How the NFL’s new ‘flex Thursday Night Football’ rule could impact the Giants

Despite a staunch objection from New York Giants co-owner John Mara, the NFL bowed at the knee of Amazon Prime on Monday and voted to allow flexing of late-season Thursday Night Football games.

Mara had previously called the idea of flexing Sunday games to Thursday “abusive” to fans. To appease Amazon, which will stream the Thursday games, the NFL will do it, anyway. Mara told media on Monday that he was “disappointed, but certainly not surprised” by the decision.

Here is how it works:

The resolution will allow the league to flip a Sunday afternoon game into Thursday night and move the originally scheduled game to Sunday afternoon during Weeks 13 through 17. The NFL must file notice no later than 28 days before the game, an increase of nearly two weeks from the earlier proposal. No team will be required to flex to a Thursday night game more than one time, and the maximum number of Thursday night games will remain two per team.

How might this affect the Giants?

• Week 13 — The Giants have their bye, so no possible impact there.
• Week 14 — The Giants face the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. MNF games cannot be flexed to Thursday, so, again, no possible impact.
• Week 15 — The Giants are in a Sunday 1 p.m. slot on the road against the New Orleans Saints. That game could be moved to Thursday night. The game currently scheduled for that slot is Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders.
• Week 16 — That is the Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia Eagles. No impact.
• Week 17 — The Giants are home for a 1 p.m. Sunday game against the Los Angeles Rams. That game would be a possibility for a flex to Thursday. The game currently on the schedule is New York Jets at Cleveland Browns.

The Giants are playing at the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night in Week 3, meaning only one of their remaining games could be flexed to Thursday.