I'm starting to think there isn't much to say on these, but maybe we'll find a rabbit to chase around somewhere. To the maps for the first time in three weeks!
The incredible people at 506 Sports make an NFL TV coverage map every week. I enjoy the minutiae of sports more than actual sports in most cases, and I love geography, so this one of my favorite sports-related things to look at. I've been sharing with a group chat and adding some of own highlights and analysis. The length of this endeavor has now exceeded the socially acceptable limit for a post in a group chat, so it's going to live here for as long as I remember to write it.
This week's map post can be found here: 506 Sports Week 13 Coverage Map
CBS Single
Denver at Houston is the sort of national game, with the great Ian Eagle on the call. He's one of the best, and pretty underrated, I think. No Bills this week, so upstate New York gets that one too, along with souther SEC country. The splitting of Georgia is interesting to me, with the southern part getting Broncos/Texans up against the Falcons and the northern area only getting Falcons in the early slate. Is it not all Falcons country?
The AFC North cities all get the forever ago Super Bowl rematch of Arizona at Pittsburgh, as well as the most (but not all!) of the state of Arizona. The Cardinals don't have much pull at all these days, it seems. The Kurt Warner/Larry Fitzgerald/Anquan Boldin Cardinals teams were fun.
I just looked Warner's stats and saw he won NFL MVP in 2033 while throwing 22 interceptions, which is absolutely bonkers to me. The last time anyone threw more than that was Jameis Winston's 30 in 2019, in a season where he also led the league in passing yards. He, uh, was not MVP and has started 10 total games since then. Before Winston, the last QB with 22 picks in one season was rookie 2017 DeShone Kizer, who I forgot existed until 4 minutes ago. He started 15 games for the Browns, went 0-15, appeared in three games for the Packers in 2018 and that's it. Don't worry too much about him; he started an NFT company.
Speaking of interceptions, the Colts/Titans I-65 showdown is viewable in all the places you'd expect, including Louisville, South Bend, and, of course, Springfield, Illinois.
Same for Chargers at Patriots. It very much it what it is, and what it is is a west coast team playing an early game in cold weather. You know what to do with your extra cash.
My Florida correspondents tell me the Carolina at Tampa Bay game was flexed into the late slot to hide it from national audiences, which is both sad and hilarious. It's especially sad for regional Tampa residents, who won't even be allowed to watch Niners at Eagles, one of the marquee matchups of the season so far. This game will also be seen in the other NFC south cities and any NFC city that has a home team playing in the early slot.
FOX Early
This slate is a stinker. I'm told the Lions are good now (even by DVOA!) but it's so hard to believe. I'm hoping they actually are and win their first Super Bowl this year, so we can start calling the Stafford-Goff trade the most win-win trade in the history of sports.
Miami at Washington: just watch the Mike McDaniel soundbites later. This one has surprising reached all the way to Kansas City, with the Chiefs on bye and Miami the non-Jets AFC team on Fox today. It's also in Central Alabama (Roll Tua!) and New England and upstate New York (shrug).
Bill Simmons used to write about his favorite "NBA Pass Teams," which were fun teams that he didn't typically follow but would try to watch on League Pass when he could. Falcons at Jets is the opposite of that, despite one of these teams being a division leader (with a losing record).
FOX Late
You know what it is. We're all here for San Fran at Philly. Watch this one for some gridiron football that goes back to the rugbyish days of the sport (sometimes literally!). The jury is still out on me for Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen, but they're certainly getting the reps.
BUT the true sickos are firing up Sunday Ticket to watch Joe Flacco (who was playing his backyard last Sunday) go to sunny LA and start for the Browns against the Rams. The newest Cleveland team (twice newest, actually) visits the original Cleveland team (who moved to LA the first time in 1945) in a showdown between the teams with the most opposite stadiums in the league.
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