By admin 
The NFL’s push to have more international games already has a large swath of fans annoyed. But those games might be at risk of ticking off two groups that it simply can’t afford to: FOX and CBS.
Read more NFL Fans Crushed As Longtime Announcer’s Wife Dies at 63
Today’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars was a nailbiter that saw three lead changes in the final three-and-a-half minutes. All of that scoring caused the game to run a little longer than anticipated and the end result was a game that didn’t see the final whistle blow until around 1:15 p.m. ET – well after all of the NFL games on FOX and CBS kicked off.
Such a delayed start will undoubtedly be reflected in the ratings this week, which will probably show a slew of fans that don’t tune until the game until that the Jaguars-Eagles game ended. It may not be a massive number since it’s not exactly a primetime game, but it will probably be noticeable.
Pregame Problems?
By far the biggest “victim” of the late start, so to speak, are the networks’ NFL pregame shows, FOX NFL Sunday and The NFL Today on CBS. Those two shows will probably have far fewer viewers than usual, as many fans would rather watch an active and tight NFL game than previews.
Read more DaVon Hamilton’s Redemption Snap Saved the Day, and 3 Other Takeaways From Jaguars’ Win
But fans aren’t particularly broken up over that difference:
“Nobody watches boring pregame from those two networks anymore. They both suck,” one user on X wrote dismissively.
“Who watches pre game these days…” wrote another.
“That’s a good thing,” a third declared.
At the end of the day, the NFL isn’t going to alter its international plans over concerns for lost viewership for a few pregame shows.
But there are going to be more NFL games overseas with early start times over the next few weeks. This might not be the last time that we have a situation like this.
Read more The White House Has Fired Back At Complaints From Angry NFL Fans
Will either network raise a stink over the length of the international game?
Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 12:32 PM.