With the Cowboys-Packers game now behind us, the backlash continues from columnists, bloggers and sports reporters blasting the NFL network. At the center of the controversy is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who in recent days has placed most of the blame squarely on Big Cable. Mega providers Comcast and Time Warner for their part have certainly taken their shots back at the NFL network and Jones, sending a cease and desist letter to the league, and its main mouthpiece, Jerry Jones.

Jones for his part isn’t shutting up, advising consumers to consider the satellite TV alternatives, Dish Network and DirecTV. While it’s hard to have sympathy for a group of millionaire owners fighting with cable companies that rake in billions annually, Jerry Jones and the NFL certainly have the right to market and distribute their product as they see fit. Let’s look at five reasons why the NFL Network holds a strong bargaining position and why they will ultimately win out in this battle.

1. Content is King: The NFL continues to rule the sports landscape. It consistently draws the best ratings, and has the most passionate fan base. Ratings for Major League Baseball and the NBA continue to lag far behind the NFL. CBS drew a 22.5 large-market Nielsen rating for the Indianapolis Colts-New England Patriots game on November 4th, which was the highest rating for a regular-season Sunday afternoon NFL game since 1986. That is an amazing fact with all of the alternative content available across cable and satellite networks. With a high demand product like this, NFL owners have little motivation to sell out at a low price to cable providers.

2. The Free Market: While some complain about cable monopolies, the free market has given the NFL network some leverage that would not have been possible in the past. Satellite TV options including DirecTV and Dish Network allow most consumers a choice in the pay television industry. The NFL Network reached early agreements with both satellite TV companies, and now can continue to pound on Comcast and Time Warner by encouraging customers to consider the alternatives.

3. Scheduling: While a quick look at the NFL Network’s slate of games this year doesn’t look great, two huge games have fallen into the lap of the NFL owners. As mentioned previously, this weeks NFC tilt featured two 10-1 teams, Dallas and Green Bay. With the Cowboys back in force this year, Jerry Jones won the propaganda jackpot, as he can continue to blame the cable companies for keeping his Cowboys and his network off the airwaves. A second potential jackpot for the NFL Network is the December 29th game between New England and the New York Giants. Should New England keep winning, Comcast and Time Warner may be forced to buckle, or else miss out on televising a potential perfect season.