CBS-NBC Fight Over Tebow Results In NFL Passing, No Flex To Denver-New England

The issue would have appeared to be an easy one. Both CBS and FOX get to protect a certain number of late season games so that they cannot be flexed to Sunday Night. Last week’s Giants-Packers game was just such a game, as FOX had already protected it and it was not an option. CBS did not protect the Denver-New England game earlier, as the Tebow publicity phenomenon had not taken off when they made the decisions. Sorry, no rights to the game.

Then, the NFL flexed the New Orleans-Detroit game this Sunday, instead of staying with New England-Indianapolis. Because it was a NFC for AFC swap, FOX was losing a game while the AFC game. As a result, FOX picked up the inter-conference matchup between Denver and Minnesota, which would have normally been broadcast by CBS as the visiting team’s conference. CBS is now crying foul for potentially losing out on the Tebow factor two weeks in a row.

Of course, we knew Denver and New England was in play a week later. Why wasn’t this discussed at the time? FOX could have instead received another AFC-NFC matchup (Kansas City at Chicago? NY Jets at Washington?). CBS should have raised the issue last week and if they did, it should have been resolved sooner.

Instead, an announcement that was supposed to come Monday has been delayed until today. After two extra days of Tebowing about the issue, Goodell and the NFL have decided to placate CBS by keeping the Baltimore-San Diego game in the Sunday Night slot and not using the flex option.

Setting aside the Tebow factor, the Denver-New England game, with a 7-5 team that is now the favorite to win the AFC West should have been the choice over the 5-7 team that has been in prime time recently (lost at Kansas City, just won at Jacksonville).

CBS had no right to keep the game. But nice to know the league will bend the rules when you are a multi-million dollar partner. Don’t expect the same, players.

[photo via Getty]