The NFL may eliminate the bye in each conference, thus adding two more teams to the playoffs. That will be triggered if a significant number of games are cancelled because of covid and the regular season can’t be completed. If the eighth-place team in each conference would get screwed by that, now it won’t.
But what if the ninth-place team gets screwed?
Cynics might think the NFL is doing that to generate more TV revenue via two extra playoff games. Those cynics might be right.
But here’s how the NFL could have squeezed out more TV money from the beginning of this season. It mimics what Premier League football is doing in England.
The NFL currently uses the following TV slots (all times Eastern):
*Sunday at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8:20 p.m.
*Monday at 8:15 p.m.
*Thursday at 8:20 p.m.
So, create more slots. Use this schedule (all times Eastern):
*Sunday at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. The 10 a.m. game would always be in the Eastern time zone, the 10 p.m. game in the Western time zone.
*Monday at 7:15 p.m. and 10:10 p.m. That’s the schedule for Monday Night Football’s Week 1 doubleheader. Use it every week.
*Thursday at 7:15 p.m. and 10:10 p.m.
You had five TV slots. Now you’ve got nine.
If you want to double-cross high school and college football, play a game Friday night and three games on Saturday. Tuesday games are coming sooner or later.
The NFL still makes tons of cash – just not as much. Owners thought the stands would be more populated by now. When billionaires don’t profit as much as normal, it feels like losing money. This is a good way to help fix it. It makes two more playoff games look like small potatoes.
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