NFL makes rare double flex move by tweaking the schedule in Week 9 and Week 11

The NFL rarely announces two weeks' worth of schedule changes at the same time, but that's exactly what the league did Monday. 

For just the second time this year, the NFL has decided to utilize its flex scheduling powers. This time around, the league is changing the television network for four games while tweaking the kickoff time for one of them. 

Of the games that were rescheduled, two will kick off in Week 9, while the other two will take place in Week 11. 

Let's take a look at the changes, starting with the two moves that got made in Week 9. 

WEEK 9 (Nov. 8)

Raiders at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox (Previous: 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS)

Lions at Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET on Fox (Previous: 1 p.m. ET on CBS)

With this change, the Raiders-49ers game will now be moved into the prime viewing window for Week 9. Fox has the national doubleheader that week, and the network will now have three games to feature in the 4:25 p.m. ET window, with Packers-Patriots and Cardinals-Seahawks also airing on Fox at that time. 

With 49ers-Raiders moving to Fox, the Texans at Chargers will be the only CBS game in the late window, kicking off at 4:05 p.m. ET. 

Now, let's check out the changes for Week 11

WEEK 11 (Nov. 22)

Buccaneers at Lions, 1 p.m. ET on Fox (Previous: 1 p.m. ET on CBS)

Dolphins at Bills, 1 p.m. ET on CBS (Previous: 1 p.m. ET on Fox)

The Bills will be moving from Fox to CBS in Week 11, which is certainly the notable news here. Fox actually had a Bills game earlier this season, which is probably one reason this flex went through: the network probably wouldn't have been thrilled to lose that game if it had been its only chance to feature Josh Allen this season. 

With these four flex moves now in the books, there's still one big question to answer in Week 9 and that's whether the NFL ends up flexing the Sunday night game. The Buccaneers are currently scheduled to play in Chicago on Sunday night, but with Tampa Bay sitting at 2-5, the NFL could flex the game. The league has to decide whether to move the kickoff time by the end of the day on Tuesday (Oct. 27). 

As things currently stand, this is the only Sunday night game on the Bears' schedule, so the NFL might be hesitant to move them out of it. Not to mention, the Bucs have won two of their past three games, so they've certainly looked more competitive over the past few weeks following a 0-4 start. 

Based on those two facts, it wouldn't be surprising at all if the Buccaneers-Bears end up staying put. 

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