The 2018 NFL season could start on the other side of the pond.
Not the pond between the United States and England. The bigger pond between the U.S. and China.
According to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal via Pro Football Talk, the 2018 NFL season could kick off on a Tuesday or Wednesday in China, with the customary Thursday-night opener taking place stateside that same week.
It previously had been reported that the 49ers and Rams would play a game in China in 2018 with the Rams the designated home team. Now, that game could be the first of the 2018 season. The Tuesday or Wednesday start would give the teams an extra day or two of rest before their Week 2 game.
Regular-season NFL games in London have become a regular occurrence, and if the NFL is going to let other countries in on its overseas schedule, so be it.
Something doesn’t seem right, however, about the NFL opening a season in another country. With a 12-hour time difference, the game will probably have to start in the morning either here or in China. That creates a scenario where an NFL season could begin at the exact same time that America goes back to work the morning after Labor Day. That’s just strange.
Furthermore, relations between the U.S. and China already are strained. If the 49ers and Rams don’t improve within the next two years, sending those teams to China will give that country another reason to be upset with us.