When early September rolls around and we’re all excited to watch NFL games again, we take a lot of things for granted as fans. The hard work that goes into setting up the field, network, and overall stage beforehand translates into the experience we enjoy as the matchup unfolds before our eyes. Nothing happens by accident in the big league, from the pristine turf to the perfectly timed broadcasts.
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Another thing we take for granted is the wild process of creating an NFL schedule. And when we say wild, we’re not sugarcoating it — the moving parts, logistics, and coordination behind the scenes are nothing short of controlled chaos.
Now, you might be wondering: how is the schedule created? Who’s responsible for it? And why are we always stuck with an uninspiring Thursday Night Football matchup? Well, we’ve got answers to most of your questions — Thursday nights not included (sorry!) — down below.
Who creates the NFL schedule?
The process of creating the NFL schedule each year is very complicated, to say the least. It starts with a group of five individuals who work for the league: Howard Katz, Mike North, Charlotte Carey, Onnie Bose, and Nick Kuney.
Every offseason, this team comes together to explore all the possible ways to build a 272-game season. Some have been doing the job for years, while others are relatively new. But one stalwart of the team is Howard Katz.
Howard is described as the artist of the crew. The team feeds him their schedule ideas, and he determines whether the games “sound like a football game” or not.
“Having Howard, having that ‘gut piece’ is a huge part of solving this entire puzzle and how the schedule gets made,” said Charlotte in a video posted by the NFL on their YouTube page.
Alongside Katz is another longtime member of the team, Mike North. He’s described as the scientist of the operation, working the computer to help Katz visualize his ideas. Mike notes that since the season expanded to 17 games, the scheduling process has become significantly more drawn out.
“We’re no longer looking for a grain of sand on the beach; we’re looking in the Sahara Desert. It is truly exponential,” North explained.
Along with these two savants is Carey, the director of broadcasting. Bose is her assistant vice president of broadcasting. And Kuney is a newer face who recently joined the team.
How is the NFL schedule made?
With 272 games to account for, North says that there are millions, if not billions, of possibilities for a schedule. So, how do they narrow it down? Well, they follow a set of rules.
“The schedule is set by a combination of rotation and previous year standings,” North shared.
But how does that work? Well, every team plays 6 games, home and away, against its divisional opponents. Then, each team plays all four teams from another division within its own conference, 2 home, 2 away.
After that, each team will play against a different division out of conference, same structure for home and away. Then, each team plays two intra-conference games based on the previous season’s standings; the first-place team in the East will play the first-place team in the South, and the West. The second will play the two seconds, and so forth.
Finally, one last inter-conference game for each team will be played based on standings, and the team will be a unique opponent that they didn’t play last year, this year, or that they won’t play next year.
Also, keep in mind special games. Like a passionate matchup between two rowdy fan bases. Or a legend returning to face their former team. The crew cares about once-in-a-lifetime games. And who signs off on it all? Naturally, it’s Commissioner Roger Goodell.
International NFL games
One thing the NFL schedule makers have had to keep in mind in recent years is the addition of international games. The NFL and Roger Goodell have been looking to expand their popularity overseas, and to great effect.
This year, we’ll see games played in 4 different countries!
The first will be on September 28th, when the Steelers take on the Vikings in Dublin, Ireland. It’ll be the country’s first-ever regular-season NFL game.
Then, over three weeks from October 5th through the 19th, we’ll see three games in London: the Vikings vs. the Browns, Jets vs. Broncos, and Jaguars vs. Rams.
After that, Berlin, Germany, will be hosting their first-ever game, watching the Colts take on the Falcons on November 9th.
Lastly, the Dolphins will face the Commanders in Madrid, Spain, on November 16th.
So, strap in for another wild season. With the NFL schedule officially out, fans and analysts have already begun predicting seasonal outcomes. What do you think is going to happen? And are you excited for the international games?
