Bizarre reason Bengals-Cowboys Monday Night Football clash cannot be flexed out for a better game

The Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys cannot be flexed out of their Monday Night Football matchup scheduled for December 9 due to the television show 'The Simpsons'.

The wildly popular animated television show that has run on FOX since 1989 has already submitted drawings, voiceovers, and other work for an alt-cast that will air alongside the game.

That means football fans are locked in to hearing Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge, and more describing the gridiron action.

Late in the NFL season, the league typically decides to place games with higher stakes in the valuable nationally televised slots without any competition.

Picking Bengals-Cowboys before the season was a safe bet from league organizers, but not now.

The game may feature two teams out of their respective playoff races in three weeks, per BengalsTalk.com.

The Cowboys enter Monday night's in-state game against the Houston Texans on a four-game losing streak at 3-6.

Arguably the team's best player, Dak Prescott, is out for the season, as things look bleak for Jerry Jones' squad.

The Bengals are 4-7 and do not play again until December with their bye week up next.

Both Cincinnati and Dallas are two of the NFL's most disappointing teams, as both were expected to easily make the postseason.

Matchups such as Bills-Rams, Seahawks-Cardinals, and Falcons-Vikings would be great choices to replace Cowboys-Bengals if it was not for The Simpsons.