NFL owners during their virtual meeting today approved expanding the regular season to 17 games and condensing the preseason to 3 games, beginning this year.
"This is a monumental moment in NFL history," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "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."
The NFL regular season will still begin the week after Labor Day on Thursday, September 9, and end Sunday, January 9, 2022. Super Bowl LVI in the Rams House, SoFi Stadium, will take place on Sunday, February 13, 2022. The official 2021 schedule will be announced later this spring.
The home conference for the 17th game will rotate each season. For the 2021 season, the AFC will host the 17th game. This will flip in 2022 with the NFC hosting the 17th game, and so on.
Similar to how the league determines each team's two games against opponents from the two divisions in their same conference that they only play one team in on its schedule, the inter-conference matchup for the 17th game will be based on division ranking from the previous season and aligned with the rotation below on a four-year cycle:
- 2021: AFC NORTH – AWAY
- 2022: AFC EAST – HOME
- 2023: AFC SOUTH – AWAY
- 2024: AFC WEST – HOME
For the Rams, that means their 17th regular season game in 2021 will be against the Ravens – second place in the AFC North in 2020 – in Baltimore. However, in 2022, Rams Season Ticket Members will get an extra home game, at no additional cost, against the AFC East team that finishes in the same place. So get ready to host the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots or Jets!
Not a Rams Season Ticket Member yet? Learn more about how you can be there for 2021 and beyond with a two-year price lock, as well as the exclusive access and offers that come with being a Season Ticket Member, here.
