The NFL regular season spans four months, with 18 weeks of action-packed football starting on September 5th and running until January 5th. This year, fans can look forward to 272 regular season games (17 per team). Including the three preseason weeks, starting with the Bears vs. Texans on August 1st, and the three playoff rounds plus the Super Bowl on February 9th, the NFL delivers an incredible seven months of football excitement.
Physically, it’s extremely challenging for players to stay healthy throughout the entire season. Many players expressed concerns in 2021 when the NFL expanded the schedule from 16 to 17 games per team, and now there’s talk of adding yet another game to make it 18. This increased demand pushes the limits of physical endurance to levels that few athletes can sustain. Joe Burrow of the Bengals mentioned on “Pardon My Take” that if the NFL extends to 18 games, there should be two bye weeks. He suggested that one of these bye weeks should be around Week 13 for the entire NFL, with Pro Bowl festivities during that week, like the NBA’s All-Star weekend. This change could boost Pro Bowl ratings, which have been low in recent years despite various modifications.
Supply and demand
The idea seems beneficial as it aims to keep players healthy for the final stretch of the season, ensuring top performances as teams push for the playoffs. The continuous demand from fans has led the NFL to explorenew ways to engage audiences, including streaming two games on Netflix. Alongside the traditional Thanksgiving Day games, there will now be games on Black Friday and Christmas, continuing a trend from the past two years.
Adding to the challenge is the increasing number of international games, which require long travel and add to players’ fatigue. This season will feature five international games, starting with the first-ever game in Brazil in Week 1 between Green Bay and Philadelphia. There will also be three games in London and a final game in Germany for the third consecutive season.
The season opener will be a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Ravens in Kansas City. This matchup features the league’s last two MVPs, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, in what could be a playoff preview and a thrilling rematch of the last AFC Championship game. As the season approaches, fans and players alike are gearing up for what promises to be a thrilling and demanding NFL season, filled with high-stakes games and unforgettable moments.