The annual NFL flex schedule, with games potentially moving from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night on NBC (and vice-versa) and from early afternoon to late afternoon (and vice-versa) doesn’t begin until November 22.
But the NFL has pulled an early flip-flop of Sunday games, due ostensibly to the possibility of a World Series game being played in Philadelphia on November 1.
So the Giants-Eagles game slides from 4:15 p.m. ET to 1:00 p.m. ET.
In its place lands the Return of the Favre -- Vikings-Packers at Lambeau Field.
Though Giants-Eagles is still a great game, it’s not as if Eli Manning has talked about retiring for five years, retired, unretired, was spurned in his attempt to return to the Giants, was traded to a team out of the conference, played a year, retired again, was released by the team in the other conference, hinted at unretiring again to play for the Eagles, told the Eagles no after weeks of anticipation, changed his mind again after training camp closed, and then helped lead the Eagles to a 5-0 record.
So i’s a significant move for FOX, since it pulls the latter portion of the football game into prime time, giving FOX a great ratings boost for its evening lineup, which presumably includes the World Series.
Since there will be no Sunday night game that week, and given that The Cleveland Show and Family Guy will be preempted by the World Series, I figure I’ll just watch the damn baseball game.
Until Mad Men starts.