NFL Schedule Released As 2021 To Begin 17-Game Season Era

ACROSS AMERICA — Football fans everywhere can start circling the wins and losses, and begin making fall plans, now that the 2021 NFL regular season schedule has been revealed. The 2021 schedule features 17 games for all teams, including six divisional contests and other intriguing matchups.

The 2021 season will be the longest in the history of the NFL, as the league approved the expansion from 16 to 17 games earlier in the offseason. In the new scheduling format, all American Football Conference teams will host an additional game in odd years, and all National Football Conference teams get an extra home game in even years.

The NFL will kick off the 2021 regular season on Thursday, Sept. 9, when the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. Tom Brady, the Buccaneers' quarterback who has won a record seven Super Bowl championships, is expected to enter his 22nd NFL season by getting the start on opening night.

Other prime time contests scheduled for week one include the Chicago Bears visiting the Los Angeles Rams on "Sunday Night Football" and the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Las Vegas Raiders on "Monday Night Football."

Three games are scheduled for Thanksgiving, which falls on Nov. 25 this year. The Bears will visit the Detroit Lions before the Raiders play in Dallas against the Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills go to New Orleans to play the Saints in the holiday nightcap.

With the regular season extended an extra week, the traditional Week 17 division rivalry matchups will be held in Week 18. Division championships could be on the line with a full slate set for Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, including the Cowboys visiting the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Baltimore against the Ravens.