Chris Simms Reacts To Jason Kelce's NFL Concerns Over Streaming: "Are You Telling Me People's Sundays Are Gonna Be Ruined?"

For generations, Sundays belonged to the NFL and football fans. Fans built entire weekends around packed afternoon slates, flipping between games while fantasy football and playoff races unfolded in real time. That familiar routine is slowly changing now, with the league spreading more games across streaming platforms and exclusive broadcast windows. As Netflix and Prime Video continue expanding their NFL footprint, concerns are growing over whether the league is moving too far away from the formula that made Sundays feel untouchable in American sports culture.

The debate gained fresh attention after Chris Simms and Jason Kelce publicly disagreed on the NFL's evolving strategy. While league executives believe standalone broadcasts and streaming partnerships create a stronger long-term business model, critics fear fans are losing the communal experience that once defined NFL Sundays. With fewer afternoon games scheduled for the 2026 season, the discussion has quickly turned into one of the NFL's biggest offseason talking points.

Chris Simms supports fewer NFL Sunday games amid streaming growth

Chris Simms sees the reduced Sunday slate as a positive change rather than a problem. During a discussion on Pro Football Talk, the former quarterback argued that overloaded schedules make it impossible for fans to properly follow games. “I understand what's being said here, but I don't really get it,” Simms said on Pro Football Talk. “I mean, eight games sounds like music to my ears. We want 12 games and we can't really see any of them, so we watch what, two out of the eleven that are on? …I don't want seven games at 1 p.m. I can't watch it all. There's no way. It's stupid. Are you telling me people's Sundays are gonna be ruined because they're gone?

He also defended the league's push towards standalone broadcasts, insisting viewers benefit more from focused national windows than chaotic afternoon line-ups. “I like the standalone games. I enjoy being able to watch one at a time. There's nothing worse to me on a Sunday when the whole slate and you go, ‘Oh my gosh, there's 13 games today on Sunday!'”

The NFL will schedule 197 Sunday afternoon games during the 2026 season, slightly down from last year's 198 and significantly lower than the 215 games featured during the 2021 season following the 18-game expansion. The league has already stepped back from experiments like Monday night doubleheaders while opening more exclusive slots for streaming partners.

Jason Kelce warns NFL could lose what made Sundays special

Speaking on the New Heights podcast, the former Philadelphia Eagles centre questioned whether spreading games across too many platforms could weaken the weekly ritual that helped turn the NFL into America's dominant sports league. “I worry that I think the game got big,” he said on the New Heights podcast. “One of the reasons it got so popular and big because Sunday is the NFL, and everybody sets their week apart to tune in to their games that were happening on Sunday.”

Netflix is now set to stream five NFL games under its latest agreement, while Prime Video continues carrying Thursday Night Football and the Black Friday game. Although 87% of NFL games still air on traditional television, fan frustration over rising subscription costs remains a major talking point as the league pushes deeper into streaming.