For the second straight week, we’ll be getting a double dose of NFL football on Monday night.
This time the Dolphins and Lions will be among those stepping into the spotlight, with Miami set to face the Tennessee Titans and Detroit preparing for a meeting with the Seattle Seahawks.
While an extra game might end up providing a remedy for a case of the Mondays, we’re going to have to get used to bottom-of-the-barrel teams taking center stage if scheduling four primetime contests per week becomes common practice.
If you don’t think that’s the case, make sure you’re sitting in front of your television at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday.
That’s when the 0-3 Titans and 1-2 Dolphins will collide. Miami has lost nearly all of its spark with Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) on injured reserve, and it should have been apparent all offseason that Tennessee should never be playing in front of millions of viewers.
Let’s just hope the Seattle-Detroit game will cleanse our palates.
In a perfect world, following up “Thursday Night Football” and “Sunday Night Football” with two more games on Monday would please everyone. But, when considering schedule diversity and bye weeks, there simply aren’t enough talented teams across the league to make it worthwhile. Having to watch two non-contenders go at it would get old quick.
More NFL football outside of Sundays always seems to get fans buzzing, but just how much noise will they be making when they’re forced to watch Tennessee’s Will Levis and Miami’s Tyler Huntley duke it out under center on Monday?
We’re guessing most living rooms across the country will be pretty quiet.
Fans also have to keep in mind the implications that two Monday games can have on fantasy football.
Listen, the league—and numerous players—have made it abundantly clear that they don’t care if your parlay hits or if you beat the hated brother-in-law in your family’s fantasy football league. Never will there come a day where the NFL starts to cater to fantasy football managers, and pushing more games out of Sunday time slots only makes it harder to craft a lineup.
We’ve already seen tragedy strike once this season because of a Monday game.
Back when the 49ers and New York Jets were scheduled to close Week 1, there was little indication that San Francisco star running back Christian McCaffrey wasn’t going to suit up. He was listed as questionable because of a calf injury but told reporters that he had no doubts about his availability.
Then, about 90 minutes before kickoff, the Niners ruled out McCaffrey. He has yet to take the field this season.
Part of me hates to be the guy saying, “Hey, stop putting multiple games on Monday nights so that those playing fantasy football don’t have a higher chance of getting screwed,” but if the league really cares about its product — and its fans — it has to know how big of a deal fantasy football has become over the past decade.
I mean, the NFL certainly had no problem buddying up with sportsbooks, so what’s taking it so long to realize that fans want what’s best for their fantasy football teams, too?
It’s time to start saving Monday night for the best of the best again. And that means only scheduling one game.
