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Ideas for 17th NFL game


pf9

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Every year, the NFL will likely consider numerous factors in choosing the 17th game for each team. One idea is to have a Super Bowl rematch (from the season before) serve as the 17th game for both teams if their respective divisions aren't already being paired that season. It could potentially serve as the NFL Kickoff Game every year.

Or if two regional rivals who don't share a division (ex. Cowboys-Texans, Giants-Jets, Florida trinity, Chargers-Rams, Eagles-Steelers) are coming off playoff seasons, but were not scheduled to meet through the scheduling formula that would determine 16 of each team's games, such a game could serve as the 17th game for those teams, and potentially be played on SNF.

Also, a team could play in a nearby college stadium if it is big enough, like Browns at OSU, Colts at Notre Dame, or Saints at LSU.

What ideas do you have for a team's 17th game in a given year.

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The only thing that makes sense to me is to add another cross-conference game. For example have the winner of the AFCE play the winner of the NFCE and so on. If they're already playing on in an inter-conference game, they can just play twice. It will add some nice narrative, won't crowd the schedule with match ups we've already seen and neatly puts evenly seeded teams together. 

Either that or simply randomly match teams (excluding teams from their own division).

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Regional rivalries between non-division foes aren't limited to in-state/in-metro area rivalries either.

For example, if the Cardinals and Raiders are both coming off good seasons, but their divisions aren't paired that year, they could meet each other for their 17th game, with it possibly being in primetime.

Same with Bengals-Colts, Eagles-Ravens, Broncos-Cardinals, or even Falcons-Titans.

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Right now no regional rivalry involving cross-division opponents has both teams with winning records at the moment.

However, both the Eagles and Steelers lead their divisions, though the Eagles are 2 games under .500.

If both teams do end up making the playoffs, they should face each other next year for their 17th game, played at Beaver Stadium on the Penn State campus, in front of a primetime audience on SNF.

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10 hours ago, SteelKing728 said:

Make it totally random!

Randomness isn't always the best course.

The NFL wants to make as much money off of each team's 17th game as possible.

Like there could be a lot of high-profile interconference matchups as 17th games because of respective divisions not being paired that year.

Example: The NFL putting one game in Vancouver with one of the teams as the Seahawks. The NFC West gets the AFC South next year. But the NFL wants a team from another AFC division to be Seattle's opponent in Vancouver. Of the AFC division leaders, Baltimore and Kansas City currently have the most marketability for having them play the Seahawks in Vancouver. So it would be either the Ravens or Chiefs who play what amounts to be an effective road game against the Seahawks.

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  • 1 month later...

According to ESPN...

"Goodell said a scheduling formula for a 17th game was approved unanimously but did not immediately provide details. An NFL memo later clarified that the 17th game would be an interconference matchup based on divisional standings and rotating divisions each season."

That's very lazy. Instead, the NFL should consider lots of factors to determine each team's 17th game. Like for example, if the Jaguars and Dolphins both make the playoffs in a season, but did not finish in the same positions in their divisions, and the AFC East and South weren't paired the following season, they could meet each other as their 17th game.

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Messes up the symmetry completely. Just not worth it. They really want to screw over first place teams as well. You can rebalance by going to 18 teams, playing a division intra conference, and pitting 1st and 2nd place finishers intra conference against one another the following year in a round robin (excluding your division opponent). 3rd and 4th place teams grouped together as well. I like the once every 4 year aspect with inter conference games but it doesn’t lead to balance issues at times. 

With the proposed format, you will have to bump the 4 year cycle up a year to included the additional inter division opponent from 2022, if they’d started next year.

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15 hours ago, Starless said:

My idea is to not have one. 

16 teams felt pretty solid, and the scheduling construct was logical

This didn't feel like it was "broken" and certainly didn't get to be "fixed"

But I get it... money

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15 hours ago, Starless said:

My idea is to not have one. 

I'd say... 32 team battle royale.

All offenses on the field vs all defenses on the field at the same time... Everyone is an eligible receiver, throw it to another WR on another team for half a score, maybe even a pack of actual bears and lions, falcons, Texans, 49ers and dolphins let loose on the field...

Don't overthink it and you'll see it's the greatest idea ever...

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2 minutes ago, ET80 said:

I'd say... 32 team battle royale.

All offenses on the field vs all defenses on the field at the same time... Everyone is an eligible receiver, throw it to another WR on another team for half a score, maybe even a pack of actual bears and lions, falcons, Texans, 49ers and dolphins let loose on the field...

Don't overthink it and you'll see it's the greatest idea ever...

and in the end...DK wins.

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On 10/28/2020 at 5:36 PM, pf9 said:

The NFL wants to make as much money off of each team's 17th game as possible.

 

2 minutes ago, ET80 said:

I'd say... 32 team battle royale.

All offenses on the field vs all defenses on the field at the same time... Everyone is an eligible receiver, throw it to another WR on another team for half a score, maybe even a pack of actual bears and lions, falcons, Texans and Dolphins let loose on the field...

Don't overthink it and you'll see it's the greatest idea ever...

Hmmmmm...

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1 minute ago, Hunter2_1 said:

and in the end...DK wins.

Just imagine... Derrick Henry busting through about 18 defenders and then... he's suddenly chased down by a real life kodiak bear. The bear grabs him, starts to ragdoll him, he's screaming "SPUMONI!!!!" the whole time, AJ Brown tries to hit the bear with a towel... Only to be attacked by a bottle nosed dolphin...

tenor.gif?itemid=5134999

I'd pay all the monies to see this.

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