League scores by putting Pats-Giants on national TV

Randy Moss and the Patriots should draw record ratings when Saturday's NFL Network broadcast is simulcasted on NBC and CBS. Bob Rosato/SI

For a league that has always prided itself first and foremost on knowing how to make the savvy public relations move, the NFL's decision to allow both NBC and CBS to simulcast the NFL Network's broadcast of the New England-New York game was a master stroke.

By giving ground in its two-year-old battle with two of the biggest cable TV companies, the NFL got to play the role of the good guy, swooping in at the last minute to save the day and bestow a historic gift that the football fans of America thought they would be denied.

Most fans will forget that the league waited about as long as it could before giving up the NFL Network's exclusivity with the game. What will linger is a gesture designed to create goodwill for the league and its still-fledgling network.

Every will benefit from the league's novel solution, with the game airing on three networks, piquing fan interest and creating even more buzz than the game already was generating. Give them something new, and some viewers will tune in just to see what all the fuss is about.

If the Patriots wrap up the league's first 16-0 season Saturday night in Giants Stadium, they won't be the only ones ending 2007 on a note of perfection. The NFL took a defeat and played it into a victory -- both in the short term and the future.

• Week 17 produces some weird situations every year, and this season is no different. Both the Redskins and Titans seem to be in great shape to nail down the sixth and final playoff berth in their conferences, because they're playing the Colts and Cowboys, two playoff qualifiers who have locked up their postseason seedings and will be resting key starters.

But after looking at recent history, I wouldn't be too comfortable if I were a Washington or a Tennessee fan. Remember 2004, when all red-hot Buffalo had to do was beat visiting Pittsburgh in Week 17 to secure a playoff berth? The Bills were 9-6 and had won six in a row. The Steelers had already secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and started backup quarterback Tommy Maddox in place of the banged up Ben Roethlisberger (ribs).

No matter. The Bills' sure thing evaporated in a 29-24 loss, and they missed the playoffs.

Last year gave us another example of how treacherous Week 17 can be for playoff contenders playing against teams with nothing to play for. All Denver (9-6) needed to do was beat visiting San Francisco (6-9) to make the AFC playoff field. You'll recall that the 49ers prevailed 26-23 in overtime, ending the Broncos' playoff dreams.

The Cowboys at Redskins game seems to me to be particularly ripe for a surprise on Sunday. That rivalry is full of examples of the inferior team winning a huge game, upsetting the favorite at the worse possible time. Even with the Cowboys resting some key starters and maybe playing quarterback Tony Romo little, Dallas is a dangerous opponent for a Redskins team that must win.

I'm not a gambler, but I've got a hunch that form will hold and one of the two teams that has nothing to play for -- Indianapolis or Dallas -- is going to pull the upset and ruin somebody's season.

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