The upcoming NFL schedule release may be facing a delay.
Per Peter King, the league has given no assurance that the 2023 schedule will be finalized in time for Thursday, which has been reported as the likely release date for the upcoming season.
“It’s still likely to be done in time for release Thursday at 8 p.m., but I was told over the weekend it may not be finished in time,” King wrote.
He noted the Thursday night season opener, Amazon’s Black Friday game and a Christmas Day tripleheader are among the games that have yet to be finalized.
The International Series slate scheduled for Germany might not be set, either, after King reported the Chiefs blocked their game against the Bears from being played overseas.
German newspaper Bild reported last week that Chicago versus Kansas City would be one of two games played in the country in 2023.
The task of constructing the schedule is taxing, with decision-makers forced to consider multiple factors.
Per NFL Operations, “thousands of cloud-based computers … produce thousands of possible schedules,” with the people in charge of finalizing the schedule having to “consider the fans, the league’s broadcast partners and many other factors when building the 272-game schedule.”
Among those other factors, the NFL states, “The league tries to limit the number of consecutive road games any team plays to two games… Schedule makers also work to avoid putting teams in a position where they cross the country too often.”
They also attempt “to avoid scheduling teams that play on the road on Monday nights with an away game the following week.”
Beginning this year, AFC and NFC games can be expected to air on CBS and Fox, whereas in previous seasons Fox was the de facto home of the NFC while CBS predominantly aired AFC games.
The league also has to throw a couple of bones Amazon’s way after a subpar slate of games last season while still reserving the best games for the late-afternoon window and primetime games on Sunday and Monday.
With so many moving parts, it’s not shocking the schedule isn’t set. Thankfully, the season doesn’t start until September 7, so there’s plenty of time for the schedule makers to get it right.
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