The Dallas Cowboys Have Been Flexed Out of SNF by Baker Mayfield
It's bad enough that the Dallas Cowboys are 3-9 and off to one of the worst starts in franchise history, now the Cleveland Browns are a better bet than them. Seriously.
The Dallas Cowboys, even through their ups and downs, have been America's team since TV ratings were a thing that mattered. Even when the Cowboys were bad they were still a draw. People still watched. Especially when it was a nationally important rivalry game spanning three-plus decades like the Week 15 matchup on December 20th against the San Francisco 49ers. Apparently, that's not the case anymore.
For the first time since 2009, the NFL has decided the Cleveland Browns should be in the Sunday Night football primetime game against the New York Giants. The Cowboys and 49ers will be played at noon on Sunday.
Jerry Jones, even in mediocrity, always had the numbers that proved Dallas was America's team, that's simply not the case anymore. Of course, maybe this is just a blip on the radar. If it's a sign of the times, you can point to the Cowboys being moved out of the afternoon slot to the noon hour last year in favor of the Seattle Seahawks as being precedent setter to move the Cowboys out of primetime.
That's the afternoon game though this is Sunday Night Football! How rare is it for the Cowboys to be flexed out of Sunday Night Football? According to sports broadcast site 506 Sports, it’s so rare that it hasn’t happened since NBC took over the rights to SNF in 2006.
The bad news, for Jerry Jones, is that most people agree with the move. The Andy Dalton-led Cowboys don't deserve a primetime spot over Baker Mayfield and the Browns, who are 9-3 and sporting their best record since 2007. And while the Giants may have the same record as the Niners, they’re at least at the top of their division and in the playoff hunt.
The silver lining for Cowboys fans is that the on-field product for the Cowboys will never force organizational structure as long as Jerry Jones continues to make money. Why is that a silver lining? Because getting pulled from primetime every season affects your brand and a weak brand doesn't make money. Add a pandemic and mandatory half attendance and you are discussing serious figures in Jerry Jones world.
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