The NFL is a money-making business. The fans know it, the teams know it, and the players know it. However, as the NFL looks to make more money, it’s trying to implement more changes to the game. One of them, installing 18 games in the regular season. It seems that the face of the league, Patrick Mahomes from the Kansas City Chiefs, is not fond of that idea, unless there is another change to help the team.
Mahomes spoke with CNBC Sport’s Alex Sherman about this topic. “You’ve seen the amount of injuries that have kind of piled up there at the end of seasons, and you want to have the best players playing in the biggest games.” Mahomes said. “And so if there were a way to get to 18 games, I’m not — I’m not a big fan of it. But if there were a way, I think you got to add some bye weeks in there to give more time for guys’ bodies.”
Mahomes knows how important it is for athletes to be as healthy as they can come playoff time. In fact, it’s not only a Chiefs thing. Look at the Detroit Lions last year, they were on pace to be a juggernaut and more than half of their defensive starters suffered injuries.
More Bye Weeks will also imply more changes
The way Bye Weeks are constructed right now wouldn’t work if the NFL wants to get another game into the schedule. Right now, the teams take turns each week to rest. This is problematic enough, as some will have an early bye on Week 4, while others rest in Week 11. This changes how teams face the season.
Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on prior to a preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.
Andy Reid, the Chiefs head coach, excels playing after a bye. However, a Week 5 win might not be the same down the line than a Week 12 victory. If another game is installed, this will become more of a problem, therefore, another change should be made. It’s a whole logistic issue for the NFL.
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Patrick Mahomes reveals what the Chiefs did wrong last season before Super Bowl loss
Mahomes is not the only one to complain
If there is one more game, it’s almost imperative that their will need to be one more bye for the teams. Mahomes is not the first to say this. Previously, Joe Burrow also stated that the teams would need another week to rest if they have to play an additional regular season game.
The NFL says that an 18th game is great because that would move the Super Bowl to President Day’s Weekend. The thing is, if they add another bye, the Super Bowl will overshoot President’s Day, unless the league reverts Week 1 to be played on Labor Day Weekend. This will take out one preseason game (who cares about preseason anyway), and all parties would be at least accepting of the new format.
