League officially announced it will move to a 17 game schedule starting in 2021

[Numark3]

My only complaints are it is going to change how we think of season cumulative stats (as we are used to it being based on 16 starts).  But we’ll get used to it after a few games.

 

And how are some teams having 8 home games versus 9?

[CowgirlsFan]

4 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Yes.  The AFC East plays the NFLC East this year.

Bills/WFT

I like the Pats playing Dallas and the Chiefs playing Green Bay!

 

No one has said yet but I'm sure it will be scattered around.

Thank you. 

[Doc Brown]

Some more preliminary information if interested.  I apologize about the crudity of these tweets.  Do we really need a MNF WC game?

 

 

[SoCal Deek]

Wouldn’t the smart thing have been to add an extra bye week for each team and extend the season to eighteen weeks? Adds another week of TV but doesn’t over work the players.

[Mark Vader]

7 hours ago, Doc said:

 

Yup.  I eventually see it as being an 18-game season with 2 pre-season games.

That's the goal.

 

They will hold off on that for awhile since the owners got their two extra playoff teams.

[Buffalo03]

7 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

Safety first.........unless there is a chance to increase revenue. Then safety second.

Yeah, now just expand OT back to 15 minute quarters. I mean they have done everything else at this point

[Paup 1995MVP]

7 hours ago, Logic said:

1. It shows no care whatsoever for player safety or the quality of the games. As it is, by week 17 of the NFL season, many teams are the walking wounded and bear no resemblance to the team that began the season.

2. It makes 43 years worth of statistical records useless. 

3. There is no evidence that fans actually WANT an extra week of football. Indeed, some polls that have been taken showed that fans were AGAINST expanding the season.

4. There are plenty of ways to continue to increase revenue other than trying to fix what ain't broke with regard to the schedule length.

5. The NFL would become the only major pro sport to have an odd number of games instead of an even number of games.

6. The NFL is the greatest sport there is. It's massively popular and rakes in billions of dollars. Why does the league continually insist on tinkering with it, when it's already the most popular sport in the country just the way it is?


-- I'm all for getting rid of 1 or 2 preseason games. I don't like expanding the regular season. I don't see the need for it, and I worry that the NFL will just go on adjusting and tinkering with things in perpetuity with a league that doesn't really seem to need the alterations. I'm concerned that the NFL's never-ending greed will eventually mean the downfall of the game that we all love so much. They just don't seem to know when to leave well enough alone.

You need to relax bro.  Its more football.  That's not a bad thing on any level.  To get that worked up about it, that's not good.  Try focusing on other sports in the offseason like the NCAA Bball tournament or Nascar.  It will take the edge off.  Most of our lives are full of stress.  The NFL going to 17 games is not stressful.  Go take a big hit and calm the F down.....

[Buffalo03]

23 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

Some more preliminary information if interested.  I apologize about the crudity of these tweets.  Do we really need a MNF WC game?

 

 

Why not just move the season opener to Labor Day weekend? The regular season being dragged to almost mid January seems crazy

[HappyDays]

Eh I don't hate one extra game. Having an additional cross-conference game every year will increase the variety a little. I do worry that the NFL will keep scaling up the number of games and that eventually it will lead to more injuries and players' bodies breaking down earlier in their careers. They should definitely give every team 2 bye weeks, there's really no excuse not to.

[The Red King]

1 hour ago, Crayola64 said:

My only complaints are it is going to change how we think of season cumulative stats (as we are used to it being based on 16 starts).  But we’ll get used to it after a few games.

 

And how are some teams having 8 home games versus 9?

 

By conference.  See my prior reply.  This year all the AFC teams are home for the extra game.  Next year it'll be the NFC.

[Nelius]

I don't really like this. The stat nerd side of me hates this completely, and then it's all well and good until your QB shatters his knee in the 17th week. On the other hand, an extra week of football. Guess it's a done deal so hopefully we see some kind of consideration for players - maybe 2 bye weeks, absolutely no short weeks. I know there have been a few cases of teams having to play Sunday and then the following Thursday and that definitely shouldn't happen with this longer season.

[Doc Brown]

1 hour ago, Buffalo03 said:

Why not just move the season opener to Labor Day weekend? The regular season being dragged to almost mid January seems crazy

Pry worried about ratings with it being the unofficial last weekend of summer as so many people our outdoors (cookouts, beach, traveling, etc..).

[transplantbillsfan]

So according to Peter King the 17th game comes against a single cross conference opponent that each team matches up with. 1st place vs 1st place and so on.

 

We pulled Washington in Week 17 

[nucci]

5 hours ago, Crayola64 said:

My only complaints are it is going to change how we think of season cumulative stats (as we are used to it being based on 16 starts).  But we’ll get used to it after a few games.

 

And how are some teams having 8 home games versus 9?

same as the move from 14 to 16 games

[Doc Brown]

2 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

So according to Peter King the 17th game comes against a single cross conference opponent that each team matches up with. 1st place vs 1st place and so on.

 

We pulled Washington in Week 17 

He said the extra game would be 1st vs. 1st place.  I've seen no reports so far that those games would take place in week 17.  My guess is we'll still pry get a divisional opponent the final game.

[Mr. WEO]

13 hours ago, SirAndrew said:

True, the players want more money. They always talk a big game about safety until money is on the line. My only argument is about the quality of the game. I hate Thursday Night Football. The product is trash, but fans are eating it up. More football doesn’t equal better football. Wasn’t the 17th game supposed to originally be a neutral site game to balance out the odd number ? If so, that’s additional travel for two teams. Much like Thursday Night Football it lowers the quality of play. 

 

 

The quality of play isn't affected by it being Thursday night.  It's the occasional bad matchups.  This has changed over the years. But TNF beats MNF regularly.

[quinnearlysghost88]

15 hours ago, Logic said:

1. It shows no care whatsoever for player safety or the quality of the games. As it is, by week 17 of the NFL season, many teams are the walking wounded and bear no resemblance to the team that began the season.

2. It makes 43 years worth of statistical records useless. 

3. There is no evidence that fans actually WANT an extra week of football. Indeed, some polls that have been taken showed that fans were AGAINST expanding the season.

4. There are plenty of ways to continue to increase revenue other than trying to fix what ain't broke with regard to the schedule length.

5. The NFL would become the only major pro sport to have an odd number of games instead of an even number of games.

6. The NFL is the greatest sport there is. It's massively popular and rakes in billions of dollars. Why does the league continually insist on tinkering with it, when it's already the most popular sport in the country just the way it is?


-- I'm all for getting rid of 1 or 2 preseason games. I don't like expanding the regular season. I don't see the need for it, and I worry that the NFL will just go on adjusting and tinkering with things in perpetuity with a league that doesn't really seem to need the alterations. I'm concerned that the NFL's never-ending greed will eventually mean the downfall of the game that we all love so much. They just don't seem to know when to leave well enough alone.

2.  Is huge. The regular season record books are worthless now. 

[Heavy Kevi]

Shocked there are people complaining.

 

Safety concerns? They are already significant as the league currently sits. 1 game does not drastically alter this.

 

Odd number of games? Can't figure out why literally anyone complains about this.

 

NFL greed? Like it just got here? C'mon then stop giving them money.

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it? OK- but that's not how we operate in literally anything else. Imagine the guy "why are we making paper, stone tablets and chisels work just fine".

 

It seems to me this will end up with expanded rosters (more players get paid), larger salary cap, less pre-season, and more football to watch. I can't think of any legitimate complaint from a fan perspective. The only complaint I could even take seriously is players on a current contract playing for less per game- but of course even this will be adjusted given a couple seasons to transition.

[Doc]

9 hours ago, Beast said:

Go to an 18 game schedule, starting in mid to late August, and give each team 4 bye weeks over a 22 week regular season. The season would then end mid to late February with the Super Bowl.

 

26 weeks of football. I can dig it.

 

Four bye weeks?  Pshaw, you're thinking small.  It should be 17.  Give them a bye every other week.

 

8 hours ago, Mark Vader said:

That's the goal.

 

They will hold off on that for awhile since the owners got their two extra playoff teams.

 

Yeah they will hold off until the next TV contracts.

[MrSarcasm]

I agree that by adding a 17th game the NFL has ZERO regard for the players saftey!! 

 

To solve this issue I say they should go back to playing  12 games and if anyone disagrees with this they don't care about the players saftey-quality of life and are a evil league/corporation/person.