You know that feeling when you sit down with a cold drink, ready for kickoff, only to realize your TV is showing a game between two teams you couldn't care less about? It happens every year. For nfl coverage map week 7 2024, the broadcast layout was particularly chaotic because of a massive Super Bowl rematch and a weird Monday night doubleheader.
Honestly, Week 7 in 2024 was one of those weeks where the "A-teams" from CBS and FOX were scattered all over the place. If you weren't tracking the maps, you probably missed the fact that Tom Brady was calling a game that basically the entire country got to see, while other massive divisional rivalries were tucked away into tiny regional pockets.
The Big Rematch: Why FOX Went National
The biggest story of the nfl coverage map week 7 2024 was the Sunday afternoon late window. Usually, FOX and CBS split the country, but for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers game, FOX basically said, "Everyone is watching this."
It was a Super Bowl LVIII rematch. Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady were on the call. Because this was a standalone "America's Game of the Week," almost 100% of the country saw Patrick Mahomes take on Brock Purdy. If you lived anywhere other than a specific local market with a conflicting home game, your FOX station was locked into Santa Clara.
CBS Singleheader: The Texans-Packers Shuffle
CBS had it a bit tougher. They only had a singleheader in Week 7, which means they had to cram all their games—both early and late—into one time slot per market.
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo headed to Lambeau Field for the Houston Texans vs. Green Bay Packers game. This was the "Red" game on most maps. If you lived in the Midwest or parts of Texas, this is what you saw at 1 p.m. ET. But if you were in the Northeast? You were stuck with the Buffalo Bills hosting the Tennessee Titans, featuring Andrew Catalon and Tiki Barber.
CBS Late Window (4:05 PM ET)
Since it was a singleheader, if your local team played late, you didn't get an early game on CBS.
- Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders: Ian Eagle and Charles Davis handled this one. It mostly stayed in the D.C. and Charlotte markets.
- Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams: This was the Kevin Harlan special. Mostly West Coast and Nevada viewers got this one.
The Early FOX Chaos: Lions vs. Vikings
While the late window for FOX was simple (everyone got the Chiefs), the 1 p.m. window was a mess of colors. The Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings was the marquee matchup here. Adam Amin and Greg Olsen were on the call for what turned out to be a classic NFC North battle.
Most of the North and parts of the South got this game. However, the Northeast was focused on the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the New York Giants. That game had Chris Myers and Mark Sanchez. It’s always funny how the maps prioritize those I-95 corridor rivalries over objectively "better" games happening elsewhere.
The Monday Night Doubleheader Glitch
Wait, remember how Monday night worked? It wasn't just one game. We had the Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on ESPN and ABC at 8:15 p.m. ET. But then, at 9:00 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Chargers played the Arizona Cardinals.
The kicker? That Chargers-Cardinals game was an ESPN+ exclusive. If you were looking for it on your local cable guide, you probably felt like you were going crazy. Unless you were in the local LA or Phoenix markets, you had to stream it.
How the Announcers Were Distributed
The quality of the broadcast often depends on the "tier" of the announcing crew. In Week 7, the distribution looked like this:
FOX Lead Crew: Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady (Chiefs at 49ers). This is the gold standard for the network.
CBS Lead Crew: Jim Nantz and Tony Romo (Texans at Packers). They always get the game with the highest playoff implications.
The "Quirky" Pairings: We saw Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta out in Cleveland for the Bengals game. It’s a solid crew, but definitely a different vibe than the Nantz/Romo energy.
Practical Steps for Following Future Maps
If you're tired of being surprised by what's on your local affiliate, you've got to use the right tools. Most of the data for these maps comes from 506 Sports. They usually drop the preliminary maps on Wednesday mornings.
- Check 506 Sports on Wednesdays: This is when the first "draft" of the map comes out.
- Watch for Saturday Tweak: Sometimes the NFL or the networks will "flip" a market if a game suddenly becomes more interesting or a star player gets injured.
- Get a VPN or Sunday Ticket: If you're an out-of-market fan, the coverage map is basically your enemy. YouTube TV's NFL Sunday Ticket is the only legal way to bypass these maps entirely.
The nfl coverage map week 7 2024 proved that even in a week with a "national" game like Chiefs-49ers, the early windows are a total gamble based on where you live. Always check your local listings by Thursday to make sure you aren't stuck watching a blowout when a divisional thriller is happening three states over.
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To stay ahead for next week, go to your local station's website (the FOX or CBS affiliate) and look for their "Sports" or "Programming" section; they often post a confirmation of which game they’ve been assigned by Thursday afternoon.