The will be a week of firsts for the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Not only will they play in their first Week 18 game, but they'll also be some of the first teams to have their game flexed to Saturday night under the NFL's new format.
The league's decision to flex this game is interesting given the potential for one or both teams to take it lightly. The Cowboys have already clinched the NFC East and can no longer get the number-one seed in the conference. The Eagles have already clinched a wild card spot and could only move up from the seventh seed to sixth at best.
Schedule change: Cowboys will no longer play at Eagles on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Game is moved to Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET instead.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 3, 2022
Schedule news!
Saturday:
— #Chiefs at #Broncos, 4:30 pm
— #Cowboys at #Eagles, 815 pm
Sunday night:
— #Chargers at #Raiders, 8:20 pm— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 3, 2022
Nevertheless, it's the Cowboys and the Eagles and the ratings will be there. Even if you're watching Cooper Rush and Gardner Minshew for most of the night, the fans will be tuning in as both teams are playoff bound.
Also, with their playoff-seeding now reliant on other game outcomes as well as their own, Dallas and Philly may still give their best in the hope for a win and help on Sunday. The Cowboys would especially benefit from moving up, avoiding the Rams or Cardinals in the first round and getting a seemingly less challenging opponent.
Whatever the effect of this game or the amount of effort they'll put into it, the Cowboys and Eagles will now finish their regular seasons on Saturday night.
