NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has offered some clarity on the future of Wednesday evening contests following the news that there will be two NFL Christmas Day games this year.
Even though Dec. 25 falls on a Wednesday this year, the league plans to schedule two NFL Christmas games (teams to be announced), ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday afternoon.
The NFL traditionally only plays games on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays late in the regular season and during the postseason. Last year, they added a Black Friday game that was aired by Amazon Prime Video.
But the NFL commissioner confirmed that this year’s inclusion of games on Wednesday is temporary, and that it will not be the norm going forward, via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio:
“It will not be a regular thing. It will be when Christmas falls on a Wednesday.”
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The NFL last played a Wednesday game on Dec. 2 of the 2020 season. The Baltimore Ravens suffered a COVID-19 outbreak, prompting the league to postpone their showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers numerous times. The game was held on a Wednesday as a result.
Before that, the last game to be played on a Wednesday was the Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants Week 1 opener in the 2012 season. The NFL chose not to play the game on a Thursday, as they didn’t want a scheduling conflict with the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Another Year Of NFL Christmas Day Games
2024 will mark the fifth straight year with NFL Christmas Day games. In 2020, the Minnesota Vikings visited the New Orleans Saints on a Friday game. One year later, Christmas fell on a Saturday, so there were two NFL Christmas day contests scheduled: The Cleveland Browns at the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts at the Arizona Cardinals.
For the 2022 season, there were a trio of games: The Packers at the Miami Dolphins, the Denver Broncos at the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona.
This past season featured also featured three NFL Christmas games: The Las Vegas Raiders at the Kansas City Chiefs, the New York Giants at the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens at the San Francisco 49ers.
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