Wednesday NFL games: coming to you this Christmas

[Auggie]

NFL games on Christmas Day remain the gifts that keep on giving for the league, and that will continue in 2024 with two matchups despite the holiday falling on a Wednesday, it was announced.

Matchups for the games, which will include teams that play on the previous Saturday to account for the recovery window, have yet to be determined.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday games "will not be a regular thing" and that the league has not seen an elevation of injuries from playing mid-week games.

MORE: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39813658/sources-nfl-play-christmas-day-wednesday-2024

The reason is a no-brainer if your thing is money: ESPN's Ravens-49ers Christmas night telecast in 2023 had more than 27.2 million viewers, making it the second most-watched "Monday Night Football" game since 1996.

[underpants]

1. The NBA tried to own Christmas but in came the NFL

and the NFL always wins in ratings.

I wonder about the games before and after them. Will teams play Sunday - Wednesday- Monday (at least)? Maybe the same 4 teams play again the Monday after. The article doesn’t say.

After the Ravens won in 2013 they played 4 games in 21 days to open the next season.

[Auggie]

3. "teams that play on the previous Saturday"

Last edited Wed Mar 27, 2024, 07:09 AM - Edit history (1)

Same "recovery window" they allow for Sunday>Thursday night games. But I've always thought that bullshit: give all teams a bye before mid-week games. The NFL is so "concerned" about injuries that they've altered rules up the wazoo, but then they'll schedule games 3 1/2 days within each other.

BYE first, then the Wednesday/Thursday game, then the following weekend game.

Here's an even better idea: how about NO football on Christmas?

[Xavier Breath]

2. I used to hate the way that the professional leagues

particularly football and hockey, ceded that holiday to the NBA. The NHL still treats it like a three-day-weekend, but at least we get some football to watch if we so choose.

Also, I think the way we look at that day has changed quite a bit over my lifetime. I'm sure when I was born in the '60s the populace would have been shocked at professional games being played on what many considered to be a holy day. Secularism works!

[True Dough]

4. So these games will be on ESPN or regular cable?

I'll watch if that's the case. Even if it's on Amazon Prime, we have access because my wife has an Amazon subscription. But any other platform, and I'm out!