Maybe it’s for the best that the Green Bay Packers’ regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday will only be on television in a small selection of TV markets across the United States.
After all, the average football fan probably isn’t all that excited to tune in for a starting quarterback matchup featuring Clayton Tune vs. Max Brosmer, particularly when the game has no impact on anything aside from draft position.
That’s the situation facing the Packers and Vikings this Sunday when the two teams face off at 12 Noon Central Time from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Sunday’s game will be televised on CBS as one of three games on the network in the early window, joining Bengals-Browns and Colts-Texans.
Unlike the other two games, the Indianapolis-Houston game does have some playoff implications. The Texans are in a 3-way tie for the Wild Card spots in the AFC and they still have a chance to win the AFC South if they get a win on Sunday and see the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans. Houston would end up as the 3 seed if that happens, but they are already guaranteed at worst a Wild Card spot and could occupy any of the 5, 6, or 7 seeds depending on other results.
As for Bengals-Browns, well, that one is just for bragging rights up I-71 in Ohio.
Here’s the map for the CBS early games on Sunday, with Packers-Vikings shown in blue:
Essentially, the only markets set to see Packers-Vikings are those covering the NFC North footprint, covering Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, northern Illinois and Iowa, and the Dakotas. Also, the Philadelphia market gets the game, as the Eagles might end up playing the Packers in the Wild Card round next week if certain results break right (namely, the Eagles winning and the Chicago Bears losing on Sunday).
