In shifting around its Week 17 schedule, the NFL is trying to do the right thing by making sure games that affect each other from a playoff positioning standpoint are played at the same time. Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh, however, isn’t thrilled about his team’s home game against the Bengals being moved from a 1 p.m. ET kickoff to 4:25 p.m. ET on New Year’s Eve.
The Ravens clinch one of the AFC’s wild cards with a win or a tie against Cincinnati. They’re also in the playoffs if either Bills (at Miami) or Titans (vs. Jacksonville) lose or tie. The Chargers’ game (vs. Oakland), too, has a domino effect in the AFC, and since that game is on the West Coast, it has to be played in the later window. The NFL wants games like this played at the same time – and that makes perfect sense.
Harbaugh, though, is concerned the new game time may result in less fans showing up at M&T Bank Stadium, largely because it may conflict with their plans to ring in the New Year.
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"I don't think the NFL did us any favors by moving it back," Harbaugh said Tuesday, per ESPN. "But they don't care about us. So, we just have to care about ourselves. We have to take care of our own business. That goes for our team, for our fans and for our city. Let's go win the football game."
Harbaugh, missing or ignoring the point about competitive integrity, added, "I don't know what their considerations are at the league office, and why they do what they do. I really don't care, other than the fact that I hope our fans are OK with it. I hope they're into it. I hope people get there. The people who have plans, I hope they give their tickets to someone else so they get there. I want the place to be packed and loud."
It's not the NFL's fault that New Year's Eve falls on a Sunday this year, and as ESPN points out, the Ravens’ issues with empty seats this season have gotten serious enough to where season-ticket holders received letters last week asking that they please show up for games. None of the games they’ve decided to skip were played in New Year’s Eve and most kicked off at 1 p.m. ET.