For years, the National Football League played most of its games on Sundays. It’s become a ritual for NFL fans to sit at home or hit the stadiums and watch their favorite teams take the field.
A number of years ago, though, the NFL decided to play some of its games on Saturdays. One such occasion is this Saturday, when the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Washington Commanders, and the Green Bay Packers clash with the Chicago Bears.
When Did NFL Decide To Play On Saturdays?
The Eagles have a chance to clinch the NFC East Division title with a victory at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., against the Commanders.
However, the Packers-Bears battle is actually one that could determine the outcome in the NFC North Division. These teams will send Jordan Love out at quarterback for the Packers against Caleb Williams at QB1 for the Bears.
But there is a historic element to NFL games on Saturdays. One has to go all the way back to the 1950s. With television beginning to take over in a big way, television networks of the day needed things to show on the new medium.
In that timeframe, Saturday night games were scheduled by the NFL. The DuMont Network, which was one of the premier TV networks at that time, along with NBC, ABC, and CBS, got a deal with the NFL for three seasons of Saturday night games starting in 1953.
So, playing on Saturdays isn’t that new of a thing. Ironically, the NFL usually will schedule games on Saturdays later in the season. The league also hopes that the games scheduled for Saturdays truly have something meaningful involved with them.
College football’s regular season is over when the NFL pops up on Saturdays. There may be some games included in the College Football Playoff, such as the case this Saturday. The Miami Hurricanes defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 10-3, but that College Football Playoff first-round game ended more than an hour before the Eagles-Commanders kicked off.
This Saturday’s games have meaning for most of the teams involved. That’s a surefire way to get NFL fans in front of their TV sets. It’s also a rather good thing that Saturday’s games are taking place as the holiday season begins in earnest. For the NFL, the more viewers, the merrier.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
