For most NFL fans, Sunday means football, hot wings, and cold beer, but this week, a day filled with football is just not in the cards. Sunday Night Football has been canceled by the NFL for the second week in a row, but it’s not all bad news for fans who don’t want to end 2017 without watching some gridiron action.
The NFL will not air a game in the usual 8:30 p.m. time slot on December 31 — otherwise known as New Year’s Eve if you have football, not the Times Square Ball drop, on your mind.
The good news? There are 16 daytime games that will go on as planned, according to the schedule below.
It’s been quite a while since a Sunday night NFL game was broadcast on New Year’s Eve — 11 years, to be exact. CNN reports that the Chicago Bears faced off against the Green Bay Packers on December 31, 2006 , but the viewership was down by 25 percent compared to an average Sunday Night Football game.
This is the second week in a row that the NFL decided to cancel the 8:30 p.m. game — last week the night game was canceled due to Christmas Eve. And this week, people will be getting ready to ring in a new year. According to a previous report by the Inquisitr , several New Year’s Eve specials begin around the 8 o’clock hour, so the NFL obviously would have played second fiddle to those who are chilling champagne and preparing to countdown to 2018.
If you can’t stand the thought of spending an entire Sunday without a football game, there is some good news. The Sunday Night Football game normally scheduled for 8:30 p.m. is the only game that will be canceled on New Year’s Eve.
December 31 NFL game lineup
NFL cancels New Year’s Eve ‘Sunday Night Football’ game after realizing it scheduled a New Year’s Eve ‘Sunday Night Football’ game https://t.co/sLP2EQSOND pic.twitter.com/U2594R2qSL
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) December 25, 2017
There are 16 games scheduled on Sunday — that should be more than enough to keep NFL fans happy. However, you’ll have to line up a few TV sets to watch all of the action. Seven games will start at 1 p.m. and nine games will kickoff at 4:25 p.m., per the NFL website .
Packers at Lions – 1 p.m. Bears at Vikings – 1 p.m. Packers at Colts – 1 p.m. Browns at Steelers – 1 p.m. Jets at Patriots – 1 p.m. Redskins at Giants – 1 p.m. Cowboys at Eagles – 1 p.m. Jaguars at Titans – 4:25 p.m. Bills at Dolphins – 4:25 p.m. Bengals at Ravens – 4:25 p.m. Raiders at Chargers – 4:25 p.m. Cardinals at Seahawks – 4:25 p.m. 49ers at Rams – 4:25 p.m. Panthers at Falcons – 4:25 p.m. Chiefs at Broncos – 4:25 p.m. Saints at Buccaneers – 4:25 p.m.
CNN notes that all of the Sunday games will be broadcast on either CBS or Fox.
