Due to predicted blizzard-like conditions, the NFL moved the Eagles-Vikings game scheduled for Sunday night to Tuesday night.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello announced the move and the reasoning:
“Because of the uncertainty of the extent of tonight's storm and its aftermath, the game will be played on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. This will allow sufficient time to ensure that roads, parking lots and the stadium are fully cleared.”
Well kickoff wouldn't really be until 8:20 Tuesday night. It'll be the first time since 1946 that an NFL game is played on a Tuesday.
The news of a move most likely won’t please Eagles star wideout DeSean Jackson. Earlier Sunday he tweeted: “It's only snow!!!! Let us play... It must b a lot of fun... I'm ready let's get it on!!"
Well DeSean’s dream of playing in the white stuff will have to wait for another day.
The NFL's decision wasn't made to necessarily protect the players but rather the fans, Football Night in Philly's Howard Eskin said.
Safety was a viewpoint echoed by head coach Andy Reid:
“We completely support what the league did from a safety standpoint for everybody.”
The move means that fans can stay home and out of the potentially dangerous storm. It also means that fantasy football owners can start Michael Vick, Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson without having to worry about the weather.
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Of course the 10-4 Eagles still clinched the NFC East title when the second-place Giants lost at Green Bay Sunday afternoon.
So why Tuesday night instead of Monday night? The NFL might say it's to ensure that snow is completely cleared, but TV likely had something to do with it too. The national TV audience wouldn't need to choose between the big Falcons-Saints game on ESPN on Monday and the Eagles-Vikings game this way.
The move also means that the Birds will only have four days off before going against the Cowboys next Sunday -- basically it'll be like when the Birds played Houston on Thursday night earlier this month. Even though the Birds could easily have a home playoff game clinched, it’s possible that a first-round bye could still be on the line in the Dallas game.
To accommodate for less prep time, the NFL moved the Eagles-Cowboys game kickoff to 4:15 p.m. next Sunday.
Coach Andy Reid doesn't see the short week being a problem:
“I don’t think it’s a problem. I think we’ll be all right. We’ve had Monday games, Sunday night games, we had a Thursday game, so we’ve been through a lot of this already, and that will help us. We’ll be fine.”
Oh yeah, and with two extra days, don't be surprised if concussed Vikings QB Brett Favre steps into the prime time spotlight one last time -- a final swan song until his next final swan song.
