Week 18 Was A Case Study Against Extending the NFL Season

Clayton Tune didn't get his Matt Flynn season-ending showcase. Instead, he offered Green Bay Packers fans an absolute eyesore to end the strange 2025 regular season.

It doesn't feel right to kick a man while he's down. Tune clearly wasn't ready for an NFL start in the best-case scenario, and Sunday's game was anything but that.

With the Packers locked into the seventh seed, there wasn't anything meaningful to play for against the Minnesota Vikings. As a result, the already injured Packers sat as many starting players as logistically possible.

That meant Tune played behind an inexperienced offensive line and with an empty arsenal of playmakers.

And somehow, through all of this, Green Bay still saw two starting players exit the game with injuries: do-it-all Bo Melton and ascending DB Javon Bullard.

This game was, by and large, a horrendous viewing experience. And yet, the NFL wants to expand the regular season even further. If ever a game existed to show why this concept is nothing more than a shameless money grab, it was Sunday's matchup between the Clayton Tune-led Packers and (eventually) Max Brosmer-led Vikings.

Ever since the Vikings defense knocked the Detroit Lions out of playoff contention on a beautiful Christmas Day, the Packers haven't had much to play for. There was a slim hope of clinching the division that was swiftly snapped when the Baltimore Ravens came to town, leaving Green Bay to approach Week 18 like a preseason game.

Even if the team had something to play for beyond bragging rights and seeing what some inexperienced young players can do, the Packers were already decimated by injuries. Two of their All-Pro-level players, Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons, are on IR, and the last month saw the Reaper come knocking with even more crucial injuries, including at the quarterback position.

On Minnesota's side, the game wasn't much more consequential. Already knocked out of the playoffs, injured, and led by struggling quarterbacks, the Vikings couldn't even hope to play spoiler to the playoff-bound Packers.

J.J. McCarthy has warped himself into a meme even in his bright moments, and watching Max Brosmer is less fun than a trip to the DMV. Beating the Packers was a nice hit, and their victory meant the Lions finish the season in fourth place in the division, but there wasn't much more at stake.

The point is that even the most diehard fans would have been better served by finding another activity to pursue on Sunday afternoon. It feels disrespectful to say to the players who were out there trying, especially those young players who wouldn't otherwise get time to shine, but the overall product wasn't fun for anyone.

Football is inherently a violent game, and more games equal more opportunities for injuries. There are plenty of arguments in this category alone to justify axing the idea of an extended season. Beyond that, this particular, alleged football game highlighted two of the biggest reasons against extending the season: more meaningless games and a diluted product.

Packers fans, thankfully, don't have to experience too many inconsequential games. Under Aaron Rodgers, it was almost a given the Packers would make the playoffs, and nearly every game factored into seeding. Under Jordan Love, it's been a tighter race, but the last two seasons have led to meaningless season finales.

Other teams are more accustomed to the concept, with potential knockouts occurring midseason and only fighting for a high draft position, keeping fans watching. Those aren't fun experiences, and adding an extra game to the season will only create more opportunities for clinched teams to rest starters or for noncontending teams to tank.

The other problem, as many know, is that quantity doesn't equal quality. Part of what separates the NFL from other major sports is that every single game is impactful. A single win or loss can be the difference in a postseason spot or draft position. Adding more games will mean more money, but with injury attrition and the potential to sit players, we'll get games like Sunday's that feel like preseason bouts.

The NFL already can't get casual fans into the preseason, and making more regular-season games feel like exhibition games won't solve the problem.

There aren't already enough quality starting players for many NFL teams, especially at quarterback and offensive line. The way roster-building and practice work, there aren't enough opportunities to train enough quality players for an extended season. Not every team has even one quality NFL starter at quarterback alone. As is, adding another game will create more Tune vs. Brosmer-style matinees.

I love watching and discussing football, but I have other interests. I would rather have the time to explore any of those than watch a preseason-style slopfest like the Vikings and Packers’ Week 18 game. The NFL is a money-printing machine, so the desire to add another game to increase revenue is understandable. But, personally, I care more about the product than shareholder value.