By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor
Following two wins against opponents with 10 or more wins keeping the Eagles in the playoff hunt, the NFL and FOX decided to make a change.
In an effort to raise viewership, FOX decided to flex the match-ups between the Eagles and Redskins and the Bears and Vikings.
Flexed 💪
Our Week 17 matchup in Washington has been moved to a 4:25 ET kickoff. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/hcbpKs7aHj
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 24, 2018
The NFL makes sure that all teams that are waiting on outcomes of other games play at the same so that they can ensure that they field their best players for the games. The Bears need to win and the Rams to lose in order to get a first round bye. At the same time, a Bears loss would mean that the Rams would not need to play their starters to get the first-round bye, so the Bears/Vikings game had to be flexed to 4:25 when the Rams play.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are looking for a win and the Seahawks to lose out and/or the Vikings to lose to the Bears. If the Eagles were to lose, the Vikings would not need to play their best players. That means the Eagles/Redskins game also needed to be flexed to the 4:25 time slot.
Eagles fans will have to wait a few more hours to know whether or not the Birds will reach the postseason for the 2018 season.