The New Orleans Saints still haven’t played their Week 15 game, but eyes are already cast forwards on their Week 16 matchup with the Tennessee Titans. And for good reason: the NFL delayed its decision to flex that game into a more prominent time slot, possibly even the coveted “Sunday Night Football” national broadcast window.
However, the Saints and Titans will not be getting that prime-time kickoff, per a report from NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano. The league and its broadcast partners have agreed to keep the previously scheduled game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears in that slot, which isn’t as compelling a matchup (the Bears are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, while the Titans need to beat the Saints to keep their hopes alive) but probably easy to develop a narrative around.
With Chiefs coach Andy Reid planning against his former assistant in Bears coach Matt Nagy, and Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky preparing to share the field with a passer he was drafted ahead of but been thoroughly outplayed by in Patrick Mahomes, there’s plenty of material for fans and media to work with over the next week.
So where do the Saints go from here? For now, they’re scheduled to play the Titans at noon, as was previously decided. We’ll find out by close business on Monday whether the game gets flexed into a late-afternoon spot, which is possible with FOX scheduled to broadcast the Saints-Titans game as well as two contests later that afternoon. The Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game is a virtual lock to remain in that time slot given their hefty TV market support and the implications for the NFC East title, but the Arizona Cardinals-Seattle Seahawks contest is very likely to get moved.
At this point there’s no official word from the league or FOX on whether the Saints will get flexed into a later time slot, so keep an eye out for updates. We’ll know soon enough.
