NFL Owners Ratify 17-Game Schedule For 2021 Season, Here Are The Changes Coming



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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL will undergo its first major regular-season schedule change since 1978, with owners approving the addition of a 17th game on the calendar from 2021. The change had been brewing for a year now, as owners had the option, in the new collective agreement, to increase the number of regular season games per club to 17 – but no more – at any time. The change will also allow the league to reduce preseason games from four to three – the maximum number of games the new CBA allows.

“This is a monumental moment in NFL history,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “The ABCs with players and the recent media deals allow us to improve the quality of the NFL experience for our fans. And one of the benefits of every team playing 17 regular season games is the possibility for us to continue. to develop our game around the world. “

One of the biggest changes to the schedule will be the interconference roster for Game 17. The teams will play five interconference matches instead of four as the AFC teams will secure the home game for the 2021 season (which will move to the NFC the following season). NFC East will play AFC East, NFC West against AFC North, NFC South against AFC South and NFC North against AFC West – matches being determined from the arrival of the division from the 2020 season.

Here are the matches of the 17th game:

Packers at Chiefs
Bear at Raiders
Vikings to the chargers
Lions in Broncos
Seahawks at Steelers
Rams to crows
Cardinals at Browns
49ers to the Bengals
Saints to the Titans
Boucaniers at Colts
Panthers at Texans
Falcons at Jaguars
Washington to Bills
Giants among dolphins
Cowboys at Patriots
Eagles at Jets

Under the new programming formula, each team plays 17 regular season games with a week off. The clubs will host 10 games in total – either nine regular season games and one preseason game or eight regular season games and two preseason games.

  • At home and away against his three division opponents (six games).
  • The four teams from another division within its conference on a three-year (four-game) rotating cycle.
  • The four teams from one division into the other conference on a four-year (four-game) rotating cycle.
  • Two intra-conference matches based on previous year’s standings (two matches). These matches match a first place team against first place teams in the two same conference divisions that the team is not scheduled to play this season. The second, third and fourth place teams in a conference are paired the same way each year.
  • An interconference game based on the ranking of the previous year on a rotating four-year cycle (one game). These matches match a first-place team in one division against a first-place team in an opposing conference division that the team is not scheduled to play this season. The second, third and fourth place teams in each division are matched in the same way each year. The home conference for this game will rotate each season.

The league will keep a week off during the season, so the regular season will drop from 17 to 18 weeks – pushing the end of the regular season to January 9. The season will begin on September 9.

The NFL playoffs would start on the weekend of January 15-17, and Super Bowl LVI would be played on February 13, 2022 – the last Super Bowl kickoff of all time. The 2022 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday February 6 – one week before the Super Bowl.

In addition, 32 clubs will play internationally at least once every eight years. Scheduling of up to four neutral venue matches per year in a country outside of the United States will initially focus on Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom.

The 2021 NFL schedule will be announced later this spring.



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