Over the final three weeks of the NFL season, the league leaves many games TBD so they can flex certain contests and put the showdowns with playoff implications front and center.
Typically, fans have to wait for the NFL to announce the dates and times for each game, but a viral leak revealed that information on Tuesday.
Week 17 NFL TBD Games Revealed
The NFL’s Game Statistics and Information System revealed the TBD games for Week 17:
- Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET, Saturday
- Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
- Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams, 8:15 p.m. ET, Saturday
- Miami Dolphins vs. Cleveland Browns 4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday
- Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders 8:30 p.m. ET, Sunday
Initially, Dolphins-Browns was supposed to be on Sunday Night Football. However, the NFL decided to flex this game for Falcons-Commanders since that game has wider playoff ramifications.
It remains to be seen which channels the daytime games will be on, but that information will be revealed soon.
In Week 16, fans will be treated to two Saturday games (Texans-Chiefs at 1 p.m. ET and Steelers-Ravens at 4:30 p.m. ET).
In Week 18, two games will be played on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET), but all of the Week 18 games are currently TBD. Specific dates, start times, and networks will be determined and announced following the conclusion of Week 17.
That means fans will be treated to three football-packed weekends in a row, plus a pair of special Wednesday games on Christmas Day in Week 17.
The NFL’s Flex Scheduling Explained
Prior to 2023, the only games that could be flexed were Sunday Night Football games. However, starting last season, the league opened the option up for Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football as well.
For Sunday Night Football, flex scheduling can be used just twice between Weeks 5-10 and anytime the league sees fit between Weeks 11-17. As for Monday Night Football, those games can only be flexed in and out between Weeks 12-17. Thursday Night Football is similar to Monday; however, the window for Thursdays is Weeks 13-17.
The NFL introduced these changes to ensure that the product remains enticing as the season unfolds. If injuries have depleted a team or a squad has failed to live up to expectations, the NFL may want to remove them from prime time. Similarly, a matchup that may not have looked interesting prior to the start of the season might suddenly be appealing late in the campaign if the two teams have exceeded expectations, if there are playoff implications, if there are juicy storylines, and so on.
A Sunday game with a kickoff time of 1 p.m., 4:05 p.m., or 4:25 p.m. ET time can be moved into any of the three weekly prime-time slots, while the previously scheduled prime-time game would then be moved to Sunday. Games can also be moved from 1 p.m. to either 4:05 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. ET, and vice-versa as the league sees fit.
From Weeks 5-13, if the league decides to flex a game, they must inform teams 12 days in advance. This essentially gives the teams two weeks to adjust their schedules. From Weeks 14-17, the NFL has to inform teams just six days in advance.
However, all Monday Night Football games that get flexed must be done within that 12-day window, while the decision to flex a Thursday Night Football game must be made at least 28 days in advance.
