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The Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals are two of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this season. Both entered the season with playoff and perhaps even Super Bowl aspirations. But through 11 weeks, they’ve combined for a 7-14 overall record.
The two teams are scheduled to meet on Monday Night Football in Week 14 in what should have been one of the marquee matchups of the season. Instead, it’s a matchup of two teams whose seasons are likely already over and who will have nothing to play for but pride. Despite all that, the NFL still can’t move the game out of prime time and replace it with something more interesting.
Why? Because the league agreed to do an alternate, Simpsons themed broadcast for the game and work on that broadcast is already well underway, according to Jay Morrison of Sports Illustrated.
Simpsons Alt Broadcast Leaves The NFL With No Choice For Cowboys-Bengals Game
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk addressed the issue in a column a week ago.
“The Cincinnati game likely won’t move, for two reasons. One, the Bengals (unlike the Cowboys) will still be postseason contenders,” he began. “Two, ESPN is already preparing for an alternate broadcast featuring the Simpsons; presumably, the technological wheels are already in motion — and likely can’t be reconfigured to different teams only four weeks from date of the game.”
Technically the part about the Bengals is true. If Cincinnati can upset AFC North rival Pittsburgh on Dec. 1 following a bye week, it would move to 5-7. That would leave the Bengals with an outside shot at a playoff run.
But it’s the second point that is most notable. The NFL and ESPN backed themselves into a corner with the Simpsons broadcast. And now something that should have been cool and fun is both a burden on the league and a mockery of the two teams involved in the contest.