if Jalen Hurts will be available to play after suffering a concussion during Sunday’s loss.
It’s the third time this season the Eagles will lose out on playing in front of a national audience. The Birds were flexed out of CBS’s 4:25 p.m. window in Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals. They were also taken off Sunday Night Football the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are now 3-12.
Calling the Eagles for the second straight week will be Joe Davis and Greg Olsen, Fox’s No. 2 crew. Both received criticism from Birds fans following Sunday’s loss against the Commanders after appearing to downplay the impact of Hurts’ absence on the game’s outcome.
“They lose for the first time in months after giving up 36 points and we didn’t make enough excuses for them,” Olsen wrote jokingly of the Eagles and their fans in response to one fan’s tirade on Barstool Sports’ The Shred Line.
Eagles likely playing Sunday in Week 18
As for Week 18, unless something unlikely happens, Birds fans can probably count on the Eagles playing the New York Giants at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5.
If the Eagles defeat the Cowboys on Sunday (or if the Commanders lose to the 8-7 Atlanta Falcons), the Birds will have locked up both the NFC East and the No. 2 seed and could treat the game as a bye week heading into the playoffs.
If the Eagles lose and the Commanders win, the NFL would likely schedule both games at the same time Sunday, since both teams would enter Week 18 with a chance to win the NFC East.
There’s at least one scenario in which the Eagles could be scheduled for Saturday in Week 18: if they’ve locked up the NFC East and still have a shot at landing the No. 1 seed, pending the outcome of Lions-Vikings.