NFL to Announce Big Increase in Sunday Afternoon Games
By Jared Kish
Big news came out of the NFL Spring Meetings today, as there will be a revamp in how football fans watch their Sunday afternoon games.
To mark their 100th season, the league is making key changes for the Sunday games during the regular season and for the playoffs. Foremost among them? No more afternoons with just two games to watch on broadcast TV.
News from SBJ's new NFL reporter @BenFischerSBJ:
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) May 22, 2019
* NFL dropped the single-header rule, meaning all markets will get at least 3 Sunday afternoon games.
* NFL will move Sunday divisional playoff games to 3pm and 6:30pm ET start times, instead of the old 1 and 4 slots.
This means all media markets will at least get to watch three games on a Sunday between FOX and CBS. In some cases, certain markets were only able to watch one game at 1 p.m. and another at 4.
Come playoff time, the first Sunday game will start at 3 p.m. and the second will begin at 6:30. Previously, games were slated for 1 and 4.
Some changes: NFL’s Brian Rolapp announces that the kickoff times for Divisional Playoff Weekend will change to 3 pm ET and 6:30 pm ET — same as the conference championship games. In addition, the single-header rule is eliminated. So all markets get 3 games every Sunday.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 22, 2019
By changing the kickoff times for the NFL postseason, it gives the league more scheduling flexibility for west coast teams. Instead of having them start at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. locally, they can now be scheduled in the early slot. Football before noon is not ideal for a variety of reasons.
The single header thing is one of the most common complaints I’ve heard in social settings after I tell them what I do for work, so this should be a crowd pleaser.
— Ben Fischer (@BenFischerSBJ) May 22, 2019
Overall, these changes will work in the NFL's favor. The Sunday singe-header limitation was one of the most common complaints among fans, and by adding a guaranteed third game to all markets, there's not just more football, but more choice.