What NFL Teams Have No Prime Time Games In The 2024 Season?

Milton Hegmann 29 Jul 2025

For many football enthusiasts, seeing their favorite team play under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, or Thursday Night Football is a big deal. It’s a chance for the whole country, you know, to really get a good look at what a team is made of. These special slots on the schedule often feature the teams expected to make a lot of noise, or, like, those with big-name players everyone wants to see. It’s pretty much a spotlight for the league’s most compelling matchups, right?

But what happens when a team doesn't get any of those coveted spots? It's a question many fans ask, and it usually means something about how the league views that team's chances or general appeal for the upcoming season. It can feel a bit like being overlooked, in a way, especially for a loyal fanbase that just wants to see their squad on the biggest stages. So, you might wonder, which teams are on the outside looking in for the 2024 NFL season, and why does that happen?

Understanding the NFL schedule makers' thinking gives you, like, a better sense of why some teams get the prime-time treatment and others, well, they just don't. It’s not always about being a "bad" team, per se, but often about the stories the league wants to tell, or the matchups they believe will draw the biggest crowds watching from home. This year, as a matter of fact, some teams are indeed without a prime-time slot, and we'll talk about who they are and what that means.

How NFL Prime Time Games Get Picked
Reasons Teams Don't Get Prime Time Slots
The Teams Without Prime Time Games in 2024
Fan Reactions and Community Discussions
Earning a Prime Time Spot for Next Season
Frequently Asked Questions

How NFL Prime Time Games Get Picked

Picking which teams play under the lights is a pretty complex process, you know. It's not just a random draw. The NFL, and the TV networks, really look at a lot of different things when putting together the schedule. They want games that will get a lot of people watching, obviously. So, they consider things like a team's record from the year before, the appeal of their star players, and how exciting their matchups might be against other teams. For example, a team with a top-tier quarterback or a fierce rivalry game is much more likely to get a prime-time slot. It's all about creating compelling entertainment, basically.

They also consider the strength of a team's division. A division with, say, three or four teams that were really good last season might see more prime-time games because those divisional matchups tend to be pretty competitive and, like, important for playoff races. Travel logistics for the teams are also a factor, as are stadium availability and other events happening in a city. It’s a huge puzzle, really, trying to fit all those pieces together while also making sure there's, you know, a good balance of games across the networks.

Reasons Teams Don't Get Prime Time Slots

So, if some teams are getting all the prime-time attention, it means others are, well, not. There are several clear reasons why a team might find itself playing only on Sunday afternoons. It's not usually a personal slight, but rather a reflection of where the team is at that moment in time, according to the schedule makers. It can be a bit of a bummer for fans, but it's often a pretty logical outcome based on a few key factors.

Past Season Performance

This is, arguably, one of the biggest factors. Teams that had a rough season the year before, finishing with a poor record, are much less likely to be featured in prime time. Networks want to show competitive games, and a team that struggled to win games last season might not be seen as a big draw, you know? It's just a simple fact of how sports entertainment works. If a team won only a couple of games, their chances of getting a national audience are, like, pretty slim.

Market Size and Fan Appeal

While not the only thing, the size of a team's market and how many fans they have can play a role. Teams with huge national fan bases, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, which has a very active subreddit for fans discussing team news and highlights, tend to get more prime-time games because they guarantee a larger viewership. If a team is in a smaller market or has seen its fan interest dip due to, say, years of losing, it's just less appealing for a national broadcast. It's all about the eyeballs, really, and how many people will tune in.

Division Strength and Rivalries

Sometimes, a team might be in a division that just isn't considered very strong, or they don't have many traditional, heated rivalries that would make for compelling prime-time matchups. The league likes to showcase those intense, back-and-forth games that really mean something. If a team's schedule, you know, doesn't have many of those built-in rivalries, or if their division is seen as less competitive, their chances of getting a prime-time slot go down. It's a bit of a domino effect, actually.

New Coaching or Quarterback Situations

Teams undergoing big changes, like a new head coach or a new starting quarterback, might also be overlooked for prime time. There's a lot of uncertainty with these situations, and the league might want to see how these teams perform before putting them on a national stage. While sometimes a new, exciting rookie quarterback might get a game or two, it's usually the established, winning teams that get the consistent prime-time presence. It's a bit of a wait-and-see approach, you know.

The Teams Without Prime Time Games in 2024

As the 2024 NFL schedule came out, many fans immediately looked to see when their team would be playing under the lights. For some, the answer was, well, never, at least not in a dedicated prime-time slot. It’s important to remember that this list can shift a little with "flex scheduling" later in the season, but for now, these teams are not on the prime-time schedule. Based on the 2024 NFL schedule, a few teams are currently slated for no prime-time games. These often include teams that finished last season with a less-than-stellar record, or those that are, like, rebuilding.

For the 2024 season, teams like the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots are among those without a prime-time game. The Panthers, you know, had a really tough time last season, and they're bringing in new pieces and a new coaching staff. Similarly, the Patriots are in a new era post-Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, with a new coach and a rookie quarterback, so they're very much in a transitional phase. Their schedule, you know, reflects a period of development rather than immediate national appeal.

Other teams that might find themselves in this category include those that, frankly, just haven't been consistently competitive for a while, or perhaps teams in divisions that aren't expected to be at the very top. It’s a pretty clear signal from the league about where they see these teams standing at the start of the season. It's not a permanent label, of course, but it's where things are for the 2024 schedule as it stands. For example, a team that has been, like, struggling for a few years might not be seen as a big draw for a national audience, which is just how it is.

Fan Reactions and Community Discussions

When a team gets no prime-time games, the fans, you know, definitely notice. It's a big topic of conversation on platforms like Reddit, where millions of NFL fans gather to talk about all things football. The NFL community, with its 8.4 million subscribers, is a place where people really share their interests and passions. You'll see discussions about the latest team news, player performances, and, yes, the schedule. Fans of teams like the Chicago Bears, for example, might even have message boards where they, you know, feel free to express their feelings about the team's standing, sometimes even "bash the Bears without fear of being banned."

These online communities are, like, buzzing with activity when the schedule drops. People will talk about how it feels to be overlooked, or they might even joke about their team being "hidden" from national view. It’s a shared experience, and it can actually bring a fanbase closer together, in a way. Even if their team isn't on Sunday Night Football, they're still going to show up, virtually or in person, to support their squad. It's a testament to the dedication of football fans, really. They might complain a little, but they're still there, ready for game day.

Sometimes, fans will use these discussions to, like, speculate on why their team was passed over, or what it would take for them to earn a prime-time spot next year. They look at roster changes, new player contracts, and how current official NFL rosters are shaped. The conversations are pretty detailed, often referencing data on player contracts and, you know, how the 2024 NFL schedule is put together. It’s a very active and engaged group, always ready to talk about their team and the league, which is just cool to see.

Earning a Prime Time Spot for Next Season

Just because a team doesn't have a prime-time game this season doesn't mean they're stuck in that situation forever. The NFL schedule is, like, pretty fluid from year to year, and teams can absolutely play their way into national relevance. The most direct path, of course, is winning. A team that surprises everyone with a strong season, makes the playoffs, or even just shows significant improvement, will definitely catch the eye of the schedule makers for the following year. It's all about proving you belong on that bigger stage, really.

Bringing in exciting new talent, especially a dynamic quarterback or a big-name free agent, can also make a huge difference. These players generate a lot of buzz and make a team more appealing for a national broadcast. If a team has, like, a young, promising roster and they start to click, that's a story the networks want to tell. It’s about creating narratives that draw people in, you know, and a rising team is a very compelling story.

Even teams that start without prime-time games can sometimes get flexed into one later in the season if they perform really well. The league has the option to swap out less appealing games for more exciting ones as the season progresses. So, while a team might start with no prime-time games, a strong performance can, arguably, change that. It gives every team a chance, in a way, to earn their spot in the national spotlight, which is pretty neat. You can always check out the latest standings and power rankings, like those found on official r/nfl week 18 power rankings, to see how teams are shaping up and who might be next in line for those big games.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the NFL schedule decided each year?

The NFL schedule is, like, a huge puzzle put together by the league, with input from TV networks. They consider a lot of things, including team records from the previous season, market size, player appeal, and existing rivalries. They try to create compelling matchups that will draw big TV audiences, which is, you know, pretty important for everyone involved.

Can a team with no prime time games get one later in the season?

Yes, absolutely! The NFL has something called "flex scheduling." If a game originally scheduled for a Sunday afternoon turns out to be a really exciting matchup with high stakes, the league can, like, move it to a prime-time slot later in the season. This usually happens in the second half of the season, giving teams a chance to play their way into the national spotlight, which is pretty cool.

Does having no prime time games mean a team is bad?

Not necessarily, no. While a poor record from the previous season is a big factor, sometimes teams miss out because they're in a rebuilding phase, or they just don't have, you know, the big-name stars that draw national attention yet. It’s more about the perceived entertainment value and storyline for the upcoming season than it is a definitive judgment on a team's long-term quality. You can learn more about NFL team dynamics on our site, and also check out this page for more schedule insights.

NFL Schedule Release: Week 1 Games and More - The New York Times

Download NFL All Team Logos Wallpaper | Wallpapers.com

National Football League (NFL) | History, Teams, & Facts | Britannica

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