A couple of weeks ago the NFL announced that last Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys would remain on Sunday Night Football and it would not be flexed out in favor of another game.
This affected Kansas City Chiefs fans who wanted to see the San Diego Chargers game flexed into Sunday Night Football that week. The Eagles-Cowboys game featured one team that was out of the playoff race (Cowboys) while the Chiefs-Chargers game had major AFC West and playoff implications.
Here's why the Chiefs game wasn't flexed in: The Eagles-Cowboys game generated 25.73 million viewers which tops the Minnesota Vikings-Green Bay Packers October game as the most viewed in the history of Sunday Night Football.
Yes, Michael Vick, the Eagles and a four-win Cowboys team is a more attractive draw than the biggest game in the AFC West this season.
So when you're wondering why the Chiefs are low on the totem pole when it comes to flexing games into primetime, that's why. The Chiefs -- and most other teams -- simply can't draw ratings like Vick, the Eagles and the Cowboys can. In fact, the NFL announced this week that they Vick and the Eagles were being flexed back into primetime for the sixth time this year in Week 16.
The only other chance at a flex game for the Chiefs comes in Week 17 when they play the Raiders. If that's a win-and-you're-in situation, it has a chance to be flexed. Other win-and-you're-in possibilities include Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks.