Is an 18 game season still a good idea?

[CGI_Ram]

The NFL has become a game of Survivor.

By the time we reach the playoffs, does it come down to who is healthest as opposed to the best team assembled?

Jimmy G, Kyler Murray… starting QB’s lost in recent weeks… And we have 4 games to go.

Currently there are 312 players on IR. LINK. How many will we have after 17 games?

2021 we saw 343 for the season, by the end.

2020 had 300 at the end.

Is 18 games still/ever a good idea?

 

[Loyal]

The NFL has become a game of Survivor.

By the time we reach the playoffs, does it comes down to who is healthiest as opposed to the best team assembled?

Jimmy G, Kyler Murray… starting QB’s lost in recent weeks… And we have 4 games to go.

Currently there are 312 players on IR. LINK. How many will we have after 17 games?

2021 we saw 343 for the season, by the end.

2020 had 300 at the end.

Is 18 games still/ever a good idea?

Only if game day rosters are expanded, but even then, teams will play their best guys until they break because winning every game possible is critical. Too much money lost to reduce games again....

 

[RamDino]

I say go back to 16 games and also go back to giving the two best teams in each conference a bye in the playoffs.

 

[Packfan18]

I say teams have 2 bye weeks.

 

[Turducken]

I say teams have 2 bye weeks.

Two bye weeks. Limit players to 16 games over a 20 week season to reduce injuries. Expand roster to 60 to give sufficient depth. SB in last week of Feb. We deserve 6 months of football.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

It has always been a bad idea. Instead of an 18 game season the league should look at it in weeks. 16 games in 18 weeks gives players to bye weeks.

Overall, I was fine with 16

 

[Packfan18]

The season might go till almost March with a 18 game season lol.

 

[Oyster]

Sure. Just expand the rosters and salary cap.

 

[fearsomefour]

I don't like the 17 game schedule.
But, the owners love their money.
The league should, in my opinion, expand the rosters anyway.
Expand the 53 by a few spots and let all those guys dress on game day. Keep the expanded Covid practice squad in place.
This won't necessarily improve depth as there isn't great depth now across the league.
But, if a few more guys can cash check playing ball Im for it and the odds of finding a diamond go up as each team could keep more players on the salary.
But, expanded rosters means more salary, more paying players who are injured etc.
I don't see it happening.

 

[fearsomefour]

I say go back to 16 games and also go back to giving the two best teams in each conference a bye in the playoffs.

So, going from 7 playoff teams back to 6?

 

[Angry Ram]

According to this...there were 637 week 1 starters that ended up on IR. This was 2019.

AP analysis: NFL teams lost over $500M to injuries in 2019

NFL teams paid more than a half-billion dollars to Week 1 starters who missed games because of injuries this season and players who ended the year on injured reserve, according to an Associated Press study...

apnews.com

 

[RamDino]

So, going from 7 playoff teams back to 6?

Not sure, but 6 out of 16 sounds pretty fair. However, it sucks when good teams have the same W/L record and some don't get in because of the tie breaker rules.

 

[dieterbrock]

Its not a sport where you can give players a game off. So many times the difference between making playoffs or not, or spot in the seeding comes down to a single game. "If they had just won that game", makes ever game count.
Playing backups intentionally doesnt work. Backup o-line puts skill position players at risk of injury, backup QB hurts WR/TE production puts stress on running game etc
16 games is more than enough, like @Elmgrovegnome said, give them 2 bye weeks.
I also believe, with absolutely zero data to back this up, that Thursday night games need to go away. Between the short week and the looking ahead, it has to make players more susceptible to injury
Lastly, abolish the 46 man roster and let all 53 dress.

 

[fearsomefour]

Not sure, but 6 out of 16 sounds pretty fair. However, it sucks when good teams have the same W/L record and some don't get in because of the tie breaker rules.

Its a drag but bound to happen.
One team with a bye in each conference works with 7 teams because after the first round of playoffs there are 4 teams left. If you go to 6 teams you can do 2 teams with a buy but you can't do one. With 7 teams in you have to only have one team with a bye.

 

[Zodi]

Expand the roster. Expand the cap. Make it 19 games so you have to play a team from every division. Two bye weeks. You can have 21 weeks of regular season or a league wide break after week 9.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Its not a sport where you can give players a game off. So many times the difference between making playoffs or not, or spot in the seeding comes down to a single game. "If they had just won that game", makes ever game count.
Playing backups intentionally doesnt work. Backup o-line puts skill position players at risk of injury, backup QB hurts WR/TE production puts stress on running game etc
16 games is more than enough, like @Elmgrovegnome said, give them 2 bye weeks.
I also believe, with absolutely zero data to back this up, that Thursday night games need to go away. Between the short week and the looking ahead, it has to make players more susceptible to injury
Lastly, abolish the 46 man roster and let all 53 dress.

I disagree with that. Every time the Rams play the Niners, I think Bosa and Warner should take the game off.

 

[AZRams]

That assumes it was a good idea to begin with. Which it was not...

 

[Classic Rams]

Wth 18? 17 games was a bad idea.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Serious thoughts to an excellent Thread Topic.

Football really has become (more than ever) a game of attrition.

16 games would be preferable but the NFL is not going back. Players would have to almost revolt. Eighteen-game season is likely coming. There's not a hell of a lot that can be done that would significantly change the health and durability concerns but a few things (some easy and some difficult) could help.

One, or at most, two pre-season games (likely once they go to 18 games).

Two Bye-weeks.

Don't limit the number of players that can dress game-day. Stupid Rule that no longer has practical applications.

Re-vamp the Injured Reserve rules and limitations. IR used to be season-ending; and that was dumb. Then the rule was changed to allow two players to return from IR during the season. Better but still stupid. Now, I think its 6 or 7. Again, better but why the limitation? And why do IR players need to miss five games minimum?

Now the League would have to address teams stashing players. Especially cheating-bastards like the Patriots.

How about forcing all teams (as long as the technology allows for domes) to install grass fields. Fuck what the science says, if players pretty much universally agree that grass is the better substance, make it mandatory.

 

[ReekofRams]

The longer the NFL makes the season the deeper into the off season the playoffs go. Meaning the teams playing in the SuperBowl have less time to recuperate, and if you look at the Rams and the Bengals they both had issues this year. 17 games was already too much, 18 would be hell.