Three Easy Fixes for Unnecessarily Complicated NFL Schedule

The 2024 NFL schedule was released on May 15. Nearly six weeks later, it remains puzzling. The New York Jets being among the three teams with the most prime-time games (six) is among the decisions that make no sense. The Kansas City Chiefs are attempting to become the first three-peat champions in Super Bowl history and are featured in fewer primetime games. Why?

The Jets haven’t made the NFL Playoffs since 2010. The last time the J-E-T-S played in a Super Bowl was Jan. 12, 1969. Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States, The Beatles were still together, and Neil Armstrong had yet to set foot on the moon. Apparently, a 40-year-old quarterback with one Super Bowl win returning from injury moves this franchise to the front of the line in 2024.

Undeserving teams being a centerpiece of the NFL schedule will happen every year. This article is not meant to solve the mistakes of the 2024 NFL schedule. Rather, putting three simple rules in place will improve the schedule moving forward as long as it remains a 17-game schedule. Here are the suggestions to help with the unnecessarily complicated mess the league has turned the schedule into.

One Neutral Site Game for Every NFL Team

There is an odd number of games in a 17-game NFL schedule. This does not seem fair in terms of home and away games. All 32 teams play either an extra home or away game. There is a very simple solution: neutral site games for every team. Each NFL franchise’s schedule will consist of eight home games, eight away games, and one neutral site game.

International games help solve this problem. There are five international games on the 2024 NFL Schedule. These tilts will be played in Brazil, Germany, and three in England. International games are a great way to take away home-field advantage, or disadvantage. But those five games include only 10 of the 32 NFL franchises.

The NFL’s solution to this problem is to alternate which conference gets an extra home game. In 2023 the AFC got nine home games. It is the NFC’s turn in 2024. But is that the best solution?

In addition to the five international games, there are other international venues where games could be played. Mexico, which has previously hosted four games, and Canada are two obvious options. Non-NFL venues in the United States could also be utilized for the neutral site games. St. Louis could host a game between their two former teams, the Cardinals and Rams. There could be a Giants-Jets game at a “neutral site” game where neither team has to travel. Chargers-Rams battle in the Rose Bowl? College stadiums and cities seeking a future NFL team would also make for great hosts.

So instead of a lopsided schedule, everyone plays an 8-8-1 schedule with one neutral site game. It’s still an advantage to play at home (the entire postseason setup is predicated on this fact) and thus it’s important to have all teams on a level playing field.

Consolidate Bye Weeks

The bye week was first introduced to the NFL schedule in 1990. At that point, it was needed because there were 31 NFL teams. By 2002 the Houston Texans became NFL franchise No. 32. The bye weeks were kept in place to give teams additional rest during the season. There is no issue with there being bye weeks. However, the scheduling of them is odd.

This season there are teams with a bye in Week 5 of the schedule. Six teams (including the New England Patriots) don’t have a bye week until Week 14. This leaves the Detroit Lions, for one, playing four games before their bye and 13 games after it. The Patriots are among the half-dozen teams with only four games remaining after their bye. Why?

There are no teams on bye weeks in Week 8 or Week 13. There are 18 weeks in the NFL schedule. All bye weeks can be scheduled between Week 7 and Week 12. If they wanted to truly level the playing field, there could be eight teams on a bye each week from Week 8 to Week 11. Losing four games each of those weeks, however, is likely financially unappealing to the NFL. But spreading them out between the fifth and fourteenth weeks of the season is beyond unnecessary. It’s time to consolidate.

Scheduling Divisional Games

The first goal (not necessarily the ultimate goal) of every NFL franchise to start the season is winning their division. The NFL schedule is based on divisional rivalries. Teams play other divisional teams twice. Division winners get automatic home games in the playoffs. Division games are a big deal and should be scheduled as such.

New England doesn’t play Buffalo until Week 16 this season. Two weeks later they meet again. This makes no sense. New England is not the only team with a strange division schedule. Chicago plays no games against their NFC North rivals until Week 11. That means six of their final eight games are within the division.

There are some simple solutions to these issues. Here are three options:

Teams should play division rivals once in each half of the season. One game in the first eight weeks, another in the final eight. In theory, teams could play the same opponent three weeks apart (Week 8 and Week 11) but it would be less likely for such important games to be mashed together.

Another option is to play divisional opponents a certain number of weeks apart (eight or nine). So if there was a Patriots-Bills game in Week 4, they automatically played again in Week 12 or Week 13. The first suggestion is still in play here, but it takes it further.

Finally, teams could begin and end the season against division opponents. The first three games and the final three games of the regular season are division games. Teams dive into the regular season schedule against rival teams, then battle them again as they jockey for division titles and playoff berths.

Any of these three options makes more sense than what the Patriots, Bills, Bears, and others are scheduled to face in 2024.

Will the NFL Implement These Changes?

These three tips seem simple and easy to implement moving forward. NFL VP of Broadcast Operations Mike North has gone on podcasts to discuss the challenges of creating the NFL schedule. From an outsider’s perspective, things went off the rails at some point. Prioritizing getting Aaron Rodgers in primetime or Taylor Swift in the crowd for a Chiefs game seems silly to most, but are driven by hopes of better ratings and financial gains. Those are not the most puzzling choices. Neither is the NFL’s decision to go head-to-head with the college football playoff, taking the spotlight away from the league’s stars of tomorrow.

But any reasoning for not implementing the three suggestions above, even if not done to the extreme, should be explained by Mike North. They are simple, good for fair competition, and avoid downplaying divisional rivalries, which are at the heart of the league. The NFL schedule might be tough to put together, but there is no need for the league to avoid taking small steps to making things both simpler and better moving forward.