Giants-Dolphins To Determine Week 16 Sunday Night Matchup
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The Monday night game between the Giants and Dolphins will determine the matchup for the Sunday night game in two weeks.
The NFL announced two different scenarios Monday for the Dec. 27 prime-time slot. If New York beats Miami on "Monday Night Football," the Giants' meeting with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 will shift into "Sunday Night Football" on NBC under the league's flexible scheduling policy.
If the Dolphins win Monday, the originally scheduled Steelers-Ravens game will remain in prime time.
New York (5-7) needs a victory in Miami to maintain a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East. The Vikings are currently a game out of first in the NFC North.
Pittsburgh is tied for the AFC wild-card slot, but rival Baltimore is just 4-9.
If the Giants-Vikings game moves to prime time, the Colts-Dolphins matchup that day switches from CBS to Fox. The league also said Monday that the Jaguars-Saints game Dec. 27 will start at 4:05 p.m. EST instead of 1 p.m.
The NFL can move more appealing matchups to Sunday night starting with Week 11. It also now has the ability to "cross-flex" afternoon games from one network to the other.
The league has not typically announced such scenarios for games other than the Week 17 matchup; it doesn't need to make a decision until Tuesday under the policy. But with the Dec. 27 schedule hinging on Monday night's outcome, the NFL decided to give fans additional notice about the potential change in start times. Both clubs were already aware of the possibilities.
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