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The schedule for the 2021 NFL season has been revealed. The biggest change in regards to the schedule is its length. This season, there will be 18 weeks and an extra game for each team.
This additional game will impact several aspects of the game. Thus, the biggest takeaways focus on this change.
Here are five takeaways from the NFL schedule.
5 takeaways from the NFL schedule reveal
#1 - No Monday Night Football Double-Header in Week 1
Only one NFL game will be played on the first Monday of the 2021 NFL season. In years past, there have been two games on the first Monday of the season.
The second game has often featured the Denver Broncos. One explanation for the change could be in order to compensate for the addition of the Week 17 game.
#2 - Monday Night Football will be weak, again
The least interesting stretch of games on Monday Night Football appears to begin in Week 7 and end in Week 11.
This stretch starts with the New Orleans Saints taking on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7. In Week 8, the New York Giants battle the Kansas City Chiefs.
The following week sees the Chicago Bears take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Post that, the Los Angeles Rams will face the 49ers, which could be good.
Lastly, the New York Giants will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Super Bowl champs. There aren't many exciting games to look forward to on Monday Night Football this season.
#3 - 2021 NFL season starts late and ends late
The first Sunday games will be held on September 12th. While that doesn't feel much later on paper, the NFL playoffs will not start until mid-January. Meanwhile, the Super Bowl, which has been held as early as February 1st in years past, will now be played on February 13th.
#4 - No more .500 teams
Some have disliked the 8-8 record as it is impossible to decipher whether a team is good and improving or needs an overhaul. Due to the addition of the 17th game, records will only end in two ways: with winners and losers.
#5 - Individual records will be easier to break
Due to the addition of the 17th game, players will now have a better chance of toppling some of the NFL's long-standing individual records.
A running back will now have to average just 59 yards a game to have a 1000-yard rushing season. Quarterbacks will now have to average just 294 passing yards a game to crack 5000 yards.
The feat, which has been achieved by only 11 quarterbacks in NFL history, could have 11 more names added to the list by the end of the 2021 season.
