The showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 will be viewed by a larger television audience. On Monday, the NFL flexed the important NFC North battle from noon to 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 29.
Packers-Vikings will be “America’s Game of the Week” on FOX for Week 17, meaning Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady will be on the call from the booth at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The game was originally scheduled for noon. Given the playoff implications, the NFL moved it into the top FOX billing and sent the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys from 3:25 p.m. CT to noon.
A nationwide audience can be expected. There is only one conflicting game during the late afternoon timeslot on Sunday, and it’s a CBS game between the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns with a 3:05 p.m. kickoff.
The Vikings are 13-2 and have already clinched a playoff berth. The Packers are 10-4 going into Monday night and can clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Saints. While the Packers are eliminated from contention in the NFC North, the winner next Sunday may end up being the No. 5 seed in NFC playoffs. The Vikings are still in the hunt for the division title.
Last year, the Packers beat the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on New Year’s Eve. Minnesota won in Green Bay in Week 4, 31-29.
