Week 17 finale between the Saints and Falcons gets flexed to late kickoff

Per a Sunday afternoon announcement by the NFL, the Week 17 finale between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons has been flexed to the late kickoff slot. It’s the fourth straight game in which the Saints play during the late slew of games, and the new start time for the meeting in Atlanta will be 3:25 p.m. CT.

The Saints and Falcons aren’t the only teams playing on different times, as the Giants and Redskins get a late kickoff, and the Dolphins and Patriots could depending on wins from the Steelers and Chiefs during Sunday action. As predicted, the NFL also moved the NFC North division battle between the Packers and Lions to Sunday Night Football on NBC.

The Falcons jumped up to the No. 2 spot in the NFC after claiming the NFC South division title with a Saints win over the Buccaneers on Saturday and a shocking Seahawks meltdown to the Cardinals.