Photo by Tony DeFilippo

With the NFC East division championship at stake, the NFL is moving the ‘Skins regular season finale against the Dallas Cowboys to the Sunday night slot. The game, which will be broadcast on NBC beginning at 8:20 p.m., will determine whether the ‘Skins can win their first division championship since 1999 and first playoff appearance since 2007.

But with the late start comes the guarantee that the game will end close to Metro’s usual Sunday night closing time of midnight. As the ‘Skins did when they hosted the New York Giants on a Monday night earlier this month, the team will again front the money necessary to keep Metro open late.

Metro will stay open an extra hour on Sunday so that fans departing FedEx Field—perhaps in drunken revelry over a playoff appearance just one year after a dreadful 5-11 season—can get home safely.

The final Blue Line trains departing the Morgan Boulevard station will leave at 12:25 a.m. toward Franconia-Springfield and at 1:33 a.m. in the direction of Largo Town Center. Transfers will be available to the Orange Line at Stadium-Armory, to the Green and Yellow lines at L’Enfant Plaza and to the Red Line at Metro Center.

As customary when an event requires Metro to stay open late, the ‘Skins will cover the $29,500 deposit to keep Metro open for an extra hour.