Fans hoping that the NFL may flex out the Dallas Cowboys-Cincinnati Bengals Week 15 ‘Monday Night Football’ game won’t be happy to hear that it’s simply cannot happen.
Starting last year, the league adopted a new rule that allows them to “flex” games out of the Monday Night Football slot, but only between Weeks 12-17. The league is allowed to flex no more than two MNF games during that period.
The upcoming Week 15 tilt between the Bengals and Cowboys looked juicy at the start of the year. But the Bengals (4-7) and Cowboys (3-6) have been among football’s biggest disappointments, and the casual fan obviously has little interest in watching a December prime-time game with no playoff implications whatsoever.
Unfortunately for football fans, the Week 15 Monday Night Football affair is the one game that the league cannot flex out during the Weeks 12-17 period.
That’s because as Jay Morrison of BengalsTalk.com points out, the Cowboys-Bengals game can’t be removed from its prime-time slot because of The Simpsons television series. In case you forgot, this game will feature a Simpsons-themed alternate broadcast.
Well, at least non-Bengals and Cowboys fans have the option to view the Monday Night Football Game Simpsons-style.
Which Monday Night Football Games Could The NFL Flex Out?
The NFL has to announce any potential changes to the MNF schedule at least 12 days ahead of time. Obviously, they’re not going to swap out the can’t-miss Harbaugh Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers next week.
But don’t be surprised if the league decides to swap out one of the two doubleheaders for Week 15, with the Atlanta Falcons visiting the hapless Las Vegas Raiders and the slumping Chicago Bears visiting the Minnesota Vikings.
Even the Broncos-Cleveland Browns Week 13 game in Mile High City lacks intrigue if you’re not a Denver fan. And if the New Orleans Saints are out of the playoff race by then, their Week 16 road game against the Green Bay Packers could be flexed out.
