NFL fans worst RedZone fears have been realized, which we all should've seen coming

Before the season, much was made about NFL RedZone moving away from their commercial-free ways. ESPN's partnership with the league, which allowed them to run RedZone their way, meant the one aspect of NFL viewership that wasn't commercialized was no more.

While most viewers didn't notice, ESPN's self-brag about including ONLY four 15-second commercial windows in its RedZone coverage has since gone by the wayside. The worldwide leader has increased its number of ads every week, and on Sunday, they dealt with some repercussions.

Where NFL RedZone's production went wrong in Week 14

We're not entirely sure what happened with RedZone's production early in the Week 14 slate, but let's just say it didn't go as planned. For a brief period of time, RedZone's audio went out, and NFL fans instead heard static rather than the national broadcast.

RedZone is one of the most-watched broadcasts the NFL has. It was a genius idea at its inception to get fans more interested in the league, and games they otherwise might avoid due to local blackout restrictions. RedZone is also really useful for fantasy football managers who want to watch their favorite players (hopefully) have a big day.

Ads are not to blame for RedZone's static start on Sunday, but NFL fans are likely to be less understanding about the increase in ad time. Per Awful Announcing, the ad time increased from one minute in Week 1 to four minutes and 40 seconds this late in the season.

What happened to NFL RedZone in Week 14?

NFL RedZone tried to show an interception thrown by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. However, when they went to the game itself, all NFL fans heard was static. Were it just that cutaway in which static reigned supreme, that'd be one thing. However, the rather annoying noise was heard for the next several minutes, and the audio team struggled to fix it.

Again, were this a standalone event, football fans would likely tweet about it, but wouldn't be complaining. NFL RedZone is a luxury other leagues have tried to replicate to no avail. But when you combine the increasing number of advertisements with technical difficulties, it's not a good look for the NFL, ESPN or their partnership. If anything, this is what we were all scared of.

Why mess with a good thing?

The most annoying commercials on NFL RedZone, exposed

Were it just a few advertisements at halftime, I wouldn't be writing this article. However, RedZone has found a way to expose NFL fans to more ads in less time, and even during the action. RedZone has featured double-box ads, banner ads and even sponsored segments. Whether football fans realize it or not, the NFL RedZone segments they love are being utilitzed for marketing purposes. It's not great!

“Allstate sponsored a ‘Good Hands’ segment that ran for 30 seconds, while Progressive had a 30-second ‘Good Coverage’ segment,” Sports Business Journal's Josh Carpenter wrote. “Lowe’s sponsored an ‘Earn Your Sunday’ highlight package that ran for 30 seconds, while DraftKings sponsored a 60-second ‘Crowning Moments’ segment. Mercedes-Benz sponsored the ‘Drive of the Day’ (60 seconds), while Accenture had its name on the Top Five Plays of the Day package, which ran about three minutes.”

Even reading that sounds annoying. Leave it to ESPN to get creative about how they brainwash you.