Well if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan (or a fan of any of the NFL’s other 31 teams), you had to know that this was coming. Heck, we’ve heard about it for so long that, depending on what side of the fence you sit on, you have to be somewhere between theories that state ‘we’re still talking about this?’ and ‘can we get on with it already?’ to ‘they’re really trying to kill these guys’.
Since 1978, the NFL has gone the route of a 16-game regular season. Sometime during the final days of March and the first few days of April, league officials will discuss the possible addition of a 17th regular-season game. The new collective bargaining agreement that was agreed upon in 2020 allowed the league to expand to 17 games as soon as this calendar year.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted this out on the final Sunday of March.
NFL is expected to expand the regular season schedule this week to 17 games. The league had played a 16-game regular season schedule since 1978, by far the longest stretch without a change in NFL history.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 28, 2021
Cross your fingers if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan.
Again, even if you’re a casual fan, you know that we’ve been hearing about this for quite some time, but we may witness something concrete this week. Only Heaven can help the Birds now as, over the past few seasons, they’ve rarely been able to make it to the finish line of a 16-game regular-season schedule with the roster intact.
Last year, two additional teams were added to the playoff bracket, and the feedback was positive. Perhaps we’ll see some similar positivity here as it’s hard to argue with anything that gives the fans more football to watch.
The Philadelphia Eagles will, no doubt, be watching this closely.
Okay, let’s be honest. This is actually better news for the fans and owners than it is for the players. The NFL’s schedule is a grind.
It doesn’t sound like much, but an extra game has to be viewed as another opportunity for injury and stress to the mind and spirit of the guys who take the field and put their bodies of the line every Sunday for everyone’s entertainment.
These guys are more than Madden rankings and points on your Fantasy football team. They’re people. Imagine taking one more flight or having to endure one more week of collision and punishment.
Now, we’ll still have to wait and see if this means teams will receive a second bye week or what have you, but if there is the 17th game in the cards for Philadelphia, hopefully, it will be an extra home game. Then again, with the way the Eagles play at home sometimes, maybe playing at a neutral site is a better idea.