The NFL’s overseas schedule may have created a problem for two of its longtime broadcast partners.
Sunday’s Eagles-Jaguars game in London turned into a late, back-and-forth finish, with three lead changes coming in the final three-and-a-half minutes. That flurry pushed the game longer than expected, and the final whistle didn’t come until around 1:15 p.m. ET, well after the rest of the NFL’s Sunday slate had already kicked off on FOX and CBS.
That kind of overlap is the part the networks probably won’t love. A game that runs deep into the window can chip away at audience numbers, and this one figures to show that some viewers simply didn’t join until Jaguars-Eagles was over. It may not be a huge hit, since the matchup wasn’t in prime time, but it should still be visible in the ratings.
The bigger sting may come for the pregame shows. FOX NFL Sunday and The NFL Today on CBS were both likely squeezed by the long-running game, since plenty of fans would rather stick with live action than switch over to studio previews.
Not everyone is mourning that shift. Social media reaction was pretty blunt, with one user on X writing, “Nobody watches boring pregame from those two networks anymore. They both suck,” while another said, “Who watches pre game these days…” A third added, “That’s a good thing,”
For now, though, the NFL doesn’t appear likely to change course on its international schedule just because a couple of pregame shows lose some viewers. And with more overseas games set to come in the next few weeks, this may not be the last time FOX and CBS run into this issue.
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During the broadcast, Kelce highlighted Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton and even drifted into an anecdote about his high school days as a long snapper, the sort of side conversation that can make him feel more like a hangout partner than a polished analyst. Not everyone was impressed, though, as Jason Whitlock took to X to criticize Kelces commentary and airtime, turning a routine broadcast appearance into another reminder that Kelce is already becoming a talking point beyond the game itself. [Read more 🡒]