The Packers and Lions are getting ready to play in their biggest game of the season. If the Packers win their match-up in week 18 they are in the playoffs. Simple. If the Lions win and Seattle loses they are in the playoffs. The Seahawks, however, play in the slot before the Packers-Lions. Seattle will host the Los Angeles Rams during the 3:25 CT slot on Sunday afternoon. The Packers and Lions will play on Sunday Night Football, which kicks off at 7:20 CT that night. This means that the Lions’ playoff hopes may already be decided by kickoff. If Seattle wins, the Lions are out no matter what. As soon as the schedule was released, conspiracy theories swarmed social media. Now Colin Cowherd chimed in.
Colin Cowherd Rejects Conspiracy Theories
Seattle fans complained about what feels like an unfair situation and others have leaned into the age old NFL conspiracy theory bin. “Of course the NFL wants to see Green Bay in the playoffs.” Colin Cowherd took to his popular Fox Sports show The Herd to address all the NFL conspiracy theorist out there. He didn’t hold back when laughing at the ridiculousness of the suggestion. This entire response is perfect and worth a full watch. It starts at the beginning of this clip.
Cowherd is absolutely spot on with this one. Yes, the league and Fox would love to have Green Bay in the playoffs (just like the Yankees in the World Series). However, that doesn’t change the fact that this is still the right programming decision. Regardless of how the games play out we have to face the reality, the league is driven by money and ratings. The league will always do what’s in the best interest of programming. It’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s not meant to help the Green Bay Packers. It’s just like everything else the NFL does, a business decision. If there is a “win and you are in” game, the NFL will likely put that in the primetime slot. We have seen that year after year.
The other aspect to consider is that these teams are built up of 20 and 30 year olds who have worked their entire life to get where they are. There is no way “tanking” is an option for these players. Not to mention the reputation of the coaches. If there is even a whiff of an NFL coach attempting to lose a game, it is safe to say they will never see another coaching job again in the NFL.
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