(AUDACY) The NFL detailed its plans for "Super Wild Card Weekend" in a press release distributed Friday morning, announcing the debut of a Monday night playoff game to be aired Jan. 17 at 7:15 p.m. CT. on a still-to-be-determined network. The wild-card round this season will feature two Saturday games -- beginning with a 3:35 p.m. CT kickoff -- followed by a Sunday tripleheader with games at 12:05 p.m. CT, 3:40 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
From a ratings and marketing standpoint, squeezing another day out of the wild-card round is a shrewd business decision by the NFL, though many have argued it could put teams traveling on short rest at a competitive disadvantage. As noted by analytics guru Warren Sharp of Sharp Football and NBC Sports, wild-card teams have historically fared poorly on short rest, losing nine of 12 games in that scenario since 2002.
While the press release didn't specify, the assumption is the winner of the Monday game would have its divisional round game slotted for the following Sunday (Jan. 23). The NFL hasn't announced which network will host the wild card finale on Monday night, though ESPN would seem to be the obvious choice, having held broadcast rights to MNF since 2006. Due to the NFL's new 17-game regular season, this wouldn't conflict with the network's broadcast of the college football national championship, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. CT.
As part of the new collective bargaining agreement passed in 2020, the NFL expanded its postseason field from 12 to 14 teams, necessitating two additional wild-card games with only the top seed in each conference earning a first-round bye.
LISTEN on the Audacy app
Sign up and follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
