This is going to be a unique afternoon in National Football League history. Rarely, if ever are there NFL games on a Wednesday. However, due to coronavirus, this is what we are currently facing today when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
The last Wednesday game in the NFL took place on opening night, 2012, according to Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times. The Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Giants 24-17. The game was moved from Thursday to Wednesday to avoid conflict with the final night of the Democratic National Convention from Charlotte.
Before 2012, the last Wednesday game in the NFL was on September 22, 1948. On this day, the Los Angeles Rams hammered the Detroit Lions 44-7. However, this game is not only famous because it was on a Wednesday, but because the Rams became the first team in NFL history to have their logo on their helmets. Interestingly, the Lions played this past Thursday in throwback helmets without a logo in their 41-25 loss to the Houston Texans. The Lions also hold the record for the most Wednesday games played in NFL history with 13.
In the 1930s, a crazy Pennsylvania law prevented baseball and football being played before 2pm and after 6pm on Sunday. Known as the “Blue Law,” policy makers in the state tried to control what people did on Sundays. This rule then forced the Steelers to play 10 home games from 1933 to 1936. In fact, the first four home games in Steelers history were on a Wednesday.
Interestingly, the first night game in NFL history was played on a Wednesday. On November 6, 1929, the Chicago Cardinals beat the Providence Steam Roller 16-0 at Kinsley Park in Rhode Island.
For FREE!
