The outcome of Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t the worst possible outcome for the NFL. But it was one of the worst. 

For years, the NFL has mostly avoided any criticism or critique of its product. Despite clear structural problems in how the sport has progressed in the modern era, the ever-increasing game and commercial times, and an obvious decline in offense, the proliferation of sports betting and fantasy football has papered over the NFL’s issues.

Based on the ratings for this year’s game, which reached a whopping 126 million people, the NFL’s ability to make mundane events into must-see TV through sports betting remains unbeatable. But the actual product, from the on-field game and result, to the commercial load and ancillary outcomes, was once again disappointing. 

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl A Microcosm Of NFL Problems

There were 13 games in the NFL postseason in 2025, and just four were decided by one score. Despite the scoreboard, the Super Bowl featured more of the NFL’s declining offense. 

Even while handily winning, the Eagles averaged less than six yards per play. The Chiefs at one point were down to 3.9 yards per play, before some garbage time scores. It was an ugly, ugly football game. 

And that’s what the NFL has become, if not the majority of the time, darn close: ugly football. It’s too hard to score, too hard to pass, too easy to kick field goals and punt. That’s not what fans want to see, but it’s what they’re getting. Even more so in the 2024 season than previous years. 

Commercials have increasingly become part of the NFL story too; as television rights fees endlessly increase, broadcast partners are forced to add more advertising time. Baseball games are down to two hours and 35 minutes. NFL games now push three hours and 10 minutes. For now, fans are content to tell themselves that events they’ve bet on are exciting. But if they start realizing that they aren’t? Who knows.

The Super Bowl took nearly four hours, for a game that on average, features around 11 minutes of actual action. It’s hard to imagine a ratio that bad. Declining offense, boring plays, ugly football, an endless stream of commercials: that’s the modern NFL in a nutshell. Just wait until the league spends three full days on the draft hosting a glorified press conference.