Initial NFL Schedule thoughts
The final NFL tentpole event, the schedule release, came and went.
It is crazy to think about how much fanfare and publicity this got, because every team knew their opponents months ago. The only thing decided was the order, dates and times those matchups happened.
This is the NFL, however. Americans consume anything NFL related and consume they did.
So, now that all of the vitals are out for the upcoming season, what can the fandom take from the schedule?
Here are a few morsels to chew on.
1.) Atlanta Falcons prime time games
This was not something I had on my 2025 NFL Schedule BINGO card.
The Falcons are scheduled to have five primetime games and a sixth standalone game (against the Colts in Germany).
Part of me is glad that the NFL is taking a chance to showcase a team with an intriguing young QB (Penix), star RB (Bijan) and up-and-coming pass catcher (London). I’d rather take a chance on the Falcons becoming legit and being an entertaining watch, than get stuck with a ton of Browns games like in 2024.
On the other hand, if Penix doesn’t pan out and Cousins is moved, those games could be the definition of bleh.
For no, bravo to the NFL for putting a team with potential in the spotlight a handful of times.
2.) The Holiday Blues
This is probably just a gripe from me that won’t hit the same with others. My life-long buddy and cohost of SSBills Talk, said that the money makes up for my complaint.
What complaint do I have? Teams having to play on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Dallas, Detroit and Kansas City will all double-dip in an unenviable way when they have to play on both major holidays.
Why couldn’t the NFL feature new teams on Christmas? Why did three teams that already will be in a holiday standalone window have to do it again a month later?
As much as I gave the NFL credit above for giving the Falcons some primetime love, this one almost cancels out that goodwill for me.
3.) Price of Admission
It is becoming more and more difficult for NFL fans to watch every game without having to add another app.
YouTube. Amazon Prime. NBC’s app. It is just becoming too much for the average fan to watch every game.
Diehards like myself, I will do it. I’d watch football played on a frozen lake with third-stringers across the board (kind of like a preseason game).
What the NFL is doing, however, is potentially overextending itself. Sure, by creating these standalone games and ensuing package they can sell, their pockets are filled even more with hundreds of millions of dollars. In the long run, I don’t think that money is worth what it will do to the casual fan.
Who would have thought I’d miss the days of games on three letter networks exclusively?
I almost want to scream out “get off my lawn!”
