Has the NFL gone too far with midweek games?

When the 2024 NFL schedule initially came out, one of the quirkiest aspects called from it was the doubleheader to be played on Christmas Day, which fell on a Wednesday this year. The NFL has not been bashful about expanding its influence, but have they pushed the envelope too much with their latest bold move?

The NFL has spoken about their concern with player safety over and over in the last decade plus, and has changed a plethora of rules to that end. The league has tried to make a violent sport slightly less punishing, but also doesn’t seem to comprehend or care that a lack of recovery time between games is just as dangerous.

The Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens all had just three days to recover from a brutal Saturday to Wednesday consecutive game stretch. Robert Zeglinski of USA Today was dumbfounded by the NFL’s decision to green light this arrangement. He wrote that it “boggles the mind.”

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was not worried about the short turnaround. He told Pro Football Network, “But the time period between games has been done before. We have not seen any elevation of injuries. We have had a major focus on Thursday night when you first put that, and we’ve still not seen any kind of elevation of the figures. I think we’ve got this down.”

Like Zeglinski, A to Z Sports’ Evan Winter doesn’t believe this was a good decision by the NFL. Winter wrote, “This is extremely forced and honestly, pretty unnecessary... This doesn’t even include the fact that Christmas is right in the middle of the playoff race—adding something like this, at that time, only ramps up the pressure. And not in a good way.”

Goodell told Pro Football Network, “It will not be a regular thing. It will be when Christmas falls on a Wednesday.” With that said, many are worried that the NFL will decide to schedule more games like this after the ratings for the games come out. The league has always done well in this department.

Actually, the NFL said in December 2023 that they wouldn’t be playing games on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. NFL executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder confirmed this to The Wall Street Journal. They appeared to change their mind when Netflix backed up the Brinks truck with cash.

Forbes reported that Netflix paid the NFL $150 million to broadcast the Christmas doubleheader. From a dollars and cents standpoint, it was a bit of a no-brainer for the league. From a dollars and sense standpoint, people are not as sure.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan told NBC Connecticut, “We’re going to be the new 7-Eleven. NFL, 24 hours, you can watch them play any given day.”

Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton told NBC Connecticut, “I’m sure 10 years from now, that might be the norm,” referring to games played each and every day of the week.

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With all of that said, every decision the NFL has made to expand the brand seems to have worked. Fans will do whatever it takes to get the content they crave, whether it’s signing up for a streaming service they didn’t already have, or travel to foreign countries to watch their favorite teams play.

The four teams playing the Saturday-Wednesday games are all in the same predicament. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin were actually preparing for their Christmas Day opponent the morning of the Saturday game, when they were squaring off against a different team.

Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Will Hernandez told NBC Connecticut in response to this scenario, “I just go back to this: We all signed for it. We know what it is. Let’s just go.”

Once the four teams get through the holiday crunch, they will have extra rest to prepare for their final regular season game in Week 18. That could be one silver lining they extract from this situation.

The New York Times’ Richard Deitsch wrote in December 2023, “Once upon a time, the NBA owned Christmas Day viewership, but the NFL, the Great White shark of content, has swallowed up viewership.” The NBA played five games on Christmas Day, but now has to share the spotlight.

Are you turned off by the NFL’s decision to play on a Wednesday? Do you love the fact that the league is spreading out their schedule throughout the week? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

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