After holding a virtual meeting Tuesday, the NFL has approved of a 17-game regular season. For the Jacksonville Jaguars, that means the Atlanta Falcons will visit them Week 17 at TIAA Bank Field.
The decision comes after adding a regular season game was one of the key elements in the last Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was agreed upon last March. The next step that got the needle moving was the league ironing out a new television deal worth over $100 billion.
“This is a monumental moment in NFL history,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. “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 17th game for all teams will be a cross-conference NFC vs. AFC matchup with the division the team faced two years before. For the Jags that would be the NFC South, which consists of the Falcons, Tampa Bay Bucs, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers.
The Jags will face the Falcons due to them having a corresponding ranking last season as both finished fourth in their respective divisions. The format will also match the Tennessee Titans up with the New Orleans Saints as first-place teams, the Tampa Bay Bucs up with the Indianapolis Colts (second place teams), and the Carolina Panthers up with the Houston Texans (third place teams). Additionally, all of the AFC teams will serve as the home teams (just like the Jags), while the opposite will happen in 2022.