The NFL confirmed Tuesday it’s changing the start times of its Week 16 games on Saturday, Dec. 20, to minimize overlap with the expanded College Football Playoff schedule.
The pro games will kick off at 5 p.m. and 8:20 p.m., the league announced.
Last year, the NFL ran Week 16 Saturday games at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The college football selection committee said a triple-header will open the 12-team playoff. The first game will kick off on ABC and ESPN at noon Dec. 20, followed by matchups on TNT at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The College Football Playoff matchups will be announced on Dec. 7.
“December 20th is shaping up to be a great day for football fans, whether it be college or professional,” Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of public affairs and policy, said, adding, “We’ve got a long history of supporting college football where we can, so we were more than happy to work with them at their request.”
Before the season, the NFL announced that the Washington Commanders would host the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 20. Also on that Saturday, the Chicago Bears will host the Green Bay Packers.
League officials have not confirmed which game will occupy each time slot.
“Hopefully, fans can enjoy all the NFL games that they want to watch, and we’ve tried to minimize some disruption with the college football playoffs,” Mr. Miller said.
College football’s selection committee will release its first rankings of the season on Tuesday evening. Undefeated Ohio State, the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, is widely expected to top the committee’s list.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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