CBS has decided to move the Bears game against the New England Patriots at Soldier Field from noon to a 3:15 kickoff Dec. 12.
It's probably a sound move by CBS; Fox, which moved the game from noon to 3:15, announced that Sunday's game between the Bears and Philadelphia Eagles was the highest-rated of this NFL season on any network.
The Bears game against the Patriots would pit teams with two of the league's best records against one another. The Bears are 8-3, and the Patriots are 9-2.
The Patriots will have a shorter week to prepare for the Bears. While the Bears travel to Detroit to play the Lions, the Patriots will host the New York Jets (9-2) at Gillette Stadium on Monday Night Football Dec. 6.
The winner of that game will have sole possession of first place in the AFC East.
I'm not a big fan of them flexing games. I love having the early game. It is way too stressful to wait for the Bears to play in the afternoon.
Bears will win because of speed and great tackling.
How early does the network have to announce which game they are "protecting," and how soon will we know if a game has been flexed? I am attending the Bears Packers game at Lambeau Jan 2nd, and need to make travel reservations.
I like the idea of putting the best games in the best time slots, but it wreaks havoc for traveling fans.
As far as the matchup with the Pats, we are going to struggle with Welker, Woodhead, and the big TEs Hernandez and Gronkowski. We do not seem to do well with shifty, elusive players. Granted, our awful turf should be an equalizer to some degree, but I see Brady having a big game yardage-wise. Hopefully we can do the same on our side of the ball.
I love the flex scheduling. If the Bears had played at noon, in my area, the Packer game would have been broadcast. The Bear versus New England game at noon would have been prempted here by either the Packer, Viking , or some other game. With the flex, I get to watch two extra Bear games.