NFL fans are already fed up with the Week 3 primetime slate, and this time the anger is aimed straight at Roger Goodell.
The league’s standalone night games this week are Atlanta at Green Bay on Prime Video at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Los Angeles at Denver on NBC at 8:20 p.m.
ET on Sunday, and Philadelphia at Chicago on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday.
On paper, those are the spotlight windows. In reality, plenty of fans are looking at the afternoon board and wondering why the better matchups aren’t there instead.
The complaints have been loud online, especially because the Falcons are part of the problem again. Atlanta is 0-2 after a 34-3 loss to Carolina and has only 16 points through two games.
Still, the team is headed for another national showcase, and that has rubbed a lot of viewers the wrong way. The Falcons are also set for three straight primetime appearances: Thursday night against Green Bay, Monday Night Football in Week 4 at New Orleans, and Sunday night in Week 5 against Baltimore.
That stretch is exactly what people are lashing out at.
“What a boring MNF. And our reward on Thursday? Falcons-Packers,” radio host Mark Gunnels wrote.
“Nobody wants to watch the Falcons in primetime 3 weeks in a row,” one user added.
“The next three weeks the Falcons play Thursday night, Monday night and Sunday night. These about to be the worst games ever,” another account declared.
“There’s not a singular chance I’m watching Packers vs Penix and the Falcons,” one user said.
“One of the NFL’s worst scheduling tendencies is stacking primetime teams to start the season,” Jon Benne wrote, noting Atlanta’s three-night run.
The frustration isn’t just about Atlanta, either. Fans also pointed to stronger daytime games, including Kansas City at Miami and Baltimore against Dallas in Brazil, as matchups they’d rather have in the national windows.
There’s one major problem with the calls to change the slate: the league’s flex rules don’t allow it yet. Sunday Night Football flex begins in Week 5, Monday Night Football flex doesn’t open until Week 12, and Thursday Night Football flex is limited to Weeks 13 through 17. So even with the noise building, the NFL can’t just pull Week 3 games out of primetime.
That leaves Goodell with the backlash but not much room to maneuver.
The Thursday matchup also carries its own baggage. Green Bay is 1-1 after an overtime win over the Jets, while Atlanta’s 0-2 start has made the pairing look even thinner.
Denver and the Rams both come in at 1-1, and Philadelphia’s trip to Chicago is the strongest of the three night games at 2-0 versus 1-1. Even so, the Bears are coming off a 9-3 loss to Minnesota, and Caleb Williams’ troubling injury clouds that one too.
The league is coming off a rough ratings opening as well. Week 1 dropped 13 percent after the Wednesday start and the split late windows, which only makes the current primetime criticism louder. Night games still carry the NFL’s brand, but this week’s setup has plenty of fans convinced the league put its weakest cards on display.
Michael Penix Jr. is slated to make his season debut in Green Bay after last year’s torn ACL, and that gives Thursday at least one storyline. But it doesn’t change the bigger issue: the best games this week are sitting in the afternoon, while the night slate stays locked in place.
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