Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As the famed saying goes, “Less is more” — which is apparently becoming the position of a majority of NFL fans when it comes to the league’s current 17-game regular season. The 17-game NFL regular season began in 2021.
The NFL started playing 17 regular-season games back in the 2021 season, marking the first schedule expansion since 1978. In order to facilitate the extra game, the preseason was reduced from four games to three.
With five seasons of data from 17-game seasons, however, a growing number of NFL fans seem to think the increase has been worse for the sport of football and not better.
The crux of the opposition to 17 games seems to be that the 18th and final week of the regular season has felt increasingly meaningless with each passing year, with one viral tweet deeming the season “spiritually over” by that point.
A growing number of NFL fans and analysts are contending that the 17-game regular season has negatively impacted the product of the sport
I feel like the 17-game season is getting worse instead of better. The year just already feels spiritually over
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) January 4, 2026
Hard to overstate how profoundly negative the 17th game has been for the product https://t.co/HLQCS89irZ
— Ben Gretch (@YardsPerGretch) January 4, 2026
Fans are also worried this is an issue that will only get worse, too, as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s owners push for an 18-game regular season.
Just wait until the 18th game is added. https://t.co/eBubaslxhe pic.twitter.com/Pq999gdM3A
— brad sechler (@BSech13) January 4, 2026
Only like 10 teams out of 32 got something to play for and Goodell wants to add another game https://t.co/pHcaGrG8TY pic.twitter.com/d5sl4LLdD9
— ` (@merctial) January 4, 2026
In addition to changing the regular season schedule, the NFL also expanded the postseason from 12 teams (6 in each conference) to 14 teams (7 in each conference), with only the #1 seed in the AFC and NFC receiving a bye-week, as opposed to the top two receiving one during the 16 game season.
Since the playoffs expanded in 2020, seven out of 10 #1 seeds have made the conference championship. Five of those seven made it to the Super Bowl, and just one of those five won it all: the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs