NFL Scheduling Ideas We'd Love to See

Following the Hall of Fame game last week, the 2022 NFL preseason officially kicked off on Thursday night with a double-header of exhibition action, and more games are on the way Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A four-day football week is something fans don't typically get to enjoy during the regular season, but that could soon change. According to John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, the NFL has plans for a game on Black Friday, "most likely" starting in 2023.

ProFootballTalk's Peter King reported in April that a Black Friday game would likely happen next year and noted that "owners gave the NFL permission to schedule two more teams for a second short-week game."

It's highly unlikely a Black Friday game will be a one-off. As last year's expansion to an 18-week schedule proved, the league wants its product in front of viewers more, not less. However, regular Friday games are unlikely. As King noted:

"The NFL is forbidden from doing a night game on a Friday or Saturday before the second Saturday in December, to protect the audiences at high-school playoff games and college football games till mid-December."

This doesn't mean that the league won't find ways to create more game windows in the near future. Here, we'll examine some intriguing scheduling ideas that just might work.

Tuesday Night Games

Washington and Philadelphia faced off on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 (John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 21: Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata (68) during the National Football League game between the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While the league can't play Friday or Saturday night games until late December, no such restrictions apply to Tuesday nights.

While the logistics of another short-week game each week would more effort on the part of the schedule-makers, Tuesday games could work. We've seen it. Over the past two years, we've seen multiple games pushed to Tuesday night because of COVID-19.

While recent Tuesday night games were created out of necessity, regularly scheduled games could be great for both the league and for fans.

As we'll discuss several times throughout this article, adding an extra game window would have a two-pronged effect. For the NFL, it would deliver an extra television audience and opportunities for more advertising revenue. For fans, a Tuesday Night Football slate would mean another nationally televised game and more opportunities to catch their favorite teams.

More windows would also mean fewer games broadcast simultaneously, which could be big for out-of-market fans. In Week 2 of the 2022 season, for example, seven games will be played in the early afternoon Sunday window, with five being played in the late afternoon—that translates to a lot of games fans can't watch live.

Regular Monday Night Doubleheaders

Josh Allen and the Bills will be part of a MNF double-header in Week 2. (Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 05: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills throws to fans during practice on August 05, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)

We made a point to examine Week 2 when discussing the crowded Sunday afternoon window because Week 2 will feature an extra window. The Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles will all be in action as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader.

The first game will kick off at 7:15 p.m. ET, with the second commencing at 8:30 p.m. ET. Naturally, fans won't be able to watch both live in their entirety, but flipping between two games is a lot easier than trying to sift through seven or eight.

Monday night doubleheaders are nothing new, and fans will see more of them.

"They should also get used to it," Albert Breer of SI.com wrote in May. "It will be the only occurrence of it this year, but starting next year, we'll see it three times every year."

As Breer pointed out, this year's Week 2 slate isn't a true doubleheader. The second game will kick off around halftime of the first. That won't sit well with every fan, and it may be why the league is only willing to dip its toes in the proverbial waters with three such occurrences—for now.

However, the league has little reason to stop at three doubleheaders per year. This could become a weekly or biweekly occurrence—even once per month—while still putting more games in the spotlight each season.

Frequent Monday night doubleheaders could also work in conjunction with Tuesday games to further spread out the slate and expand regional action on Sunday afternoons.

Again, more short-week games could be problematic, but adding a second bye week to the season could make things easier on the teams and players involved.

A 19-Week Season (Now with More Byes!)

The Raiders and Chargers played an instant classic to cap the 2021 season (Chris Unger/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 09: Quarterback Marcus Mariota #8 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half of a game at Allegiant Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders defeated the Chargers 35-32 in overtime. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

When the NFL expanded to a 17-game, 18-week season in 2021, the catalyst was obvious. An extra week of NFL games means more revenue for the league, the teams and the players.

However, many fans were likely concerned that an extra game would water down the product and lead to a lot of meaningless late-season snoozers. The more games there are, after all, the less impactful each becomes. (How thrilling is a midseason MLB game, really?)

That's not how things played out, however. The Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints were all eliminated in Week 18. The Chargers and Raiders played a season-capping classic that ended in overtime—and nearly in a tie.

"Week 18 was a damn treat," The Ringer's Rodger Sherman wrote.

An expansion to 18 games feels inevitable, though it would in no way benefit efforts for player safety. The NFL is a violent, physical game, and more contests means more exposure to injury and long-term health consequences.

However, the NFL could expand its season to 19 weeks without extra games by giving each team two bye weeks. This would provide an additional rest period for players and help facilitate any extra short-week games while shrinking the volume of Sunday afternoon games.

Additionally, it would still give the NFL what it ultimately wants—another week of ad-related income.

A Super Sunday Slate

What if Sunday Night Football capped an even bigger day of football? (Norm Hall/Getty Images)

GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 11: Sunday Night Football Commentators Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Bob Costas report prior to the NFL game between the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

The NFL could conceivably expand its Sunday slate as well. In fact, it has regularly done so in recent years.

Think what you will about the quality of the NFL's international series, but games played on European soil have allowed the league to host Sundays with four game windows. This year's international series kicks off in Week 4 with the Vikings and Saints playing on Sunday morning.

Games will be played at 9:30 a.m. ET, 1 p.m. ET, 4:05 and 4:35 p.m. ET and 8:30 p.m. ET.

While 9:30 a.m. ET may be too early for many fans (that's 6:30 a.m. on the West Coast), the league could made a morning slate work.

Fans typically experience a break in the action between the late-afternoon games and Sunday Night Football. The league could capitalize on that cushion.

Hypothetically, the NFL could have four Sunday windows spaced about three hours apart starting at 11 a.m. ET without cutting too heavily into NBC's Sunday Night Football pre-show.

Yes, this would still be less than ideal for West Coast fans, but with five games on the 2022 international slate—four on Sunday morning—it's something they should be accustomed to at this point.

Having one or two games every Sunday morning instead of hours of pregame programming would lead to bigger advertising dollars and a broader reach for each contest.

Expanding the International Series into Non-NFL Cities

The NFL already plays games at neutral sites like Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars holds off Justin Coleman of the Miami Dolphins during the NFL match between the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 17, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The NFL is already open to the idea of playing games at neutral sites. The league could further expand on this concept by hosting games in non-NFL American cities.

By holding neutral-site games in cities like Oklahoma City, Austin, Portland and St. Louis—cities that could eventually be ripe for expansion—the league could create a 16-game slate that helps balance out the current 17-game format.

The challenge would be convincing owners to give up an additional home game every other year, though revenue-sharing would help in that regard. Instead of half of the league getting nine home games and the other half getting eight each season, teams could play an 8-8 schedule with one neutral-site game every season—either in the U.S. or abroad.

This wouldn't add another television window. However, it could create a novelty that draws eyeballs to specific matchups and scenes. It would also help the NFL expand its overall audience, which was the stated goal when expanding to 17 games in the first place.

"One of the benefits of each team playing 17 regular-season games is the ability for us to continue to grow our game around the world," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

The league is always seeking ways to grow its fanbase. Playing games in England, Germany and Mexico will help do that. Playing games in cities that don't reside in an NFL market could do the same.

An Annual Christmas Slate

The Browns and Packers played on Christmas in 2021. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 25: Davante Adams #17 of the Green Bay Packers makes a catch for a touchdown while being guarded by M.J. Stewart Jr. #36 of the Cleveland Browns in the second quarter at Lambeau Field on December 25, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Here's another idea the NFL could implement to expand both its overall audience and its broadcast opportunities. The league could make Christmas day games an annual occurrence.

Last year, the NFL played two standalone games on Christmas—the Cleveland Browns took on the Green Bay Packers, while the Colts faced the Arizona Cardinals. This year, three games will be played on Christmas, which falls on a Sunday.

What if the NFL regularly played two or three games on Christmas, regardless of the day of the week? This would work similarly to the NBA's annual Christmas slate. Having a neutral-site game on Christmas—perhaps at the same venue annually—could also mirror the special-game feel of the NHL's Winter Classic.

December 25 comes late enough in the year that the league wouldn't be prevented from hosting prime-time games on Friday or Saturday. It's also a day during which many fans will be at home and near the television, even if it's a Tuesday or Wednesday.

For those able to watch, the big-game feel of a Christmas contest could be a huge draw.

"It's always exciting and an honor to be able to play on Christmas," NBA star LeBron James told reporters in December.

This wouldn't work too differently than the league's current slate of Thanksgiving games (though that always falls on a Thursday). What began as an annual tradition for the Cowboys and Detroit Lions now includes three games every year.

A Christmas schedule would serve as another appointment-viewing event for a league that has created them out of the draft, the scouting combine and even the schedule release. In many ways, it's surprising that we haven't seen an annual Christmas schedule sooner.