Final week’s slate proves NFL season is 2 weeks too long

There are currently 16 games played in a full week of the NFL’s 17-week schedule.

Week 17’s slate had four games with no meaning toward the playoffs – either qualifying or seeding. Next week will see several more that will have no real meaning.

In fact, we’re seeing teams shutting down players with games left to play. Even when they don’t appear that seriously injured.

And don’t even get the NFL started on its “tanking” teams.

The NFL shifted to a 16-week schedule in 1978 and kept it until 1990, when the 16-games over-17-week schedule was born.

One of the then NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue’s less than ideal ideas.

The 2021 season brought us 17-games on an 18-week schedule and now the NFL is talking about going to 18 games.

The NFL fully believes in addition by expansion. The correct answer may be the reverse.

The way ahead for the NFL is to embrace addition by subtraction.

It’s time to return to the 16 games in a 16-week schedule.

The Solution

That means no more bye weeks. No more regular season games outside the United States either.

Roger Goodell can have his beloved international games played in the preseason.

Goodell also needs to end weekly Thursday night games with one obvious exception. Play the Thanksgiving Day games.

That week should be the only time in the season that a game is played on any day other than Sunday or Monday night.

No more double-headers on Monday night either.

The schedule needs one more tweak as well.

Teams play their division rivals four times a year, two games at home and two away. The remaining four games will be against teams in another division.

Those will rotate, so you play those four teams once every seven years.

That will make the division winners much more important, especially if you make the playoffs division winners only.

No more wildcards. No more first week byes.

To that end, one final change needs to be made.