The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders will stay on Sunday Night Football in Week 8. The NFL let Tuesday’s flex deadline pass without moving the game, so it stays on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 8:20 pm ET on NBC and Peacock at Northwest Stadium. That is 3:20 am Monday in Cairo.
Rob Tornoe reported the decision on Tuesday evening, citing league sources, and said the league seriously considered putting the Cleveland Browns’ trip to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the slot instead. Ben Standig and Scott Abraham each confirmed through their own sources that the game would not be flexed.
What was decided
| Game | Records | Week 8 slot |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles at Commanders | 2-4 vs. 1-4-1 | Stays: Sunday, Nov. 1, 8:20 pm ET, NBC and Peacock (3:20 am Monday in Cairo) |
| Browns at Steelers | 4-2 vs. 4-2 | Stays: Sunday, Nov. 1, 1 pm ET, CBS (8 pm in Cairo) |
The Cairo times for Nov. 1 already reflect both clock changes: Egypt leaves summer time at the end of October, and the U.S. returns to standard time on the morning of Nov. 1.
Why the league stood pat
Tornoe reported that the NFC East was one factor. Even after Philadelphia’s four straight losses, the division is wide open: the New York Giants lead at 3-2-1 and are on a bye in Week 8, the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are 2-4, and Washington is 1-4-1. A Philadelphia win over Dallas on Monday night would give the Nov. 1 game more at stake than the records suggest.
The other factor was the rest of the Week 8 slate. Tornoe pointed to a rule that guarantees CBS and Fox divisional games from the AFC and NFC, respectively, and Browns-Steelers, the AFC North game the league looked at hardest, is one of CBS’s. As our deadline-day breakdown showed, the other options had problems too: Vikings-Lions already has a Sunday night date in Week 15, and Baltimore and Jacksonville meet on Thursday night in Week 9.
A bad week for both teams
The decision comes in a rough stretch for both clubs. Philadelphia lost 25-14 at home to Carolina on Sunday, and Jalen Hurts is likely out for the season with blood clots in both lungs, which leaves Tanner McKee as the starter. Washington lost 23-17 at San Francisco on Monday night, lost Terry McLaurin for the season to a torn patellar tendon and is on its bye this week.
Tornoe also noted that the league scheduled the Eagles for two holiday games and eight standalone windows this season, which it saw as a reward for their recent success. Philadelphia won the first meeting with Washington 24-22 in Week 1.
What comes next
- Eagles: Dallas at Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 26, at 8:15 pm ET (3:15 am Tuesday in Cairo), then the trip to Washington.
- Commanders: bye in Week 7, then the Eagles on Nov. 1. Two more night games follow: at the Giants on Thursday, Nov. 12, on Prime Video, and home to Cincinnati on Monday, Nov. 23.
- Flex rules: the league can make two Sunday-night flexes between Weeks 5 and 10, with 12 days’ notice through Week 13. The next one to watch is Eagles at 49ers, set for Sunday night in Week 17.
Every prime-time game for the rest of the season is on our prime-time schedule.
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