The 2023 NFL season has been chugging along with no worries all year long. Now, there are just two weeks left in the regular season.
However, with the season’s end closing, there are some quirks to the schedule. Monday Night Football will be on Saturday in Week 17. Why is that the case?
Why Is Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys on Saturday Night?
The end of every NFL season features a plethora of prime-time game schedule quirks. The reasoning is simple: college football. The college football regular season began on Aug. 26 and ended on Dec. 9.
With college football’s regular season over, it means Saturdays are now, for the most part, open for business. It also means college football’s bowl season is here. Bowl season runs officially from Dec. 16 to Jan. 8.
The NFL has been playing Saturday games since Week 15 when there were three games. There were then two played in Week 16, and now one in Week 17. There will also probably be just one in Week 18 as well, although the schedule for Week 18 has yet to be announced.
The reason for Weeks 17 and 18 having Monday Night Football on Saturday is due to the College Football Playoffs. There will be two semifinal New Year’s Six bowl games on Monday in Week 17. Michigan and Alabama will face off in the Rose Bowl while Texas and Washington will play in the Sugar Bowl.
After those two games, the only remaining college football game will be the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, Jan. 8, which will also push Monday Night Football onto a Saturday. After that, the NFL will have the football market back to itself. For this week and next, though, it will share.
In Week 17’s matchup, the 11-4 Detroit Lions will travel to the 10-5 Dallas Cowboys. The game will have NFC playoff-seeding ramifications, as both teams are vying for the top spot in the conference. The Cowboys have yet to lose at home in 2023, but the Lions are entering the night on a two-game win streak.
MORE: Have the Cowboys Ever Had an Undefeated Season at Home?
The Lions played on Saturday once this season in Week 15, while the Cowboys have yet to play a Saturday game. The Lions defeated the Denver Broncos 42-17 in their Saturday night game.
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