Cowboys, Eagles not meeting in prime time for first time since 2006; why NFC East bout will finally air on CBS

Getty Images

The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are part of an interesting schedule quirk this season. For the first time since 2006, the Eagles and Cowboys won’t be playing in a prime-time game on “Sunday Night Football” or ‘Monday Night Football.” 

To take it one step further, this is the first time the Eagles and Cowboys won’t be playing in a standalone game since 2003. Both Eagles-Cowboys games are scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET — the Week 10 game in Dallas on CBS and the Week 17 game in Philadelphia on Fox. 

Of course, both games could be flexed — but they are a priority for the Sunday afternoon broadcast partners. There’s a reason they are at 4:25 p.m. ET. 

“I think it’s important to remember the biggest window of our week typically is the 4:25 game,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, on Thursday, via ESPN. “So people tend to sort of gravitate just to prime time as being this additional level of exposure. It’s great. It’s under the lights. It’s fun, I think, for our players to be back playing in prime. But 4:25 is every [bit as] big a window. 

“We really try to be equitable going to all our partners. Let’s think about a game like that going to CBS, just as we would equally go to NBC. And so enabling more flexibility, just making sure it gets into a big window. That’s our focus now.”

The Eagles and Cowboys will be broadcast on CBS for the first time since Oct. 31, 1993 — back when CBS carried the NFC package of games. The NFL television contract has even more cross-flexing than in years past, as CBS can carry NFC vs. NFC games and Fox can carry AFC vs. AFC games. AFC games on Fox also don’t have to be in the home team’s stadium, same with the NFC games on CBS as in years past. 

This is how the Eagles and Cowboys ended up on CBS, a sign of things to come with marquee matchups in the late-afternoon slot.