With the 2026 NFL season coming into play, there are some expectations that we can have. With the expanded TV schedule, fans will be able to watch more games than ever.
For fantasy participants, and all fans, there will be some surprises that we didn’t think would happen. Breakout players having a career-high season. Rookies in their first season that will be exceptional. Quarterbacks that we thought would be a flop will have outstanding performances. There will probably be teams that have been strong contenders that will continue to be strong contenders. Some teams will have a hard time winning just a few games. Who will be “Head Coach of the Year”?
There will also be some big disappointments. Star players will get hurt and have season-ending injuries. I remember reading somewhere that the injury rate in the NFL is 100% for each player, each year. I do not think that means season-ending injuries, but an injury of some kind. It is a truly exceptional player that makes it through the long season without any real injuries.
The season will have games in Europe: England, Germany, Spain, and France. Also one game each in Australia, Brazil, and Mexico. There will be games at some point during the season on every day of the week except for Tuesdays. The NFL will honor veterans with Salute to Service, recognize breast cancer with Crucial Catch, as well as individual teams having appreciation and heritage recognitions.
I hope the NFL players will be able to handle all of these things. It would be easy to say that there is too much attention and expectation on me. This could cause them to withdraw and not perform as well as they might otherwise. But I have faith that they will adapt to all the hype around their games and have a good season. They are professionals after all.
All of this means big business for the TV advertising during a game. With the TV announcers and analysts feeding into the frenzy, I sometimes have a hard time watching a game from start to finish. It sometimes seems overwhelming what it has become. But nevertheless, I will play fantasy football and root for the Denver Broncos.
HAPPY FOOTBALLING!