The NFL is finally coming clean about a scheduling experiment that left fans scratching their heads. The league has acknowledged that the Monday Night Football doubleheaders they rolled out in recent seasons were a mistake—and they're not doing them anymore.
For a few years, the NFL kicked off the season with two Monday night games back-to-back. But instead of a true doubleheader, one game started at the usual 8 p.m. slot, and the other kicked off around 10 p.m. That meant viewers—unless they had a second TV—had to choose which game to watch during the overlap. It was messy, and fans let the league know.
Now, the NFL is owning up to it. In an interview on The Schrager Hour, NFL Vice President of Broadcast Planning Mike North admitted the experiment didn't work. “Yes, the Monday night doubleheaders are a thing of the past,” North said. “I don’t know why that didn’t work. Quite honestly, I thought it was fine. I thought it was good for us.”
North explained the logic behind the idea: “That Monday night game, if it wasn’t your game on Monday, it would’ve been Sunday at 1, among eight, nine, or 10 other games. You probably weren’t going to watch it anyway. Having it on Monday, a national broadcast… it just didn’t work. The fans didn’t appreciate it, and it probably wasn’t a good use of an NFL asset.”
The league has officially scrapped the format. Instead, those Monday night slots have been redistributed. “Two of those four went to Netflix for a Wednesday night and Saturday of Week 18, and the other two went to broadcast,” North added. “It’s not like everything went to streamers; they went to broadcast, and I think the upside to Monday night, now, is instead of having to bifurcate your resources, all eyes on the big Monday night game.”
North emphasized the benefits of a single Monday night game, which will now be simulcast on ABC and featured on the ManningCast with Peyton and Eli. “You’ve got some big games on Monday Night Football this year, let’s get everyone pulling in the same direction,” he said.
The admission is a rare moment of self-reflection from a league that typically stands by its decisions. But with fans clearly unhappy about the overlapping games—and the confusion they caused—the NFL is pivoting to a cleaner, more focused Monday night experience. The move also reflects a broader trend: the league is increasingly willing to rethink its schedule to keep viewers engaged.
For now, Monday nights are back to being a singular event. No more juggling two games, no more remote-control chaos. Just one game, one broadcast, and—if the NFL is lucky—one happy audience.
