Why Is There 18 Weeks In the NFL Season This Year?
The NFL season is 18 weeks long this year because the league added two additional playoff teams. That means there are more games to enjoy and more chances for your favorite team to make it to the postseason!
The NFL Season
The National Football League (NFL) regular season typically consists of 16 games played over 17 weeks, with one bye week for each team. However, this season there are 18 weeks in the NFL season. So, why the extra weeks?
How long is the NFL season?
The NFL season is made up of 17 regular season weeks, where each team plays 16 games and has one bye week. The bye week is a scheduled break for each team during the season, and it falls at different times for each team.
In addition to the 17 regular season weeks, there are also three post-season weeks: the Wild Card weekend, the Divisional playoffs, and the Conference championships. The Super Bowl is played on the first Sunday in February, which is considered Week 18 of the NFL season.
This year, the NFL season is 18 weeks long because there is an additional bye week built into the schedule. The extra bye week was added to accommodate for any potential disruptions that could occur due to Covid-19.
So far, the NFL season has been proceeding as planned, but it remains to be seen if any games will need to be rescheduled or canceled due to Covid-19 outbreaks among teams.
How many weeks are in the NFL season?
As it stands right now, there are 18 weeks in the NFL season. This is because there are 16 games in a season and each team has a bye week. Therefore, there needs to be 17 weeks to accommodate all of the games and bye weeks. In a typical year, the NFL season starts on the Thursday after Labor Day and ends on the first Sunday in January. However, this year, the season is starting on September 10 and will end on January 3.
What is the NFL season schedule?
The National Football League (NFL) regular season typically begins on the Thursday night after Labor Day and runs for 17 weeks until late December or early January. Each team plays 16 games and has one bye week. The NFL playoffs follow a similar schedule, running from early January to February.
The NFL season schedule is set by the league’s owners at their annual meeting, typically held in late May or early June. The league’s 32 teams are divided into two conferences — the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) — each of which is further divided into four divisions.
Within each division, each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once on the road. That gives each team a total of 16 games. In addition, each team plays two games against teams from the other conference — one game at home and one on the road — for a total of 18 games.
The NFL typically schedules its season so that each team has one bye week during the 17-week regular season schedule. However, in 2020, the league expanded the regular season to 18 weeks due to COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, all teams will have two bye weeks during the 2020 season.
The 18-Week Season
There are a lot of factors that go into why the NFL season is 18 weeks long. The main reason is that the NFL wants to have a balance between having enough time for each team to play every other team, and not having the season drag on too long. But there are other factors too, like how many games each team needs to play to make the playoffs, and how many bye weeks each team gets. Let’s take a closer look.
Why is there 18 weeks in the NFL season this year?
The reason for the change is two-fold. First, the NFL pushed back its start date by a week in order to accommodate the rescheduling of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Second, the league negotiated a new television contract that gives it more flexibilty in scheduling games. Under the new contract, which runs through 2033, the NFL will be able to air games on Thursday nights, Monday nights, and on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the regular season.
How will the 18-week season affect the NFL schedule?
The National Football League announced that the 2020 NFL season will be reduced from 16 games to 15 games per team. How will the 18-week season affect the NFL schedule?
The 18-week season will feature nine weeks of division play and three weeks of cross-division play. The final week of the regular season will be devoted to divisional match-ups. The playoff format will not change.
What is the advantage of playing 18 weeks?
The extra week gives teams more flexibility in scheduling bye weeks and provides an additional week of divisional play, which is always popular with fans. In addition, the extra week gives the NFL a chance to showcase all 32 teams on prime time television.
What are the disadvantages of playing 18 weeks?
The primary disadvantage is that it creates an additional game that must be rescheduled if it is postponed or canceled due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. In addition, some players and coaches may prefer the shorter 16-week season because it is less grueling physically and mentally.
What are the benefits of the 18-week season?
The NFL regular season is now 18 weeks long, up from the previous 16. This may not seem like a big change, but it could have a significant impact on the league — and on how we watch football.
So why did the NFL make this change? There are a few potential reasons.
For one, it could be a way to generate more revenue. With two additional games, the NFL can sell more tickets and merchandise, and it can also charge more for television rights.
It could also be a way to make the season more fair. With 16 games, some teams have an easier schedule than others — they might play weaker opponents or have more home games. By lengthening the season, the NFL can ensure that all teams have a similar number of games against comparable opponents.
Finally, the 18-week season could simply be a way to give fans more football. And that’s something that almost everyone can agree on.
The NFL Season Schedule
The NFL season is set to be 18 weeks long this year, with each team playing 17 regular season games and one bye week. The NFL made the decision to expand the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be the first time in the NFL’s history that the season will be this long. Let’s take a look at why the NFL made this decision.
How will the 18-week season affect the NFL schedule?
In order to accommodate the 18-week schedule, the NFL has made some changes to the bye weeks and flex scheduling. Each team will now have one bye week during the season, which will be scheduled between Weeks 4 and 12. The bye weeks are staggered so that no more than two teams are on a bye in any given week.
Flex scheduling will still be in effect for the final six weeks of the season, but it will now be limited to Sundays only. This means that any game that is moved to Sunday due to flex scheduling will still be played at its original time (1:00 p.m. ET or 4:05/4:25 p.m. ET).
What are the benefits of the 18-week season?
The primary benefit of the 18-week season is that it allows each team to play every other team once at home and once on the road. This brings more equity and fairness to the schedule, as each team has an equal chance of success regardless of where they play.
In addition, the 18-week schedule provides more opportunities for fans to see their favorite teams in action. With two bye weeks built into the schedule, every team will be playing every week for 16 weeks straight, meaning that there will always be plenty of football on TV.
Lastly, the extra two weeks of the season allow for a bit more flexibility in terms of scheduling games. In previous years, the NFL has had to deal with weather issues (snowstorms, hurricanes) that have forced them to reschedule games on short notice. With two extra weeks built into the schedule, there is a much better chance that any rescheduled games can be accommodated without affecting the overall integrity of the season.
How will the 18-week season affect the NFL playoffs?
The NFL will have an 18-week regular season for the 2020-21 campaign, meaning that there will be two additional weeks of football compared to the usual 16. How will this affect the NFL playoffs?
The effects of the 18-week season on the NFL playoffs are yet to be determined, as the length of the season has never before been this long. However, it is possible that the extra two weeks could throw off the usual playoff schedule and format.
If the 18-week season does indeed affect the NFL playoffs, then it is likely that the playoff schedule will be pushed back by two weeks. This would mean that Super Bowl LVI would be played on February 13, 2022, instead of February 6 as it is currently scheduled.
