Only one Monday night game has ever been flexed in NFL history, but that number could be going up to two this year.
During a recent appearance on “Pardon My Take,” Troy Aikman mentioned that the matchups have been much better on “Monday Night Football” and one reason for that is because the NFL now allows flex scheduling for Monday games.
“We’re getting good games,” Aikman said. “There was a time when I don’t know that they could necessarily say that. The league has been fantastic, Roger Goodell has been amazing and we’ve had really good schedules, and now, we have flex scheduling.”
Last year marked the first time that the league was allowed to use flex scheduling for Monday games and it ended up getting used exactly once: The NFL dumped Chiefs-Patriots in Week 15 and replaced it with Eagles-Seahawks.
The NFL can’t use the Monday flex until Week 12 and even though that’s still more than a month away, the league already has its eye on a game that might get booted out of prime time.
“We’re at Denver… Cleveland at Denver that may end up being a flex, is kind what it’s looking like,” Aikman said.
The Browns are currently scheduled to play the Broncos in Week 13 on Monday, Dec. 2. At 1-4, the Browns have been one of the worst teams in football this year and if they don’t get things turned around, it’s easy to see why the NFL would consider flexing the game. And if anyone should know what might happen, it’s Aikman. Monday games are on ESPN and he works in the booth for each game with Joe Buck.
The one thing about flexing a game is that you have to put something there to replace it and there aren’t a ton of attractive options that week. The biggest game is probably Eagles-Ravens, but Baltimore plays on Monday in Week 12 and it’s unlikely the Ravens would be asked to play two weeks in a row. The Steelers play in Cincinnati that week, but the Bengals would need to turn things around for that to be a good option. Aaron Rodgers and the Jets will be hosting the Seahawks, which could be another attractive option.
One problem with a flexing a game in Week 13 is that happens to be Thanksgiving week and none of the games being played on Turkey Day are eligible to be moved. There’s also a Black Friday game (Raiders at Chiefs) and that can’t be flexed, either.
When it comes to flexing Monday games, the league has to follow three rules:
1. The NFL can only move a game that’s being played between Week 12 and Week 17.
2. Only Sunday afternoon games that kick off in the 1 p.m. ET or 4 p.m. ET window can be moved to Monday.
3. If the league is going to utilize flex scheduling, the decision has to be made at least 12 days in advance.
Thanks to that third rule, the NFL will have plenty of time to pick a new game if it decides to flex out Browns at Broncos. The league wouldn’t need to make a decision on the game until Nov. 20.
