The latest rescheduling of the Ravens-Steelers game has it slated to kick off at 3:40pm ET tomorrow afternoon, and that move was made in part after a "group of Ravens players ... made clear their displeasure" with the prospect of playing tonight, according to a source cited by Childs Walker of the BALTIMORE SUN. The source said that some players "were determined not to play Tuesday" due to frustration with the "team's handling of the outbreak and the NFL's insistence on playing the Week 12 game" (BALTIMORE SUN, 12/1). ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley cited a source as saying that one idea from the players "was to move the game to Thursday, but the NFL compromised by shifting it to Wednesday" (ESPN.com, 11/30). CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported Ravens players "reached out to the NFLPA about their options," with some players being "concerned about playing the game." That would have included "forfeiting their wages" had the game not been played (TWITTER.com, 11/30). In Pittsburgh, Brian Batko notes even in a "wonky NFL season that has featured a Steelers-Titans game postponed for a month, an impromptu off week for both teams, another Titans game played on a Tuesday, plus several other schedule disruptions for a bevy of teams," playing a game on a Wednesday afternoon "is a first" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 12/1). ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt called this the “longest week ever in NFL history” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 11/30).
NFL GETS ON THE NICE LIST: SBJ's John Ourand noted the NFL's decision to play Ravens-Steelers at 3:40pm tomorrow came after an afternoon of negotiations with NBC execs. The problem was that NBC already has a live two-hour event scheduled for Wednesday night -- the "88th Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center" -- that has been heavily promoted. Sources said that NBC was prepared to move the tree lighting ceremony to one of its cable channels or, possibly, carry a taped version on NBC the next day. The NFL brings higher ratings than anything else on TV, and faced with an either/or choice, NBC would have picked an NFL game featuring, arguably, the league’s best rivalry in the last decade over a tree lighting ceremony that drew 6.9 million viewers last year. However, the league did not put NBC in a position where it had to make that choice. Sources said that the league has recognized the amount that it has asked broadcasters to be flexible for during the '20 season, which has included dueling Monday night games and a Tuesday night game. Usually known for playing hardball -- even with its partners -- the NFL decided against pressing the issue (John Ourand, SBJ Media).
ANY GIVEN ... WHAT DAY IS IT? In N.Y., Ken Belson noted Wednesday NFL games are "exceedingly rare," with the last one coming in '12 when the season-opening Cowboys-Giants game was moved to Wednesday "to avoid overlapping with President Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention." That was the first Wednesday kickoff since '48. The afternoon start for Ravens-Steelers "will result in the added oddity of a midafternoon, midweek nationally televised football broadcast" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/1). In DC, Mark Maske noted with a Friday game scheduled on Christmas day the NFL "is in line to play games this season on all seven days of the week" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/30).
