The NFL finally has discovered the benefit of seizing the captive audience on Christmas, with three games played last year on December 25 and three to be played this year.
In 2022, Christmas landed on a Sunday. This year, it falls on a Monday.
What happens in 2024, when Christmas slides to Wednesday?
During a Friday conference call regarding the 2023 schedule, NFL V.P. of broadcast planning Mike North said he does not anticipate games being played when Christmas falls on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. North prefaced his comments, however, by pointing out that it’s ultimately a decision for the Commissioner.
It will be an issue in 2024 (Wednesday), 2029 (Tuesday), 2030 (Wednesday), 2035 (Tuesday), and 2040 (Tuesday). In every other year, Christmas lands on a day on which it will be easy to play three games.
The league has shown that it knows how to figure out how to play games on Tuesday and Wednesday, given the challenges of the pandemic. If the Commissioner decides that he wants Christmas football to be played even when it happens on Tuesday or Wednesday, it will.