By Mallory Mattingly
Ever wonder what goes into scheduling NFL games? Apparently a lot, even with a bigger broadcast window that one would think would make the process easier.
“I have five kids at home and you never satisfy them all. Just try and do your best, so I think it’s a little bit of that,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella told ABC News of scheduling games after he saw the SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL schedule for the 2025 season. “They have really, really hard jobs. I have no doubt. We’re all campaigning. We’re all leveraging. We all pay a lot of money for these rights and we all want the same thing.”
The job is difficult because “this is the third year under the league’s broadcast deals that all of the games are up for bid for every network.”
Here’s how confusing it can get. Most of the AFC games are televised by CBS, while the NFC games are broadcast by Fox. However, if there is a big NFC matchup at the same time, CBS has a doubleheader and will end up streaming that NFC game.
“We love every schedule in May. Hopefully we love it in December too,” NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, Hans Schroeder said. “We have a lot of great matchups, and the flexibility of those new TV deals that every game could go into any widow, I think that’s the key and to marry that with a team that is relentless in their effort, I think led to a fun and really great schedule.”
As the NFL schedule was released last week, CBS Sports celebrated some great matchups coming up next season: the Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs in week 9, the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Minnesota Vikings in week 3 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Seattle Sea Hawks in week 5.
CBS Sports president and CEO David Berson spoke quarterbacks Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) and Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) going head-to-head for the tenth time.
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“To be documenting the story of these franchises and star quarterbacks, we’re thrilled to keep telling it,” Berson said to ABC News.
On the other side of the division, Fox Sports wanted to have bigger matchups with more variety on primetime.
That’s why in week 4, fans will see the Chiefs play their Super Bowl LIX competitors and reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.
“We didn’t want to be so reliant on the Dallas Cowboys. I think we hear complaints sometimes that fans feel like it gets a little bit monotonous that our 4:25 window is dominated by one team,” Mike Mulvihill, Fox Sports president, insight and analytics, said about the Fox Sports NFL lineup. “We’re certainly still going to have our share of Dallas games, but we’re going to have some Philly in there too. We’re also going to have Buffalo, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Detroit, Washington. I think it is pretty different than what you’re used to seeing on Fox, and I think it’s actually going to be a little bit better.”
Prime Video, meanwhile, will continue to host THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. The Streamable reported that streaming exclusive games will also air on ESPN+, Netflix, Peacock and YouTube.
While scheduling the NFL lineup is always hectic, CBS Sports and Fox Sports will take on most of the league’s games, sprinkled in with a few on Prime Video and other streaming platforms.
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