Tag: NFL Wild Card Weekend

The NFL’s Monday night Wild Card game isn’t the bad idea some are making it out to be

This fine. No, really. It’s fine.

NFL players will be forced this year to play 17 games for the first time this season, despite all the mounting evidence showing how destructive the game is to their brains and bodies.

This season will also mark the second in which two additional teams — one from each conference — advance to the playoffs to play at least on additional game.

Now the league has announced that its “Super Wild Card Weekend” will include a Monday night game. Last season, there were three games each on Saturday and Sunday. The league avoided scheduling the Monday night game because it would have conflicted with the college football national championship game; that’s no longer in play because the NFL season now stretches 18 weeks.

This is obviously good for the NFL consumer. We’re already accustomed to watching Monday Night Football. And how many of us could really dedicate 12 hours on *both* Saturday and Sunday to watching football? That’s a big ask.

The NFL gave away how excited it is about this move with one particular line in its press release announcing the move: “The broadcaster for the Monday night game of Super Wild Card Weekend is yet to be determined.”

New inventory equals more leverage as the league works to maximize profits from television and streaming deals.

Assuming the NFL does the right thing and ensures that the winner of the Monday game doesn’t have to turn around and play Saturday, this is also probably fine for the players. Here’s how Peter King put it back when he first discussed the idea of this game in February:

So the NFL could play two games on Saturday, three on Sunday, and one on Monday. Screaming, of course, will commence about the Monday night winner playing a short-week game the following Sunday. (And the NFL would ensure that the Monday night winner would not play until Sunday of divisional weekend.) Balderdash. With three wild-card games on Saturday, six teams are sure to play a short-week game. With two wild-card games on Saturday and one on Monday, five teams are assured of a short-week game—four on Saturday and Monday’s winner, which would play the following Sunday. If I’m a coach, I’m happy after playing 17 games in 18 weeks to have an extra day of rest before a playoff game. What’s the argument against it?

I can’t think of one, Pete. Pretty sound logic there.

In general, NFL players should be taking fewer hits, not more. There have been advances on this front: Violent blows to the head and other dangerous plays have been limited by increased penalties, and players are subjected to less contact during camps and practices.

The league was able to add the option of a 17th game to the latest CBA because the NFL players’ union is so sprawling and disparate: the vast majority of the voting members are players even diehard fans hardly know. They’re struggling to carve out three- or four-year careers while earning a tiny fraction of what stars make. The NFL baited those players — 60 percent of the league plays on a league-minimum deal — into the expanded playoff and season proposal by giving them 20 percent raises right off the bat.

Still, players are only getting around 48 percent of the league revenue and don’t have guaranteed contracts — which incentivizes injured players to try to play through pain or wooziness or whatever in order to stay employed and keep getting paid. Real justice for NFL players won’t come until they get at least an equal share of the pie and have more security.

But adding a Monday night Wild Card game is not awful (those regular season Thursday night games though …) It’d be best if teams could get a full week between games but that went away a long time ago. This idea gives Wild Card games more room to breathe and that’s probably needed: Last year it was too much football over two days.

Besides, this surely means that the Manning Brothers will be on the call for a playoff game. Right? Right!?

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How every former Badger in the NFL performed during Wild Card weekend

Quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Jonathan Taylor, defensive end T.J. Watt and others were in action this weekend in NFL Wild Card

Several former Wisconsin Badgers entered NFL Wild Card weekend with a shot at winning and advancing on to the next round.

Although some played well on the field, QB Russell Wilson, OLB T.J. Watt, FB Derek Watt and RB Jonathan Taylor all saw their season end this weekend.

Related: Badgers in the NFL: Top 10 plays of the year

There were a few, however, that were part of the winning side and advanced to the next round—OLB Zack Baun, LB Jack Cichy, OT Rob Havenstein, OT David Edwards.

Here is how every former Badgers performed during NFL Wild Card weekend:

Every NFL playoff team’s odds to win Super Bowl LV

Every NFL playoff team’s odds to win Super Bowl LV

NFL officially expands playoffs to 14 teams after owners approve new format

NFL officially expands playoffs to 14 teams after a vote by league owners

The NFL is all about excitement and expansion, so after a vote by league owners, the playoffs will get two extra teams.

In a move that has been discussed for weeks now, the playoffs will expand to 14 teams in the new format, with two extra teams now and just one team from each conference securing a first-round bye.

The playoffs will continue to feature the four division winners in each conference as well as three wild card teams in each conference. The team with the No. 1 seed will earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and the only bye week.

Wild Card weekend will include six games, with six division winners hosting six wild card teams, in three games played on Saturday and three games played on Sunday.

According to a release from the league, CBS and NBC will now broadcast the additional playoff game that’ll be added to Wild Card Weekend.

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