NFL could have wild card playoff game on a Monday
The NFL playoffs traditionally take place over the course of four weekends, but they may be making a change this season.
The league already expanded to seven playoff teams last season compared to the previous amount of six. That meant an extra wild card game for each conference was played, giving us a total of six games on the first weekend of the playoffs. Under the previous format, only four games took place in the Wild Card Round.
This postseason, one of the wild card playoff games could take place on a Monday. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says there would be two Saturday games, three Sunday games, and a Monday game if such a change were made.
This is interesting: The NFL is tinkering with its Super Wild Card Weekend format, I’m told, likely to have it conclude on a Monday night. This means two games Saturday, three games Sunday… and one Monday with a broadcast partner to be determined. Fun change.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 24, 2021
NFL fans are already used to games being played on Monday nights, so they would likely be up for it, and the game would likely do great ratings. But there is one possible issue.
If two teams played on Monday, that would mean the winner of the game would have less time to prepare for its next game compared to its opponent. The coaches involved in the Monday playoff game probably would not be happy about that disadvantage.