Chris Simms stepped into a firestorm this week after suggesting the NFL should scale back its Sunday schedule. The NBC analyst and former quarterback argued that fewer games packed into Sunday afternoons would actually make the league more watchable. Fans and analysts alike were quick to push back.
During Tuesday's episode of PFT Live, Simms responded to Jason Kelce's concerns about the NFL's Sunday tradition by taking the opposite stance. He said he'd welcome a reduction in the number of games played simultaneously, calling the current setup overwhelming.
“Eight games sounds like music to my ears,” Simms said. “We want 12 games on that we can’t really see any of them, so we watch what, two out of the 11 that are on? … I don’t want seven games at 1 p.m. I can’t watch it all. There’s no way. It’s stupid.”
Simms didn't stop there. He mocked the idea that fans would be upset by having fewer choices on Sunday. “Are you telling me people’s Sundays are gonna be ruined because they’re gone? They’re gonna get home from church and go, oh, there’s five games on at 1 PM instead of 7? Oh s—t, the day’s ruined. It’s ruined,” he said, sarcastically.
The former NFL QB also took aim at the current scheduling quirks, like staggered start times in the late afternoon window. “I hate when there’s four games at 4:25. I hate it. Or one’s at 4:05. There’s two at 4:05 and two at 4:25. I hate that. I can’t watch it. I’d like to enjoy the games,” he explained.
Simms argued that standalone games—like Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and the Thursday night slate—allow fans to focus on one matchup at a time. “We’re all going to be tuned into the same few games and enjoying that and be able to see it more,” he said. “It’s going to make it better.”
But for many NFL fans, Sunday is sacred. The league has already expanded its schedule to include Thursday and Monday night games, plus international contests and holiday matchups. The NFL has admitted the Christmas week schedule is stretched to the limit, and some argue the league is oversaturating the market. The addition of a 17th game—and soon an 18th—has only intensified those concerns.
Simms' take drew immediate backlash online, with many accusing him of missing the point of what makes NFL Sundays special. For most fans, the glut of games at 1 p.m. is a feature, not a bug. It’s about flipping between matchups, tracking fantasy scores, and soaking in the chaos.
Whether Simms' vision of a leaner Sunday schedule ever becomes reality remains to be seen. But for now, he's learning that messing with the NFL's Sunday tradition is a quick way to get roasted.
