chongli

Even better if SEA would lose earlier in the day. Then it is win and in for both DET and GB. But the NFL would be taking a big chance. I still think it woud be BAL-CIN if the Bills win tonight, as then that game is guaranteed to be for the division with the AFC defending champs vs. Lamar, a former MVP.

It is unlikely. As I posted above, the NFL could have announced NE-BUF last night, but decided to wait until after MNF tonight to decide if it is BAL-CIN or DET-GB for game number 272 on SNF.

If SEA wins earlier in the day against the Rams, then DET has no motivation as they are out. It would be either GB or SEA for the 7th seed, as even if DET won on SNF, they would lose to SEA in the head-to-head.

Ratings. The NFL wants State Farm in a stand-alone game for the whole nation to watch. And Miami goes ballistic, lol! SD if they win gets the #5 seed. So if BAL is #6, they play CIN, BUF, or KC in the divisionals.

It is in primetime. Plus, the NFL is catering to the average fan, not the hardcore one. That is why they play on Saturday instead of Sunday.

That doesn't matter. NBC wants the best game, both in terms of ratings and playoff implications. DET-GB is good for ratings, but if SEA wins earlier in the day, DET has nothing to play for, which is going to anger SEA and make GB happy. CIN-BAL is both good for ratings and would be for the division title. That is why NBC prefers it but is willing to go the other route if BUF loses tonight.

The NFL introduced the 2 Saturday games this year, and sacrificed a lot of the competitive balance in favor of ratings. Tennessee and especially Jacksonville aren't exactly "sexy" teams in terms of ratings, so if you were NBC you're probably going to want to really try to sell the NFL on having another game, even if it has less dramatic playoff implications than "win or go home". NBC is secretly rooting for the Bills tonight since they want BAL-CIN next week on SNF. Huge ratings.

If the Bills win, SNF will probably be Baltimore-Cincy as that would be for the division. Plus, if KC lost Saturday, the Bills wouldn't have a need to win Sunday and could rest their starters (angering Miami). If the Bills lost to Cincy, the Packers-Detroit would probably be the SNF game. Also, a slight chance it could be Philly-NYG. Those are really the only three options. As I posted on the other thread:

Everything is being discussed in this thread, including the posts above: NBC prefers Packers-Lions over TEN-JAX in the event the Bills lose to Cincy (ratings, you know: Ten and JAX are small markets).

If the Bengals lose, probably Bengals-Ravens. If the Bengals win, GB-Detroit.

The Dolphins have to be upset about this scheduling because if the Bills win at Cincy and the Chiefs somehow lose Saturday, the Bills won't try in a game that directly impacts their playoff chances.

Yes, if they get in.

Bills and KC both must play late since they are competing for the #1 seed. SF has to play at the same time as Philly for similar reasons. Also, If Pittsburgh wins, it's unlikely they play early on Saturday because of the turnaround.

Seattle has to be a 4 PM game, as they are on the west coast.