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Folks, according to Adam Schefter, the NFL is officially going to be adding a 17th game to their season for the 2021 NFL season. This is massive news as the league has not added games since the 1978 season.
It’s very likely that the first question on every fan’s mind is “who will my favorite team be playing against for the 17th game?” Luckily for you, we’ve got you covered.
It’s important to note that each year the designated home team for the “extra” game will switch from conference to conference with the AFC hosting the game in the 2021 season. This is to keep things fair and make sure that all teams in the same conference play the same amount of home games.
While it’s unclear exactly what the rotation will be for each year, we know who the opponents are going to be for the 2021 season. Each team from one division in one conference will play the same place finisher from one division in the other conference. For example, the 3rd place Dallas Cowboys will play the 3rd place New England Patriots next year.
Let’s get into a full division by division breakdown!
NFC East vs. AFC East
The first two divisions we will look at are the NFC East versus the AFC East. There are some quality matchups in here and you can bet your life that at least one of these will be a primetime game. Here are the matchups:
- Washington Football Team vs. Buffalo Bills
- New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins
- Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots
- Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Jets
NFC North vs. AFC West
These matchups are going to be fun. This division is also host of the best 1 vs. 1 matchup in the entire league with two of the best quarterbacks of all time going up against each other! Here’s how the matchups break down:
- Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Chicago Bears vs. Las Vegas Raiders
- Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Chargers
- Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos
NFC South vs. AFC South
Here’s another region vs. region matchup that is sure to entertain! Remember, the Saints did win the NFC South even though the Buccaneers ended up winning the Super Bowl so the Saints technically are the first place team from last season in the NFC South.
- New Orleans Saints vs. Tennessee Titans
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Indianapolis Colts
- Carolina Panthers vs. Houston Texans
- Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
NFC West vs. AFC North
Last but most certainly not least, we’ve got some fun cross-country matchups in our final division to break down. This may arguably be the most even slate across the board.
- Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Baltimore Ravens
- Arizona Cardinals vs. Cleveland Browns
- San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals