Fox Sports 1 commentator Chris Broussard is not a fan of NFL players sitting out games late in the season to preserve them for the playoffs. He compares sitting players to the NBA load management, which is widely frowned upon.
Chris Broussard Is Against Resting Players in NFL Week 18
Broussard doesn’t like players taking games off. He doesn’t like it in the NBA, nor does he like it in the NFL.
With Week 18 bringing a day of rest for starters on many playoff teams, Broussard is not a happy camper. He believes players are under contract to play every game they are healthy, and they should live up to the standard.
“Why do we even have 17 games if once you lock something up, you’re just going to sit out?” Broussard said. “… it’s not fair, it’s not right, it’s not competitive.”
"Why do we even have 17 games if once you lock something up, you're just going to sit out? … it's not fair, it's not right, it's not competitive."
FS1's Chris Broussard compares NFL teams resting players late in the season to NBA load management: pic.twitter.com/oFHX4LfIQf
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 3, 2025
NFL players taking time off after locking in a playoff seeding is as old as time.
The Kansas City Chiefs are playing a meaningful game in Denver today against the Broncos. They are resting most of their starters as they have already sewn up the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
However, the Broncos need to win to lock in a playoff spot. If the Chiefs win and the Miami Dolphins defeat the New York Jets, then the Dolphins would go to the playoffs.
It would be to Miami’s advantage to have the Chiefs play their starters and dismantle the Broncos. But with Kansas City basically taking the day off, Denver has the upper hand.
Similarly, NBA players have load management. Veterans rest and take certain games off so their bodies can withstand the wear and tear of an 82-game season. Is this something the NFL is doing by controlling who plays before playoff games?
“This is the slippery slope, and I don’t think it will get to this point with the NFL, but this is a cousin of sitting out the last game of the season,” Broussard said.
Broussard, a veteran who covered the NBA for the New York Times and ESPN for most of his career, is well-versed in load management and has been against it for years.
“This is how it started in the NBA,” Broussard said.
The Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, and the Chiefs are among the teams resting players today in preparation for the playoffs. Broussard simply wants the players to play in all 17 games and not fall into the same comfort trap the NBA has undertaken.
“Because there used to be a time when I covered the league where you played 82 games. You won 65 games, you still played 82, and you just played the playoffs,” Broussard said.
“Then it got to (with) teams, ‘We wrapped it up, we’re sitting out the last week of the season to rest.’ Then it got to, we’ll rest a little during the season against bad teams or back-to-backs. And now it’s just run amok, and you’ve got this big load management problem. I’m not saying it will get that way in the NFL, but … this is where it can get to.”
Finally, there are fans who spend good money to see their stars play. If they can only afford to go to one game a year and the stars sit out the game they have tickets for, they are paying to see backups play, which isn’t fair to fans.