Jerry Jones Downplays Cowboys Being Flexed Out of Week 15 SNF for Browns Game

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones downplayed the NFL's decision to flex his team out of a Sunday night game against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15. 

During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan (h/t The Athletic's Jon Machota), Jones talked about how the Cowboys can help the early-game ratings. 

“Some of the biggest ratings we've ever had have been on Sunday afternoon," he said. "That's not a bad strategy to put the Cowboys in a potentially lesser slot and have more eyeballs watch the NFL.”

The NFL announced on Thursday that the 49ers-Cowboys game on Dec. 20 had been moved to 1 p.m. ET on CBS, with the Cleveland Browns-New York Giants matchup taking the NBC primetime slot at 8:15 p.m. ET. 

On a practical level, the switch makes sense because the Browns and Giants game figures to have playoff implications for both teams. The Browns are tied with the Buffalo Bills for the third-best record in the AFC, but they own the No. 4 seed because the Pittsburgh Steelers are ahead of them in the AFC North. 

Despite their 5-7 record, the Giants have won four straight games with a marquee win over the Seattle Seahawks last week. They are tied with the Washington Football Team for the NFC East lead.

The 49ers and Cowboys, at one point, were the biggest rivalry in the NFL. Their six meetings in the NFC Championship Game is the most common matchup in the history of that game. 

Neither team figures to be much of a factor in the playoff race down the stretch. The 49ers and Cowboys are in last place in their respective divisions with a combined 8-16 record.