BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 08: Wide receiver Michael Gallup #13 of the Dallas Cowboys walks off of the field after losing to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 8, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. Players wore face coverings due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Cowboys have been bumped from Sunday Night Football to make room for the Browns and Giants.
The Dallas Cowboys fell to 3-9 Tuesday night after another rough outing in front of a national audience. The defense got shredded by the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas is now staring down a top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
This is a franchise that is a regular in primetime. Luckily, the NFL has flex scheduling. Week 15 was supposed to see the Cowboys take on the San Francisco 49ers in some Sunday night action. Instead, an NFC East rival and a surprise AFC contender have been flexed into the spot.
Browns and Giants take the spotlight
Talk about a changing of the guard. The mighty Cowboys have been bumped so fans around the country can see the Browns take on a Giants team fighting for the NFC East crown. The Browns being flexed into a primetime game in December? That is a shock in itself.
The NFL made the right move here. The Browns are atop the AFC Wild Card standings and the Giants are battling Washington for a division title. Seeing Andy Dalton take on Nick Mullens in primetime would not have been great for ratings.
This decision still makes history as the Cowboys are usually seen as a major ratings draw. Getting flexed out is something that the team has never dealt with since the primetime game moved to NBC.
2020 is a weird year and this is another blow to a Dallas franchise that has a lot of big decisions to make this offseason. The team isn’t 3-9 just because Dak Prescott is out. There are other glaring problems on both sides of the ball that Mike McCarthy has not been able to figure out.
America’s Team is now getting bumped for the Browns, who could end up being America’s New Team in 2020.