NFL issues statement defending ‘strategic’ schedule change for 2026 season
The NFL’s schedule release caused a stir among fans.
The complaint largely centred around the amount of Sunday games that air in the afternoon, which has seen a steady decrease over the years.
The league will air 197 Sunday afternoon games in 2026, down from 198 in 2025 and 211 in 2021, the first year of the expanded 18-week schedule.
The league continues to palm games off to various broadcasting partners and streaming networks, with league commissioner Roger Goodell ‘unhappy’ at the NFL’s current deals.
In 2026, there will be several weekday games during Thanksgiving and Christmas Week.
The season opener, a rematch of Super Bowl LX between the Seahawks and Patriots, will take place on a Wednesday for the first time in history.
NFL executive defends changes to Sunday schedule
NFL fans have mixed views, including Eagles legend Jason Kelce who was highly critical.
Kelce isn’t alone in thinking that Sunday’s should be packed with as many games as possible, but apparently the league doesn’t think that should be the case.
NFL manager of broadcast planning and scheduling analytics, Max St. John, recently spoke on the Sports Media Watch Podcast defending the league’s decision.
“Definitely a concern, it’s something we are always trying to be cognizant of,” St. John said.
“You kind of get to some of those middle weeks where we’re playing an international game, and you have four to six teams on bye, yes, you do sometimes end up with a few less games than we’ve historically seen on Sunday afternoon.
“But that’s where you need to be strategic and deploy a Baltimore-Buffalo game at one o’clock.
“Maybe we have less games at one o’clock that week, but we have a really, really big game that we can point the entire country to.
“So, really trying to be strategic about that.”
The NFL continues to add windows and new broadcasting partners to take games away from their usual FOX or CBS slate.
Rather than fight that trend, the NFL’s answer, for now, is to be more intentional about what goes in the window.
“One o’clock on Sunday is really the lifeblood of the NFL, that’s not something you want to forget about.” St. John concluded.
Often accused of stubbornness in its pursuit of more games and extra international offerings, the league has proved it does sometimes listen to fans.
Starting from the upcoming decision, they are scrapping off Monday Night Football doubleheaders.
However, the amount of Sunday games will be interesting to see over the next few years, particularly as streaming platforms continue to take over the game.
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