The NFL released its 2014 schedule on Wednesday evening with a twist: the league can "flex" games into primetime earlier than ever this season.
Beginning in Week 5, the NFL can decide to move any Sunday matchup from a mid-day kickoff over to the more coveted (and lucrative) Sunday Night Football primetime slot. The league can only do this twice between weeks five and 10, but that's twice more than in years past. Beginning with Week 11, which is when flex scheduling usually starts, the league can flex any Sunday game into the Sunday night slot.
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This means more money for NBC, Sunday Night Football's broadcast home. But for us fans, it means something better: More fun!
The math is simple: More flexibility equals, presumably, better match-ups getting slotted into primetime (and not simply bigger broadcast markets pushing out smaller ones).
That said, here are five games we'd like to see flexed into Sunday Night Football primetime this year -- and five games we'd like to see booted out. (Here's the the full 2014 NFL schedule.)
1. Week 5
In: Kansas City at San Francisco
Out: Cincinnati at New England
Why: The Patriots are always relevant, but the Bengals are so often ... meh. This should be a fine matchup on the field, but we're booting it for a game featuring juicier off-the-field storylines. With Alex Smith and Kansas City returning to face the San Francisco squad that spurned him in favor of a younger, more dynamic quarterback in Colin Kaepernick two years ago, this game could be a classic.
2. Week 6
In: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks
Out: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Why: Tony Romo and "America's Team" head north to face the defending Super Bowl champs in front of the NFL's most raucous crowd? Sign us up for that -- even if it comes at the expense of a solid Giants-Eagles tilt.
3. Week 9
In: Denver Broncos at New England Patriots
Out: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Why: We've got a lot of respect for both the Ravens and Steelers around these parts. But we don't need sit through a 10-6 dust bowl during Sunday primetime. Denver vs. New England, on the other hand, gives us another look at two elite-yet-aging quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. It also give us a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game -- as well as a preview of the upcoming postseason's possible rematch.
4. Week 12
In: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Out: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Why: Cowboys vs. Giants is a solid matchup, but give us offense or give us death. In Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, this game offers up the NFL's best at two positions.
5. Week 14
In: Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles
Out: New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers
Why: Like we said, Sunday primetime is for elite offensive displays, and Seahawks vs. Eagles offers up two of the NFL's most exciting. Better yet, the game is in Philly, giving the Eagles more of a shot against the league's toughest team.