Last week the NFL announced plans for an enhanced schedule. The 17-game regular season will start this fall. AFC teams will host nine regular-season home games this season. The NFC will host nine regular-season home games next season. They will alternate thereafter.
Washington will have an additional game against the Bills in Buffalo due to the change.
Here are the updated 2021 opponents for the Washington Football Team:
Home Games | Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks
Away Games | Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers | Buffalo Bills
2021 Washington Football Team Free Agent Signings
Enhanced Schedule Effects
Will the shorter Pre-Season Schedule counter-balance the extra Regular Season Game? Or will the change cause injury problems? There will be two weeks off between the last preseason game and the opener, instead of one.
Players will still understandably look at an additional regular-season game as additional physical risk for them and question whether any CBA is affording them enough protection now and after they retire. The tradeoff, though, was significant: In coming years, players will share in the new media deals — propelled in part by the promise of more games — reportedly valued at more than $100 billion. That will send the salary cap back up significantly after it dropped this year because of pandemic-related revenue losses. That the CBA was ultimately approved by union members last March says that the slim majority of them believe that was a fair trade.
The complete 2021 NFL schedule, with playing dates and times, will be announced in mid-to-late April.
The 2021 NFL season kicks off on the night of Thursday September 9th. The regular season will end Sunday, January 9th, 2022.