INFO » With the Garoppolo-less 49ers due to play in prime

With the Garoppolo-less 49ers due to play in prime time once again in Week 13 Doug Flutie Jersey , the NFL knew that it needed to activate the flex option. The only problem? There were no good flex options.Vikings-Patriots sits in the primary 4:25 p.m. ET slot, a game that presumably had been protected by FOX against a prime-time flexing. Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten previously explained on social media that the Chargers-Steelers game, due to begin at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, had been protected against flexing, too.But no other game merited a national audience in prime time. Ravens-Falcon, Panthers-Bucs, Bears-Giants, Bills-Dolphins, Colts-Jaguars http://www.thechargerslockerroom.com/authentic-trevor-williams-jersey , Browns-Texans, Broncos-Bengals, Rams-Lions, Cardinals-Packers, Chiefs-Raiders, and Jets-Titans were the other choices.Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL worked with CBS to remove the protection and move into prime time a game that would have been available, at best, to 25-30 percent of the county. This meshes with one of the reasons for the creation of flexible scheduling: To allow teams to play their way into prime time Womens Desmond King Jersey , and to allow the NFL to bring the best possible matchups to the broadest audience.It was the right move, without question. Apart from the obvious benefit to NBC and the league via increased ratings for a game between two of the best teams in the NFL, the fans benefit by getting the best available matchups, with Vikings-Patriots also available to a wide swath of the nation in the late afternoon.The Chargers benefit as well. Instead of kicking off at 10:00 a.m, local time, it will be a 5:20 p.m. PT start.And while the Steelers have expressed a preference to have fewer night games at home, the problem last year arose from having a cluster of late-season prime-time games in Pittsburgh. This Chargers game will be the third of the year at night in Pittsburgh, but they will have been spread from Week Four to Week 10 to Week 13.The only other potential night game would come in Week 17, when the Steelers host the Bengals. But that would have to be a game for the AFC North crown Brandon Mebane Jersey , at a minimum, to trigger the flex. For the first time in 15 NFL seasons, Thomas Davis was working out for someone other than the Panthers.But even though he’s with the Chargers now, he’s working out with the same intensity for which he’s become known.Via Ricky Henne of the team’s official website, the 36-year-old Davis was pacing his new teammates through sprints and other workouts yesterday, at the head of the pack when defensive front seven players, offensive linemen and tight ends were doing their conditioning.“I love to compete,” Davis said. “That’s one of the things that’s allowed me to be able to play for this long. I just love to go out and be able to compete, no matter what we’re doing. Whether it’s sprints. Whether it’s during walk-throughs. It’s the competitive side in me http://www.thechargerslockerroom.com/authentic-michael-schofield-jersey , and I think that’s what makes the game fun.”While he might not be the athlete he used to be, Davis still has plenty to offer the Chargers, in addition to the lessons he learned while overcoming three torn ACLs to become a Pro Bowl regular.“Man, that’s a big piece,” Chargers safety Derwin James said. “He’s a vocal leader. A great guy. I can see as I’ve been around him. He’s a good guy to help mentor me especially as a young guy coming in trying to lead. He’s been doing it a long time for 15 years. So he’s a guy that’s willing to help, already I can see (that). It’s good to have people like that added to the locker room. . . .“He’s working hard, and you can tell that he’s a competitor. I can see it in him.”He certainly offers a good example, and might be the kind of addition to push a talented defense.