Few experts expected the 4-1 Washington Commanders to be this electric, including the NFL schedule-makers. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and company were only slated for a pair of prime-time games at the start of the season, but that could soon change after the squad’s hot start.
The NFL uses a “flex-scheduling” policy that allows the league to swap more interesting games into prime time later in the season. Not surprising for a sport that dominates TV ratings every fall.
The process is available to the NFL’s broadcast partners from Week 5 through the end of the season to account for the unpredictable early-season surprises. Last year, the powers that be scheduled the New York Jets for a slew of prime-time games, which led to a series of disappointments after quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in the season opener.
The Commanders are the surprise of the season through five weeks. They entered the season with low expectations, a new coach, a first-time general manager and a rookie quarterback.
Washington, with its league-leading roster turnover, was a team in flux.
But through five weeks, coach Dan Quinn’s dynamic squad has taken the league by storm.
The praise is piling up as the Commanders surged up national power rankings this week.
ESPN ranked Washington as the seventh-best team in the league. NFL.com slotted the Commanders at the No. 6 spot, while NBC’s Pro Football Talk slid the Burgundy and Gold into the top five.
The Commanders’ upcoming Sunday game against the 3-2 Baltimore Ravens will air at 1 p.m. on CBS, but it was an ideal candidate for prime time.
NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” is currently slated to show the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Giants — a matchup of two teams with losing records.
The NFL and NBC were interested in shifting the Beltway battle to the 8 p.m. slot, but CBS blocked the move, according to a report from the Baltimore Sun.
CBS and Fox, the networks that air the NFL’s Sunday afternoon slate, can shield one game each week from being flexed into prime time. The Commanders-Ravens tilt is expected to air on 75% of CBS affiliates nationwide.
Washington has an already-scheduled Thursday night Nov. 14 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but look for more prime-time appearances in the Commanders’ future.
The NFL’s flexible scheduling procedures have been in place since 2006, though it rarely impacted the struggling Commanders/Washington Football Team/Redskins.
That could change this season.
From Week 5 through Week 10, the NFL can swap two Sunday afternoon games into the 8 p.m. time slot. The league can flex as many games as they’d like into Sunday Night Football in the final eight weeks of the regular season.
A few Commanders’ games immediately jump out as potential flex candidates. Washington hosts the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 24 in a rivalry game that will see Quinn take on his former team. NBC would have to bump a game between the 2-2 Eagles and the 1-4 Los Angeles Rams that day.
A Dec. 29 game against the Atlanta Falcons, another potential “revenge game” for Quinn, also leaps off the page as a prime-time candidate. That week’s Sunday night game features a pair of underachieving squads: the 2-3 Miami Dolphins and the 1-4 Cleveland Browns.
Washington could also end the regular season in prime time with their rematch against the Cowboys on Jan. 5. The NFL leaves the schedule intentionally vague for Week 18 to ensure games with the most playoff impact appear on national television.
Any changes to the Sunday night schedule must be announced 12 days in advance through Week 13, but fans will only have a six-day heads-up for changes in the final five weeks of the season.
The on-field success hasn’t just opened up prime-time possibilities for the Commanders — it’s made them kings of the merchandise market. Last week, NFL partner Fanatics announced that Jayden Daniels boasted the best-selling jersey in the league.
It’s easy to see why fans will drop $120 on the rookie’s jersey — the LSU product has had an unparalleled start to his NFL career. He leads the league in completion percentage and became the first player in league history to post 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards through his first five games.
Fans, many sporting Daniels’ No.5 jersey, have returned to Commanders home games in droves this season. The Commanders, the NFL team with the lowest attendance last season, opened their home schedule with a sellout in Week 2 and followed with a near-capacity crown in Week 5.
According to SeatGeek, ticket prices for Commanders games have jumped from last season’s $270 on average to $321 this year.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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