For those hoping the Green Bay Packers’ Week 17 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings would be flexed into primetime, we’ve got bad news. On Tuesday, the league announced multiple schedule changes but kept Green Bay’s highly anticipated game against Minnesota on Sunday, Dec. 29 in its originally scheduled noon CT timeslot.
Instead, the Atlanta Falcons vs. the Washington Commanders will now be featured on “Sunday Night Football,” replacing the Miami Dolphins vs. Cleveland Browns. Additionally, “Monday Night Football” between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers will proceed as scheduled.
The decision stems from the fact that Packers-Vikings is a protected game for FOX, following the first meeting being broadcast on CBS. In that Week 4 matchup, Minnesota jumped out to a 28-0 lead before Green Bay came roaring back in the second half, only to fall just short in a 31-29 loss.
The upcoming rematch could still carry significant implications for the NFC North divisional race and playoff seeding. Green Bay has an outside chance of winning the division and potentially securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed—though it would take a near miracle.
The Packers would need to win out, and the Philadelphia Eagles would need to lose out, while the Vikings and Lions would both have to lose in Weeks 16 and 17 but tie in their Week 18 matchup.
While Packers-Vikings won’t be in primetime, it could still be moved to the late afternoon timeslot, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. The league has until next Tuesday to finalize any further adjustments.
