17 game season for 2021

[chiefforlife]

Source: 17-game season a done deal for 2021
Posted by Mike Florio on March 18, 2021, 6:55 PM EDT
NFL: SEP 17 Seahawks at Bears
Getty Images

With new TV deals in place, the NFL will have a new-look regular season.

For the first time since 1978, the NFL will expand the total number of games that count from 16 to 17. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the league will adopt 17 games for 2021.

Earlier today, Commissioner Roger Goodell said that a vote on a 17-game season is on the agenda for the league meetings set for later this month. The only question left to conclusively resolve is whether the league will have three or two preseason games.

The league most likely will stick with three preseason games, in order to retain the total 20-game season. Before the NFL played 16 regular-season games and four preseason games, the NFL had 14 regular-season games and six preseason games.

Also, a 17-and-3 model would allow the NFL to eventually expand to 18, with the ability to trade a reduction to two preseason games when the next season expansion inevitably occurs.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/18/source-17-game-season-a-done-deal-for-2021/

[chiefforlife]

I dont like it for many reasons.

Already hard for players to finish a season healthy. (Yet NFL claims to prioritize player safety).

All the records will be easily broken and history diminished.

Cutting back on Preseason games gives less players a chance to make it on a team. Also Preseason games give more fans a chance to go see a live game for much less money. Helping to cultivate more fans and seeing the excitement of a live game.

I like the 16 game season and I like the old playoff format.

The greed of the NFL has to draw a line somewhere. Soon we will be at 18 then 20 games a season? So the Superbowl teams will have played 21-23 Games. Good luck fielding a healthy team for the playoffs.

This could bring the level of competition down as the season wears on. Not good playoff football.

[TribalElder]

preseason is a fucking scam and shouldn't exist

add another bye week and push the superbowl to presidents weekend so we all get monday off

[BossChief]

Remind me how this can impact the cap...

[BigRedChief]

What happened to the 2nd bye week if they expanded to a 17 game schedule?

[Why Not?]

I dont like it for many reasons.

Already hard for players to finish a season healthy. (Yet NFL claims to prioritize player safety).

All the records will be easily broken and history diminished.

Cutting back on Preseason games gives less players a chance to make it on a team. Also Preseason games give more fans a chance to go see a live game for much less money. Helping to cultivate more fans and seeing the excitement of a live game.

I like the 16 game season and I like the old playoff format.

The greed of the NFL has to draw a line somewhere. Soon we will be at 18 then 20 games a season? So the Superbowl teams will have played 21-23 Games. Good luck fielding a healthy team for the playoffs.

This could bring the level of competition down as the season wears on. Not good playoff football.

The NFL doesn’t care what you think. They’ll do whatever they damn well please because they know you’ll watch anyway.

By you I mean all of us.

[Bearcat]

One more pointless game before the real season starts.

[DaneMcCloud]

One more pointless game before the real season starts.

With the expanded playoffs and 17th game, the NFL is inching closer and closer to NBA territory in which no cares about regular season games.

[Kman34]

They should make a rule that each player must take one game off during the season.. Would make for some interesting strategy... Expand the 53 man game day roster too..

[KChiefs1]

More football is bad.

[Gravedigger]

They should make a rule that each player must take one game off during the season.. Would make for some time interesting strategy... Expand the 53 man game day roster too..

Players will start negotiating it into their contracts I'm sure.

[chiefzilla1501]

So every football record becomes meaningless so the owners can make money off... One more game. That barely does anything to improve the playoff picture. Mahomes 5000/50 season a few years ago will be harder to understand a decade from now.

Then the NFL saw the nfc east debacle and thought we need MORE teams in the playoffs?

Can't hate this decision more. If you want more money, then give another bye week and extend the TV contract out a week.

[notorious]

With the expanded playoffs and 17th game, the NFL is inching closer and closer to NBA territory in which no cares about regular season games.

Nearly half the teams are in the playoffs now.


Epically stupid for the competition side, smart for the owners’ wallets.

[displacedinMN]

boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I like football, but I also like things that divide evenly. 17, no.

next they will want to add 3 more teams

[ptlyon]

17-game season a done deal for 2021

Also,

Commissioner Roger Goodell said that a vote on a 17-game season is on the agenda for the league meetings set for later this month

[AdolfOliverBush]

They're obviously making tons of cash already, but if I was an NFL player, I'd be pretty pissed about being told to work more for the same amount of money.

[cosmo20002]

Source: 17-game season a done deal for 2021
Posted by Mike Florio on March 18, 2021, 6:55 PM EDT
NFL: SEP 17 Seahawks at Bears
Getty Images

With new TV deals in place, the NFL will have a new-look regular season.

For the first time since 1978, the NFL will expand the total number of games that count from 16 to 17. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the league will adopt 17 games for 2021.

Earlier today, Commissioner Roger Goodell said that a vote on a 17-game season is on the agenda for the league meetings set for later this month. The only question left to conclusively resolve is whether the league will have three or two preseason games.

The league most likely will stick with three preseason games, in order to retain the total 20-game season. Before the NFL played 16 regular-season games and four preseason games, the NFL had 14 regular-season games and six preseason games.

Also, a 17-and-3 model would allow the NFL to eventually expand to 18, with the ability to trade a reduction to two preseason games when the next season expansion inevitably occurs.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/18/source-17-game-season-a-done-deal-for-2021/

How fucking stupid was that?

[cosmo20002]

I'd like to think that nothing is going to stop the Chiefs from contending for the next many Mahomes years, but someone is going to be pissed missing out on the playoffs or a top seed/bye week/playoff home game when they had to play 9 road games and the other team got 9 home games.

[RunKC]

The NFLPA needs to be demanding a 2nd bye week during the regular season. That’s too many games for these guys to go with just one break.

Ideally it’s one bye in the first half and one in the second

[ThaVirus]

So every football record becomes meaningless so the owners can make money off... One more game. That barely does anything to improve the playoff picture. Mahomes 5000/50 season a few years ago will be harder to understand a decade from now.

Then the NFL saw the nfc east debacle and thought we need MORE teams in the playoffs?

Can't hate this decision more. If you want more money, then give another bye week and extend the TV contract out a week.

We'll adjust to the stats like we did after switching from a 14-game season (or was it 12?).

Stats are already inflated with the new rules these days anyway.

[Old Dog]

someone is going to be pissed missing out on the playoffs or a top seed/bye week/playoff home game when they had to play 9 road games and the other team got 9 home games.

I thought that the plan was to have interconference games with the AFC having the home games one year and the NFC the next. That would prevent what you're talking about.

[chiefzilla1501]

We'll adjust to the stats like we did after switching from a 14-game season (or was it 12?).

Stats are already inflated with the new rules these days anyway.

That was 43 years ago. Sure, stats are inflated. But even today we're still comparing today's players to Marino and rice and Gonzalez/gates.
Mahomes 5000/50 milestone goes from being a rare achievement to something plenty achievable. Peyton and brees career passing records will be way easier to shatter. I don't think people will appreciate how much this screws with nfl history... All for a pure money grab

[cosmo20002]

I thought that the plan was to have interconference games with the AFC having the home games one year and the NFC the next. That would prevent what you're talking about.

I suppose they could avoid it like that, but I haven't seen the plan.

[Bearcat]

I thought that the plan was to have interconference games with the AFC having the home games one year and the NFC the next. That would prevent what you're talking about.

An NFC game lined up by the previous season's records would help this terrible idea... there are so few marquee games, having another potential division leader every season would be nice.

[Old Dog]

An NFC game lined up by the previous season's records would help this terrible idea... there are so few marquee games, having another potential division leader every season would be nice.

I could be misremembering but I thought someone posted the possible games for next year a month or so ago....AFC West would host the NFC north so KC would get the Packers.....damn, I gotta go find it now

[Old Dog]

Here it is, from Peter King on the 4th of March:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2021-nfl-schedule-release-expected-in-may-with-17-games-possible-monday-playoff-game-per-reports/

AFC will host the 17th game. The AFC and NFC will alternate hosting duties for the 17th game every year and for 2021, it looks like the AFC will start things off with the NFC hosting in 2022.

No extra bye. There had been some speculation that the NFL might add a second bye to the schedule, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. The 17 games will be played over 18 weeks.

Monday wild card game might happen. For the 2020 season, the NFL gave us a triple-header on Saturday and Sunday of Super Wild Card Weekend. However, that could be changing and that's because the league is giving some serious thought to moving one of the games to Monday. The NFL wanted to do this last season, but the Monday of Super Wild Card Weekend was the same day as the college football national title game, so it nixed the idea. The likeliest scenario would have two games on Saturday, three games on Sunday and one game on Monday.

Super Bowl to be pushed back a week. With the regular-season schedule set to be played over 18 weeks (instead of 17), that means the Super Bowl is going to be pushed back a week. If this happens, that means Super Bowl LVI will be played on Feb. 13, which would be the latest that any Super Bowl has been played (Feb. 7 is the currently the latest the game has been played). The NFL's only other option would be to start the season earlier, but moving the openers up one week would mean playing over Labor Day weekend and the league wants to avoid that.
King also noted that the NFL will likely be scheduling two Christmas games this year, which isn't that surprising since the league has been known to do that when Christmas is on a Saturday, as it is this year.

Finally, if you're wondering who your favorite team will be playing in that special 17th game, here are the 16 games that will be added to the schedule if the NFL approves a 17th game:

Packers at Chiefs
Bears at Raiders
Vikings at Chargers
Lions at Broncos
Seahawks at Steelers
Rams at Ravens
Cardinals at Browns
49ers at Bengals
Saints at Titans
Buccaneers at Colts
Panthers at Texans
Falcons at Jaguars
Washington at Bills
Giants at Dolphins
Cowboys at Patriots
Eagles at Jets

The formula is slightly complicated, but basically, it will go like this: The cross-conference match-ups will be based on the cross-conference division that each team played two years ago. Each team will play one opponent from that division that finished in the same spot in the prior year's standings.

For instance, the AFC West played the NFC North in 2019, so each team in that division will play one game against the NFC North in 2021 and the opponent will be against the team that finished in the same spot in the 2020 standings. This is how you get Packers at Chiefs (first place vs. first place) and Bears at Raiders (second place at second place). The other 17th game match-ups are NFC East vs. AFC East, NFC South vs. AFC South and NFC West vs. AFC North.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Here it is, from Peter King on the 4th of March:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2021-nfl-schedule-release-expected-in-may-with-17-games-possible-monday-playoff-game-per-reports/

AFC will host the 17th game. The AFC and NFC will alternate hosting duties for the 17th game every year and for 2021, it looks like the AFC will start things off with the NFC hosting in 2022.

No extra bye. There had been some speculation that the NFL might add a second bye to the schedule, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. The 17 games will be played over 18 weeks.

Monday wild card game might happen. For the 2020 season, the NFL gave us a triple-header on Saturday and Sunday of Super Wild Card Weekend. However, that could be changing and that's because the league is giving some serious thought to moving one of the games to Monday. The NFL wanted to do this last season, but the Monday of Super Wild Card Weekend was the same day as the college football national title game, so it nixed the idea. The likeliest scenario would have two games on Saturday, three games on Sunday and one game on Monday.

Super Bowl to be pushed back a week. With the regular-season schedule set to be played over 18 weeks (instead of 17), that means the Super Bowl is going to be pushed back a week. If this happens, that means Super Bowl LVI will be played on Feb. 13, which would be the latest that any Super Bowl has been played (Feb. 7 is the currently the latest the game has been played). The NFL's only other option would be to start the season earlier, but moving the openers up one week would mean playing over Labor Day weekend and the league wants to avoid that.
King also noted that the NFL will likely be scheduling two Christmas games this year, which isn't that surprising since the league has been known to do that when Christmas is on a Saturday, as it is this year.

Finally, if you're wondering who your favorite team will be playing in that special 17th game, here are the 16 games that will be added to the schedule if the NFL approves a 17th game:

Packers at Chiefs
Bears at Raiders
Vikings at Chargers
Lions at Broncos
Seahawks at Steelers
Rams at Ravens
Cardinals at Browns
49ers at Bengals
Saints at Titans
Buccaneers at Colts
Panthers at Texans
Falcons at Jaguars
Washington at Bills
Giants at Dolphins
Cowboys at Patriots
Eagles at Jets

The formula is slightly complicated, but basically, it will go like this: The cross-conference match-ups will be based on the cross-conference division that each team played two years ago. Each team will play one opponent from that division that finished in the same spot in the prior year's standings.

For instance, the AFC West played the NFC North in 2019, so each team in that division will play one game against the NFC North in 2021 and the opponent will be against the team that finished in the same spot in the 2020 standings. This is how you get Packers at Chiefs (first place vs. first place) and Bears at Raiders (second place at second place). The other 17th game match-ups are NFC East vs. AFC East, NFC South vs. AFC South and NFC West vs. AFC North.

Another reason why this is dumb?

A week 18 or 19 'marquee' matchup, in which Mahomes and Rodgers may very well BOTH not be playing if their playoff seeding is locked up and don't really have anything to play for . . . . .

No team is gonna risk injury to their star player/players, if not necessary, just so the NFL can make more money.


This is not gonna go the way the NFL wants it to go.

[TEX]

Bummer.

[scho63]

preseason is a fucking scam and shouldn't exist

add another bye week and push the superbowl to presidents weekend so we all get monday off

I like it! :D

[scho63]

So week 17 will have almost zero meaning for any team. What a farce. Greedy pigs gonna be greedy.

[Old Dog]

Another reason why this is dumb?

A week 18 or 19 'marquee' matchup, in which Mahomes and Rodgers may very well BOTH not be playing if their playoff seeding is locked up and don't really have anything to play for . . . . .


Methinks that's the proposed 17th GAMES, not that all will be played on the last week of the season. Moving the divisional games off of the last couple weeks of the season would be foolish.

[Bearcat]

Another reason why this is dumb?

A week 18 or 19 'marquee' matchup, in which Mahomes and Rodgers may very well BOTH not be playing if their playoff seeding is locked up and don't really have anything to play for . . . . .

No team is gonna risk injury to their star player/players, if not necessary, just so the NFL can make more money.


This is not gonna go the way the NFL wants it to go.

I didn't exactly read it that way, but could have missed it... I figure the games will be spread out throughout the season, or else yeah, it's even more pointless.

They seem to like divisional matchups in the last week, so I would think they'd keep it that way. :shrug:

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Methinks that's the proposed 17th GAMES, not that all will be played on the last week of the season. Moving the divisional games off of the last couple weeks of the season would be foolish.

That makes more sense.

I guess I had read it up to this point as though they were intending to make it the 17th game for each team in 2021.

But that very well may not be the case. It certainly, as you say, makes more sense to have divisional games the last few weeks.

[Gary Cooper]

I hope we play Tampa in that 17th game.

[BWillie]

I want less games for Patrick Mahomes to possibly get injured in.