Even before Week 1, not many people thought that the Week 17 game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers would have so much excitement that it would push another big NFL rivalry game to an earlier date.

But that’s exactly what happened. The NFL announced Monday that the showdown between the Vikings and Packers will be moved to the late slot of Sunday’s NFL games. It will be played at 4:30 p.m. ET instead of 1:00 p.m. ET, giving more people the opportunity to watch a battle between two rivals that could impact the upcoming playoffs.

When one game is bent, another game must be bent. The Week 17 game moving to the early window is the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys game. While it’s usually a serviceable matchup between two bitter division rivals that traditionally draws a lot of attention, it’s less of a contest at this point in the season.

The Cowboys have won four of their last five games but have been eliminated from the playoffs. Interest in this game hinges on whether the resurgent Cowboys can beat a struggling Eagles team that not only lost its Week 16 game against the Washington Commanders, but also lost starting quarterback Jalen Hurts early in the game suffered a concussion.

Ultimately, Cowboys-Eagles has little impact on the playoffs, while Vikings-Packers may leave the Vikings vying for the No. 1 seed, and the Packers – if they beat the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football to clinch a playoff spot – I’m fighting for a better position in the playoffs. And if the Packers lose to the Saints at the end of Week 16, they will be fighting for a spot in the playoffs against the Vikings.