NFL approves 17-game schedule; Patriots add home date vs. Cowboys in 2021

Roger Goodell.

By Katie McInerney, The Boston Globe

March 30, 2021

2 minutes to read

It’s official: The NFL regular season will now feature 17 games.

Owners voted on Tuesday to approve the proposal that expanded the regular-season slate, the first major change to the season structure since the league adopted its 16-game regular season and four-game preseason in 1978.

As part of the agreement, the number of preseason games will be reduced to three.

For the Patriots, this means a ninth home game at Gillette Stadium in 2021. They will host the Dallas Cowboys on a date to be announced.

“This is a monumental moment in NFL history,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in an NFL press release. “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 recently announced major new broadcast rights deals with CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC/ESPN totaling $110 billion beginning with the 2023 season.

Here’s how the NFL schedule will be crafted going forward, with one bye week. Each team will host 10 games, including preseason contests:

· Six games (three home, three away) between divisional opponents. For the Patriots, that includes the Jets, Bills, and Dolphins.

· Four games against teams in a division within the team’s conference on a three-year rotation. In 2021, the Patriots will play the AFC South: Colts, Titans, Texans, and Jaguars.

· Four games against teams in a division in the other conference on a four-year rotation. In 2021, the Patriots will play teams in the NFC South: Buccaneers, Saints, Panthers, and Falcons.

· Two games against teams within the conference, in the divisions not scheduled to play each other, paired up based on last season’s standings. The Patriots finished third in the AFC East, so they will play the Chargers (third in the AFC West) and the Browns (third in the AFC North).

· One game against a team in the other conference, based on last year’s standings and on a four-year rotation. In 2021, the Patriots will play the Cowboys, who finished third in the NFC East.

The NFL also announced every team will play an international game at least once every eight years.