Sunday was the longest day in NFL history, thanks to an international game and a prime-time weather delay, but it may not be long before the newly set record gets broken again.
The Vikings and Jets kicked off at 9:32 a.m. ET from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, with Minnesota prevailing 23–17 to remain unbeaten on the season, and New York falling to 2–3. Eleven games—and 15 hours and 27 minutes—later, the Cowboys rallied for a dramatic 20–17 win over the Steelers, as Dak Prescott found Jalen Tolbert in the end zone with just 20 seconds left in regulation. The game in Pittsburgh was delayed 90 minutes due to inclement weather around Acrisure Stadium, including lightning and a hail storm, and finished at 12:59 a.m. ET Monday morning.
The league’s research department confirmed that made Sunday the longest day of NFL football since at least the 1970 AFL-NFL merger (and likely of all time).
Time Travel
Sunday morning kickoffs from Europe have become a staple of the NFL’s international games, and, of course, weather will always remain unpredictable, but there are other factors at play that could make for an even longer day of NFL action in the near future.
NFL owners are serious about wanting to play as many as 16 games outside the U.S. each season, according to commissioner Roger Goodell, and with that will come even more new locations—and time zones.
In May, NFL executive Peter O’Reilly confirmed Australia was under consideration to host a regular-season game. Sydney and Melbourne are 15 hours ahead of the East Coast. That would bring a variety of kickoff-time options for U.S. viewers, ranging from the middle of the night Stateside to a prime-time broadcast for a game happening a day ahead Down Under.
Meanwhile, the NFL is said to have already conducted a site visit to Abu Dhabi, CBS Sports reported Sunday. The United Arab Emirates city is eight hours ahead of the East Coast, a slightly bigger difference than the five-hour gap with London and the six-hour gap with German cities the league has played in (Frankfurt and Munich).
As the NFL continues to try to become as popular globally as it is in the U.S., would 24 hours of football surprise anyone?
