Monday Morning Mailbag: Early Draft Takes and a Schedule Suggestion

[Viktor]

Hello Eric, I've got an idea for the 17th regular-season game, and I wanted to see what you thought about it. Before adding Game 17 to the schedule, I believe the NFL should eliminate the two games played within the conference against the teams who finished in the same place in the previous year. I believe those two games, and Game 17, should be played within the division … so three games against each of the three other divisional teams. The other eight games against another a division in each conference should remain the same. The third divisional game will be played on a neutral field. These games can be played overseas or at other team's stadiums — being a Chicagoan, I would go to Soldier Field to see the Vikings vs. Lions, or Vikings vs. Packers. What do you think?


— John Burchardt


Before we get too deep into this interesting idea from John, it's worth pointing out that there is nothing definite on a 17th game being added to the 2021 schedule. Here's what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said about that topic last week:


"We are looking at the 17-game schedule. ... We've already agreed to that in the Collective Bargaining Agreement," Goodell said. "There's still more work to be done on that. Once the [Super Bowl] is done, we'll turn our focus a little bit more to that. Even though we have that option, we're going to continue to talk."


With that said, John certainly brings up an interesting point. He argues to have nine divisional games instead of the current six, and then play a division in each conference to equal 17 games.


While I like the idea, I do think the logistics of that third divisional game will create more headaches than anything for the league and teams, simply because of the fact John proposes the game be played at a neutral site or overseas.


I can tell you the planning that went into the Vikings 2017 game in London against the Browns was a massive one, and one that a team usually only has to deal with every few seasons. To ask every team to figure out a neutral site or overseas game each season would be a tall ask.


Now, if that third game was a rotation between home stadiums each season (meaning the Vikings played the Packers twice at U.S. Bank Stadium one year, and then twice at Lambeau Field the next season), that's something I could see as more reasonable.


Either way, we shall see what the league decides to do about the potential 17th game in 2021 and beyond.