The NFL will bear its first vital regular-season schedule change since 1978, because the homeowners authorized so as to add a seventeenth recreation to the schedule starting in 2021. The change was a 12 months within the making because the homeowners had the choice within the new collective bargaining settlement to extend the variety of regular-season video games per membership to 17 — however no more — at any time. The change will even end result within the league decreasing preseason video games from 4 to a few — the utmost quantity of video games the brand new CBA permits. 

“It is a monumental second in NFL historical past,” stated NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “The CBA with the gamers and the just lately accomplished media agreements present the inspiration for us to boost the standard of the NFL expertise for our followers. And one of many advantages of every staff enjoying 17 regular-season video games is the flexibility for us to proceed to develop our recreation around the globe.”

One of many largest modifications to the schedule would be the interconference alignment for the seventeenth recreation. Groups will play 5 interconference video games as an alternative of 4 as AFC groups will get the house recreation for the 2021 season (which can rotate to the NFC the next season). The NFC East will play the AFC East, NFC West vs AFC North, NFC South vs. AFC South, and NFC North vs. AFC West — because the matchups are decided from division end from the 2020 season. 

Listed below are the matchups for the seventeenth recreation: 

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 Payments
Giants at Dolphins
Cowboys at Patriots
Eagles at Jets  

Underneath new the scheduling components, each staff performs 17 regular-season video games with one bye week. Golf equipment will host 10 video games general – both 9 regular-season video games and one preseason recreation or eight regular-season video games and two preseason video games.

• Dwelling and away towards its three division opponents (six video games).
• The 4 groups from one other division inside its convention on a rotating three-year cycle (4 video games).
• The 4 groups from a division within the different convention on a rotating four-year cycle (4 video games).
• Two intraconference video games primarily based on the prior 12 months’s standings (two video games). These video games match a first-place staff towards the first-place groups within the two same-conference divisions the staff will not be scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place and fourth-place groups in a convention are matched in the identical method every year. 
• One interconference recreation primarily based on the prior 12 months’s standings on a rotating four-year cycle (one recreation). These video games match a first-place staff from one division towards a first-place staff in an reverse convention division that the staff will not be scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place and fourth-place groups in every division are matched in the identical method every year. The house convention for this recreation will rotate every season.

The league will maintain one bye week throughout the season, so the common season will develop from 17 to 18 weeks — pushing the conclusion of the common season to Jan. 9. The season will start on Sept. 9.

The NFL postseason would begin the weekend of Jan. 15-17 and Tremendous Bowl LVI could be performed on Feb. 13, 2022 — the newest Tremendous Bowl kickoff ever. The 2022 Professional Bowl can be performed on Sunday, Feb. 6 — per week earlier than the Tremendous Bowl. 

As well as, 32 golf equipment will play internationally at the least as soon as each eight years. The scheduling of as much as 4 neutral-site video games per 12 months in a rustic outdoors the USA will focus initially on Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and the UK. 

The 2021 NFL schedule can be introduced later this spring.