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The NFL season last opened on a Wednesday in 2012, when Barack Obama was accepting his nomination at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday. Before that, the NFL had not opened its season on a Wednesday since 1948, per Pro Football Reference data.
Expect several-day NFL weeks to continue, including this year’s Thanksgiving slate featuring games on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday.
And expect Week 1 to remain attractive to the league for international games given how it allows teams to return and find some respite from the toll on their bodies, compared to a midseason international game.
The league has long been comfortable with games in Europe and Mexico City throughout the season. But for the first season, the NFL will stage a South America game partway through the year — with no extra recovery time or bye week after. The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens will face off in Rio de Janeiro in Week 3. Unlike most international games, they’ll play in the Sunday afternoon late window on Sept. 27. Then they’ll fly back for regularly scheduled programming.
“Neither one of them were looking for the Week 4 bye,” NFL vice president of broadcasting planning Mike North said. “They’re both going to keep playing. The Cowboys, in fact, have to go on the road when they get back from Rio because their stadium wasn’t available that week.
“So we’re going to learn a lot. Rio in the middle of a season: hopefully doable. Australia in the middle of the season, as Hans said, that one might be a tougher put. And as we continue to expand our eyes on a more far Eastern horizon, whether it’s Singapore, Abu Dhabi, China, any of the other things that you’ve all read about where we might be looking to play a game someday, a Week 1 international foothold is probably something that’s going to be pretty consistent.”