Are you ready for some (additional) football?
The NFL officially expanded the regular-season schedule to 17 games on Tuesday, marking the first time the schedule has been changed since 1978, when the league made the jump from 14 to 16 games.
"This is a monumental moment in NFL history," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "The CBA with the players and the recently completed media agreements provide the foundation for us to enhance the quality of the NFL experience for our fans. And one of the benefits of each team playing 17 regular-season games is the ability for us to continue to grow our game around the world."
How will a 17th game impact not only the regular season, but also the playoffs and Super Bowl 56? Let's break it down.
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What NFL schedule expansion means for regular season, playoffs, Super Bowl
- The preseason will be reduced from four games to three for each team.
- No extra bye week. NFL teams will play 17 games across 18 weekends.
- The first day of the regular season will be Sept. 9, 2021.
- The last day of the regular season will be Jan. 9, 2022.
- NBC Sports' Peter King recently reported that wild-card weekend could feature two games on Jan. 15, 2022; three games on Jan. 16, 2022; and one game on Jan. 17, 2022. The NFL did not confirm those dates as part of its announcement.
- The Pro Bowl will take place on Feb. 6, 2022.
- Super Bowl 56, originally scheduled for Feb. 6, 2022, will slide back to Feb. 13, 2022.
What are the matchups for the NFL's 17th game?
Here is each team's 17th game:
- Washington Football Team at Bills
- Giants at Dolphins
- Cowboys at Patriots
- Eagles at Jets
- Seahawks at Steelers
- Rams at Ravens
- Cardinals at Browns
- 49ers at Bengals
- Saints at Titans
- Buccaneers at Colts
- Panthers at Texans
- Falcons at Jaguars
- Packers at Chiefs
- Bears at Raiders
- Vikings at Chargers
- Lions at Broncos
The full 2021 NFL schedule has not yet been released.
How did NFL players react to schedule expansion?
The current NFL collective bargaining agreement allowed the league's owners to add a 17th game to the schedule, but that doesn't mean players are happy about the change.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara made his stance clear with a four-word tweet: "S— dumb as hell."
Shit dumb... as hell.. https://t.co/HnJ0otzzWp
— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) March 28, 2021
Former Colts defensive back Darius Butler voiced his displeasure, saying the NFL is once again valuing money more than player safety.
17 Games 👎🏿👎🏿
— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) March 28, 2021
Players gonna end up getting more money too. I just don’t think that trade off is worth it. 💰 > Player safety. Forever and always!
— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) March 28, 2021
Torrey Smith and Geoff Schwartz both believe a 17th game is a good move for the league in terms of fan engagement and revenue, but they also expressed concern about a potential increase in player injuries.
17 games in the NFL is great for 💰 but they are going to have to adjust practices and what a regular offseason looks like. Dudes were already falling apart playing 16. As a whole this is great but adjustments have to be made.
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) March 28, 2021
No surprise. More football. As a fan, love it. As a player ... good luck with the extra week https://t.co/bPybNhESyT
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) March 28, 2021