Can Both The Saints And Cowboys Games Make It To TV In Shreveport This Sunday?
Football fans in Shreveport and Bossier City might be getting an early Christmas gift this weekend. Well, at least the fans of two regional teams.
This Sunday, December 21st, marks a rare occasion where the broadcast maps align perfectly with a split market, like Shreveport. Local viewers won't have to choose between their two of the area's favorite teams.
Will the Saints and Cowboys Be on TV in Shreveport?
It really is a Christmas miracle for the Ark-La-Tex...as both the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys are set to air locally. That means for one of the few times this year, the remote is going to be your best friend. According to 506Sports, both games will be available in our area, because they are being carried by different networks.
The New Orleans Saints host the New York Jets at 12:00PM on CBS. At that exact same time, you can find the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Los Angeles Chargers over on FOX. This "head-to-head doubleheader" setup means local fans will get to see both games, but they will have to flip back and forth.
What to Watch For: Tyler Shough and Playoff Stakes
The Saints are already out of the playoff race, but the Cowboys are in 'must win' mode to keep their chances alive.
The biggest story in New Orleans remains rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. Since taking over the starting job, Shough has completely changed the energy of this team. Fans are eager to see if he can keep that momentum going against a tough Jets defense. If they can handle the Jets, they have very winnable games with Tennessee and Atlanta to end the year, which means the Saints could actually end up with a 7-10 record if they win their next 3 games.
While the Saints try to play spoiler, the Cowboys are in a desperate fight for their playoff lives.
The Cowboys' playoff chances took a big hit when there were beaten by the Detroit Lions. Then it was made even worse then they lost, at home, to the Minnesota Vikings. If the Cowboys want to stay in the mix, then need to run the table (and get some help). That means beating the Charges this weekend, the Washington Commanders on Christmas, and beating the New York Giants on the road in the last week of the season.
Who Decides the Local Broadcast Coverage?
Every week the Cowboys or Saints aren't shown locally, someone will ask why we miss games. Which is a fair question, just don't get upset with the local affiliates. Because our local stations don't make these calls.
The NFL and national networks, like FOX and CBS, use complex regional maps to decide which markets see which games. Because one game is on CBS, and the other is on FOX this week, the usual "split market" headache has vanished. We finally get the rare luxury of watching both franchises battle it out at the exact same time.