A Sunday Ticket glitch continues to leave some fans locked out of the early minutes of certain late-afternoon NFL games, and the problem showed up again on Sunday.
The issue crops up when “bonus coverage” of an early game runs into the 4:25 p.m. ET window.
If a viewer is not in either local market for the two teams playing the later game, that fan can’t see the opening stretch on the local Fox or CBS affiliate because the broadcast hasn’t fully shifted over yet. At the same time, Sunday Ticket also blacks out the game, since it is still slated to appear on local television eventually.
On Sunday, that meant viewers outside Seattle or San Francisco - and those getting Lions-Cardinals as their 4:25 p.m. ET game - couldn’t watch 49ers-Seahawks until bonus coverage of the 70-minute Giants-Commanders game ended. The broadcast finally reached Fox affiliates showing the game with 4:47 left in the first quarter.
A similar delay kept fans outside Detroit or Phoenix from seeing the early part of Lions-Cardinals.
The setup is hard to defend. Sunday Ticket is sold as a premium way to watch every snap, yet customers can be shut out of the start of a game that is not even on their local Fox or CBS station yet.
The odd part is that the blackout works in reverse elsewhere. In Detroit and Phoenix, and in any other market carrying Lions-Cardinals as the 4:25 p.m.
ET Fox game, Sunday Ticket viewers were able to watch all of 49ers-Seahawks. In most markets where 49ers-Seahawks was “America’s Game of the Week,” the full Lions-Cardinals game was available on Sunday Ticket.
The fix ought to be straightforward: late-afternoon games that might be interrupted by an overlong early game should remain available on Sunday Ticket until they actually appear on the local Fox or CBS feed. With a simple system in place, the blackout could be lifted once bonus coverage ends.
For the NFL, Sunday Ticket may not be the biggest legal battle on the board, given the antitrust concerns surrounding its pricing and purchase requirements. But the league is still creating a very specific headache for fans who pay about $400 for the promise of seeing every game and then miss a chunk of one of the weekend’s biggest matchups.
In Other News...
Leonard Williams Changes The Feel Of Seahawks Niners Week 5
Leonard Williams is trending the right way at just the right time for Seattle. After dealing with an ankle injury, the veteran defensive lineman was back to full practice participation and is expected to start in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers, giving the Seahawks a needed boost up front as they head into one of their most familiar division matchups.
The injury report, though, still has plenty of moving parts on both sides. Seattle is set to be without running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price, cornerback Julian Neal and linebacker Chazz Surratt, while San Francisco will be missing edge rusher Nick Bosa and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Williams return changes the look of the game for Seattle, but it also adds another layer to a meeting already shaped by absences. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Niners Clash Took An Ugly Turn Fans Need To See
The Seahawks-49ers rivalry got heated in a hurry when San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected after a sideline altercation with Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. The flashpoint came after a personal foul penalty for a late hit on Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold, turning a physical game into something even uglier in front of a crowd that was already locked into every hard hit and extra shove.
Greenlaws latest outburst adds another chapter to a profile that has already drawn attention for moments like his profanity-laced confrontation with Broncos head coach Sean Payton after a previous game. For Seattle, the immediate concern is less about the aftermath and more about the kind of edge this matchup keeps producing, because when emotions spill over this quickly, the next snap can feel like it matters even more. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Fans Are Still Arguing Over The Call That Ended It
A tense Week 5 loss to the 49ers is still hanging over Seattle, and for good reason. The Seahawks pushed San Francisco to the edge before falling 32-29, with the game turning on a controversial fourth-and-10 ruling late in the fourth quarter after officials judged Cooper Kupp short of the first-down marker when he went out of bounds.
The call was upheld on review, wiping out Seattles comeback push and helping the 49ers stay unbeaten through their first five games. Even after the final whistle, the sequence has kept Seahawks fans arguing over what they saw and what the officials decided, a frustrating finish in a game that felt very much within reach. [Read more 🡒]