The NFL schedule is out and it is beautiful!
Of course, lines for all 272 individual regular season games are also available on DraftKings Sportsbook and we have broken down the schedule for all 32 teams, including odds on team futures, win totals, and individual matchup spreads.
Look at how beautiful this is 😍 pic.twitter.com/mqRy5e4xbr
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) May 15, 2025
The man in charge of putting this jigsaw puzzle together, Mike North, joined Ross Tucker on The Ross Tucker Podcast to to discuss everything that went into creating the 2025 NFL schedule.
As usual, it was mission accomplished when it came to convincing every fan base that Mike hates their team. He says the simplest way to explain it is that all 272 games are assets and the league wants to make sure that the assets that are worth the most are available to as many fans as possible. So his goal is to maximize fan value, get all these games in the right home to drive engagement and viewership. That said, he admits there’s a line to make sure isn’t crossed when it comes to ensuring competitive fairness, travel and player health and safety.
To that end, some would consider an example of walking up to that line to be the Cowboys appearing in four Thursday Night Football games. Mike said it wasn’t a concern, noting that two of them aren’t short weeks. He admitted it’s an anomaly, but it certainly doesn’t seem competitively unfair and the Cowboys didn’t view it that way. He doesn’t think the Cowboys are going to complain about all the Thursday games, but their NFC East rivals might have something to think about with all those weekends off for Dallas.
“It is an anomaly, but certainly doesn’t seem competitively unfair.”
NFL VP of Broadcast Planning Mike North discusses the Cowboys have FOUR Thursday Night games this season: pic.twitter.com/bpkgKPfZJC
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) May 15, 2025
One of those Thursday games will be the season opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who are currently 7-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. Mike says there were a lot of good options, but said it came down to the fact that it has felt like the last couple of years the fans haven’t really gotten full value out of Cowboys-Eagles. He says that’s one of the top five matchups every year when it comes to making the schedule, usually one early and one late, but unfortunately the last few years that late matchup hasn’t panned out the way everyone had hoped. So having it Week 1, especially with the Eagles hanging a banner against their division rival, felt like a good opportunity to go really BIG.
“These last couple of years it feels like the fans haven't gotten full value really out of Cowboys – Eagles…"
“You know the Eagles fans are probably pretty excited about hanging a banner in front of the Cowboys…”
NFL VP of Broadcast Planning Mike North on WHY they chose the… pic.twitter.com/7rqllQOJO3
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) May 15, 2025
One fan base that might be convinced Mike hates their team is the Titans. Despite drafting No. 1 overall and selecting Miami QB Cam Ward, the Titans are not scheduled to appear in a primetime matchup. The Titans have +370 odds to make the playoffs on DraftKings Sportsbook and will be an underdog in 15 of their games. For what it’s worth, Mike says it wasn’t intentional and there were probably a dozen or so schedules put in front of Roger Goodell in the last week. He said it wasn’t about having zero Titans primetime exposure, it was more a mixture of everything that has go into the schedule soup. At the end of the day, Mike also had a simple message for Titans fans: You don’t draft your way into primetime, you play your way into primetime.
“ It wasn’t intentional.”
“You don’t draft your way into primetime, you play your way into primetime.”
NFL VP of Broadcast Planning Mike North on the Titans not having a single primetime game this season: pic.twitter.com/bJR9M9YXTc
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) May 15, 2025
Check out more of Ross’ conversation with Mike North below and make sure to tune into the Ross Tucker Podcast on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Mike North: The Creator of the NFL’s Schedule
- Ross is joined by Mike North, the NFL’s Vice President of NFL Broadcast Planning & Scheduling to discuss the 2025 NFL schedule, and why they chose some of the marquee matchups this season.
VIDEO:
Check out the Ross Tucker YouTube page for more and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow the show on X at @rosstuckerpod and Ross at @rosstuckernfl.
