The NFL announced on Tuesday that team owners have approved a 17-game regular-season schedule beginning with the 2021 season.
The 17th game will feature teams from the opposite conference that finished in the same place within their division the previous season. AFC teams will be the home conference in 2021.
“This is a monumental moment in NFL history,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “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.”
Below are new matchups that have been added to the 2021 NFL schedule:
- Washington 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
With the addition of the 17th regular-season game, the NFL has reduced the preseason by one to three games. The 2021 regular-season will begin on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 and will conclude on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022.
The playoffs for the 2021 season will begin on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022 with the Wild-Card Round. The season will conclude with Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022.
Below is additional information on the new NFL scheduling formula:
- Home and away against its three division opponents (six games).
- The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (four games).
- The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (four games).
- Two intraconference games based on the prior year’s standings (two games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.
- One interconference game based on the prior year’s standings on a rotating four-year cycle (one game). These games match a first-place team from one division against a first-place team in an opposite conference division that the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place 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 NFL also announced today that all 32 teams will play internationally at least once in an eight-year period beginning in 2022.
NFL SCHEDULES
- NFL Schedule (Composite)
- NFL Team Schedules (Team-by-team)
- NFL Preseason Schedule
- NFL Playoff Schedule