The NFL prime-time games have been lackluster to say the least this year, and it is diminishing fans’ drive to watch the night games.

The most recent Thursday Night Football game between the Redskins and the Vikings is just the latest example of the trend: Prime-time games this season have been boring.

The prime-time games have been either absolute blowouts, as shown in the Monday Night Football game between the Patriots and the Jets, or they have been low-scoring games with horrible offensive play.

The low-scoring games would not be an issue if both defenses were playing spectacularly, but it has been solely the ineffectiveness of the offenses that is making fans snore during games.

The matchups for these games also have been at fault. The NFL has been scheduling games between either two bottom-feeder teams or two “division rivals” who have not had the same intensity in their rivalry in years.

Tonight the Steelers play, which will be great for Pittsburgh fans, but how many fans outside of the city will care about a game against the winless Dolphins?

If the team they root for is not playing, fans want to see two of the top teams duke it out, not teams that have already given up on the NFL season and are just looking forward to next year’s draft.

For example, last year’s matchup between the Rams and Chiefs on Monday Night Football was a battle between the teams atop the conferences, and it was one of the best NFL games in recent memory.

One might think after the success of that game, that the NFL would want to replicate it with more of the same types of teams, but that has definitely not been the case thus far.

The prime-time slots are the largest target for the NFL to make a profit, and it is also a time when most of the fans tune in. But that won’t continue if the games continue to disappoint and bore the fans.