Sports
NFL flexes Week 9’s Colts-Vikings matchup to ‘Sunday Night Football,’ bumping Jaguars-Eagles
The NFL is using one of its “Sunday Night Football” flex options available during Weeks 5–10 of the schedule to broadcast Week 9’s matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC.
That bumps the Jacksonville Jaguars–Philadelphia Eagles game to 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Flex! The Week 9 Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings game will move to Sunday Night Football on NBC. The Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles game will be played at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 21, 2024
Coming into the 2024 season, Jaguars-Eagles looked like an appealing matchup. But Jacksonville is off to a 2–5 start. Philadelphia is 4–2, but may not be the draw it was previously considered after struggling versus the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.
Meanwhile, the Vikings originally weren’t scheduled for a Sunday night game this season.
Minnesota looks like a possible Super Bowl contender, with their only loss by the narrow margin of 31–29 to the Detroit Lions in Week 7. They also provide two electrifying receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The Colts are 4–3 and have one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the NFL with Anthony Richardson.
Eagles fans may disagree. It’s also the second time this season that Philadelphia has been flexed out of a favorable time slot. Their Week 8 game versus the Cincinnati Bengals is also being bumped from 4:25 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
However, if the Eagles continue to contend in the NFC East and for a playoff spot, it seems likely that the NFL — which can also flex a game to Sunday night from Weeks 11-17 — will move one of Philadelphia’s games into a prime broadcast slot later in the season. Perhaps the Week 16 game versus the Washington Commanders will get tabbed.