How the NFL “flexes” its scheduling muscle on Sunday night

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images The NFL kept the Bears-Rams game on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” on Nov. 17, despite the Bears’ poor season. Having the second- and third-largest TV markets in the audience helped.The Turk didn’t come for the Bears in Week 11.

Despite falling to 12th in the NFC playoff standings, the Bears weren’t cut from their “Sunday Night Football” game Nov. 17 against the Rams in Los Angeles. The Turk is the fictional creature that cuts players from NFL teams in training camp, but with the power of the No. 3 TV market behind them, the Bears were spared from its wrath.

Of course, having the second-ranked Los Angeles market helped keep the game from being “flexed” off of NBC,…