Why the NFL moved the Eagles to ‘Monday Night Football’

If the NFL were making the decision today, the league might not have chosen to move this week’s game between the Eagles (10-3) and the Seattle Seahawks (6-7) to Monday Night Football, according to Mike North.

To North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning, it seemed like an obvious decision two weeks ago to replace a lopsided prime-time matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) and New England Patriots (3-10) with Eagles-Seahawks, even though it meant shifting the Birds game from a Sunday afternoon to a Monday night in the first-ever Monday Night Football flex.

But look at what’s happened in the two weeks since that announcement: The Chiefs have lost two straight games, including a crazy ending against the Buffalo Bills (7-6) that left Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid furious at the refs. At the same time, the Seahawks have lost four straight games and might be forced to start Drew Lock at quarterback due to Geno Smith’s groin injury.

“A week ago, this seemed like 100% the right move, and it may still be,” North said. “But after this past weekend, if we had to pull the trigger, you could make a case that Kansas City vs. New England might still work in the Monday night slot.”

There were a lot of TV factors for North and his colleagues to consider. First, Eagles-Seahawks wasn’t going to be seen by many markets at 4:25 p.m. on Fox because the network was also airing Sunday’s monster matchup between the Dallas Cowboys (10-3) and the Bills. Then there was a need for a better option at 1 p.m. for Fox, because the schedule was “maybe a little thinner” than the league hoped, North said. So moving Chiefs-Patriots into Fox’s 1 p.m. window Sunday solved a problem in the early timeslot.

In addition, the league also moved Sunday’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) and Green Bay Packers (6-7) to 1 p.m. on CBS, giving the network a quality lead game with playoff implications.

“It’s one of these rare times when you can make a case that all the television partners benefit from a flexible schedule change,” North said.

Tim Reed, ESPN’s vice president of programming, said the network had regular conversations with the league about potentially replacing the Chiefs-Patriots game starting last month, knowing flexible scheduling was in play this season for their Monday Night Football package.

While the NFL ordinarily wouldn’t contemplate taking Mahomes (or Taylor Swift, for that matter) out of primetime, Reed said the network was supportive of the decision, especially considering the playoff implications for both the Eagles and Seahawks. It doesn’t hurt that the Birds have played in the five most-watched NFL games this season, outside of Thanksgiving.

“I just think [the Eagles] are a great watch,” Reed said. “No matter where they’re going on the road, the Eagles are going to get the other team’s best game... They’re great for TV, and we’re excited to get them a third time this year.”

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The NFL is hesitant to flex games — since 2006, the league averages fewer than two prime-time schedule changes a season (excluding the final week, when all games are up for grabs). North said it would’ve been harder to justify shortening the Eagles’ week leading up to a divisional matchup against the New York Giants (5-8) in Week 16, but the league lucked out with the game being played on Christmas day, which falls on a Monday.

As for Birds fans forced to change their travel plans, North said the NFL announced the move early to give fans time to prepare. While it appears most Eagles fans have been able to adjust their schedules for the cross-country trip, many were obviously unhappy about the major (and potentially expensive) inconvenience.

“I certainly heard from a few fans,” North said. “... I think our fans have proven they’re pretty resilient, and if it’s important to them, they’ll find a way to get there.”

While the NFL’s most passionate fans show up to games, the league’s lifeblood is it’s TV contracts, with networks paying more than $9 billion a year combined, according to the Associated Press. North said he doesn’t want to be “reckless or cavalier” with moving games, but scheduling decisions are guided by the millions of fans watching on TV.

“You’re talking about six to eight million people getting to watch [Eagles-Seahawks] vs. 18 to 20 million,” North said.

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The NFL’s prime-time schedule in Weeks 16 and 17 looks strong, highlighted by two Monday Night Football games with huge playoff implications: Baltimore Ravens (10-3) vs. San Francisco 49ers (10-3) on Christmas, and Detroit Lions (9-4) vs. the Cowboys on Saturday, Dec. 30.

Despite that, one game could still get flexed out — the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Green Bay Packers (6-7) and Minnesota Vikings (7-6) on New Year’s Eve. Right now, both teams are still in the hunt for an NFC wild-card spot, but that could change quickly.

“Let’s see what happens over these next couple of weeks,” North said.

A quick reminder on how the NFL’s flexible scheduling rules work:

The Eagles will visit the Seattle Seahawks in a Monday Night Football showdown. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lumen Field in Seattle.