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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
John Sigler

Week 16’s Saints-Rams game could be flexed out of Thursday night slot

There was a lot of scrutiny on putting the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints in prime time late in the 2023 season when this year’s schedule first dropped, and it appears the NFL is already beginning to second-guess itself on that decision. A vote passed at league owners meetings this week to approve Thursday night game flexing for the upcoming season, but with some important stipulations.

Most importantly is the limited window in which games may be flexed out of the Thursday night slate: only matchups from Weeks 13 to 17 may be moved, and only two games may be flexed out of that time slot in total. That’s important information with the Saints and Rams scheduled to play at SoFi Stadium in Week 16.

Additionally, teams must be given 28 days’ notice before a Thursday night game may be flexed into a different time slot, so we’ll know by Thursday, Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving Day) whether the Saints and Rams will kick off midweek after all. The Saints will have played 10 games at that point with the Rams having 11 games to show league decision-makers how competitive they are, so if one or both teams are struggling this game could get flexed into a less-prominent window. If it is moved, it will still be played at SoFi Stadium but on Sunday, Dec. 24.

And here’s an added wrinkle: the Saints initially voted against this proposal, only to reverse course and flip their ballot when it came up again. Maybe they did that because the 28-day notice is more palatable than the initial 15-day proposal. More likely, they got a look at the schedule, saw a second Thursday night game lined up, and are hoping to get flexed out of it so that they don’t have to travel cross-country on a short week late in the season and disrupt their usual rhythm.

It’s a big blow to fans who want to, you know, attend games and get the full stadium experience. Traveling from New Orleans to Los Angeles isn’t cheap. Getting affordable NFL game tickets isn’t the easiest thing in the world, either. But as the league office continues to prioritize viewers at home and works to sell streaming subscriptions, fans who buy tickets and spend on concessions and travel to support their team are going to get left out in the cold.

Why is the NFL doing this? Amazon has made a big investment in its Thursday night series, streamed exclusively on its Prime Video service, and they want to ensure they’re putting out a product people want to tune in for. If  we get to that Nov. 23 deadline and the Saints are coming out of their bye  week at 5-5 while the Rams are improving to 4-6 (as is the case in our season predictions at Saints Wire and Rams Wire, respectively) then Amazon might implore the NFL to line up a more interesting matchup for them in Week 16. It’s something to keep an eye on in the fall, especially if you’re looking for tickets.

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