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GamePlan: How TV Network Desires and the NFL's 18th Week Affected the 2021 Schedule

Normally, the hay would be in the barn for NFL’s broadcast brain trust by the time the draft rolled around—and there was some comfort in knowing that they’d done the best they could, regardless of what that April weekend might bring. Then, last year, thanks in large part to the pandemic, the timeline got pushed back into May. It worked out for everyone, and now looks like the change will be permanent.

That really is the full background on what was a brief nightmare for Howard Katz, Onnie Bose, Mike North, Charlotte Carey, Blake Jones and Nick Cooney just a couple weeks ago.