Report: No Soldier Field flex games for the Bears

As Week 11 approaches, it’s time to start thinking about the games that could be flexed into prime-time position on Sunday Night Football.  (And, yes, we were fascinated with this concept long before falling under the NBC umbrella.)

According to Zach Zaidman of WSCR in Chicago, the NFL has informed the Bears that none of the team’s final three home games will be moved into the evening hours.

If accurate, this removes from the table the November 28 game against the Eagles, the December 12 game against the Patriots, and the December 26 game against the Jets.

NFL.com has more information regarding the flexible scheduling procedures.  We’ll be talking more about the phenomenon as the final seven weeks of the 2010 season draw closer.

UPDATE:  It’s possible that CBS squatted on Pats-Bears and Jets-Bears and FOX blocked the flexing of Eagles-Bears.  CBS and FOX each may prevent one game per week, and up to a total of five, from being shipped to Sunday night.

20 responses to “Report: No Soldier Field flex games for the Bears

  1. And we can pretty much guarantee the Week 13 Sunday Night game is not changing.
    Nothing is going to replace Pittsburgh @ Baltimore.

  2. Meh…I don’t need prime time to watch Cutler get knocked the eff out.
    The Gints almost killed him!

  3. What this would mean however is that the Bears game against the Eagles could get pushed back to a 3:15 kickoff but it won’t go to NBC. I don’t think there’s anyway Fox has St. Louis @ Denver as a stand-alone late game when they have the doubleheader that week. CBS has the doubleheader when the Bears host the Patriots but may want to keep the noon kickoff considering Miami @ NY Jets is already a 3:15 game. The Jets game will stay noon, Fox has the doubleheader that Sunday.

  4. Yes!!!!!
    Hey WorldChampionBears2009 – Take a look at all of Cutler’s primetime performances and think again if you really want to call BS. I’d rather have to go to the sports bar to watch them play well, then be able to stay home and watch Cutler throw picks.
    I don’t care if it’s night vision problems, primetime jitters or just plain bad luck, but Cutler and night games don’t get along! This is a great thing!

  5. This should come as no surprise. If I understand the rules correctly the networks can block certain games from being moved. There is no way CBS gives up the advertising dollars generated from the NY/Chicago television markets or from Chicago vs.the golden boy (Tom Brady) and the hoodie. Fox always seems to send out their “A-team” when Chicago and Philly get together. I have to assume that if the Bears were notified this early in the season about this; then it means it was driven by the networks rather than the NFL.
    These are large market games with almost certain playoff implications; they are too valuable for CBS and Fox to lose. This Bears fan takes it as a compliment.

  6. Is this really something anybody cares about…, what games are on TV a month from now?
    c’mon

  7. Damn. I was hoping they would move the Pats/Colts in week 11 to the night game. I doubt CBS will give that one up.

  8. CBS and FOX are Aholes. Then again, the Bears suck on Sunday night so I’ll take it.
    that and Monday morning is easier when I drink in the daytime.
    @BCfromHell… I know its kind of sad, but I do care… very much.

  9. “I was hoping they would move the Pats/Colts in week 11 to the night game. I doubt CBS will give that one up.”
    ^^^^^
    You can pretty much count on any late season non-west coast 4:15pm game scheduled from the start of the season not being bumped to primetime. They were scheduled as the late afternoon game for good reason. A few of them jump off the schedule:
    Week 10: Dallas @ NYG (not sure if this is a flex week, either way no way NBC would move Pats-Steelers)
    Week 11: Indy @ NE- a definite keeper for CBS
    Week 13: Dallas @ Indy- a keeper for FOX, even if Dallas is 4-7 by then
    Week 14: Miami @ NYJ- no way this one moved with Balt-Pitt on NBC, KC @ SD will go to the west
    Week 15: NYJ @ Pittsburgh- NBC will keep Philly-Dallas no matter what (yawn)
    Week 16: NYG @ Green Bay- horrendous selection of Fox games this week, this one definitely is the headliner
    Filling in the blanks, I’d expect to see Green Bay- Atlanta or Philly- Chicago move to 4:15 week 12. Otherwise, there won’t be a ton of movement of games into or out of the 4:15 slot

  10. “Is this really something anybody cares about…, what games are on TV a month from now?”
    ^^^^^
    Ummmm…yes.

  11. If I live in Chicago and I’m a Bears fan, I’m happy.
    Who wants to stay up that late on a Sunday and sit in the real Windy City cold?
    Hey, NFL, some of us have jobs and don’t live in California! I have no interest in what happens west of Missouri and that includes Vegas. Besides, I lost that hooker’s number….

  12. The Jets and Eagles already have 5 primetime games, which is the max, why would you expect them to get flexed in to primetime vs Chicago. The only game out of the three mentioned that could be flexed is the New England game

  13. Actually, up to 3 teams can make a maximum of 6 primetime games but for the rest the max is 5.

  14. Why is this suprising? what is exciting about da Bears? ( except watching Cutler get killed and throw picks)

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