My first question about tonight’s Sunday primetime game between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles is why NBC didn’t exercise their flex option to bring us a better matchup for the standalone night game?
Turns out NBC would have liked to shift to one of the more attractive games on the Week Eight Sunday schedule, but rules and regulations prevented it. NBC would have liked to have had the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills as their featured game, but both CBS and FOX have an option to protect one of their games … and CBS didn’t give up this compelling matchup.
NBC then wanted to shift to the Kansas City Chiefs contest in Denver against the Broncos. But, and this rule is a little sketchy, because the Chiefs/Broncos first game this season, which aired on Monday night during the opening weekend, CBS held the rights to this game by rule.
Okay, NBC said, let me have the Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions contest.
Nope. FOX had divisional-game protection on that game because the Lions/Vikings rematch is already scheduled for a Sunday night in Week 15.
Okay, NBC relented, we’ll settle for the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Cleveland Browns for our showcase broadcast.
Sorry, CBS won’t give that game up either.
So, after all those attempts at getting us a better game to watch on Sunday night, kind of makes you wish the World Series would have been wrapping up tonight instead of the Milwaukee Brewers winning in five games, we get a pair of teams that haven’t won a game since the third week and have a combined record of 3 wins, nine losses and a tie. The Commanders are in last place in the NFC East, the Eagles just a notch ahead of them while both teams trail the division leading New York Giants and second place Dallas Cowboys.
Now, if this game offered a wagering edge, I wouldn’t care if it was the Sisters of the Poor meeting the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But, in addition to being a dud of a matchup this game also doesn’t show up with any reliable wagering edge.
Most people in the know betting on it are taking the Commanders and giving six or more points.
People in the know laying a touchdown on the spread with a team that has only one win this season?
Makes you wonder what people in the know know.
I don’t want the Eagles either. Jalen Hurts is out for the season with a serious medical condition and Saquon Barkley is running on a bad wheel. Before he reinjured his leg last Monday night against the Cowboys, he was instrumental in leading Philadelphia to an opening series touchdown. After he was limping, so was the Eagles offense.
I suspect that is the primary reason bettors are finding an edge with the favorite in this contest scheduled for Northwest Stadium.
Here is what I know … this is not the matchup NBC wants, and it is not a matchup I can find a reliable edge to wager.
Talk about nothing on nothing.