The NFL reportedly is going to begin the 2020 season with each team playing the opposite conference — AFC vs. NFC — throughout the first four weeks.
The New England Patriots and the AFC East, for example, are slated to play inter-conference partner NFC West. It means the Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers to begin the first month of their season.
While extremely unusual, the league front-loading the non-conference games actually makes plenty of sense. Essentially, it’s either a contingency plan as a way to limit impacting playoff races, or a way to break teams into the 2020 season.
What do we mean by that?
Well, with the unprecedented circumstances, if the league is forced to postpone, or even cancel, the first month of the season, it would be easier to wipe the non-conference games off the schedule than it would be to eliminate high-profile, in-conference matchups.
And on the other hand, while obviously every game is important in the NFL, the divisional games which determine playoff berths and the in-conference games that have a more crucial impact on playoff seeding, should be prioritized.
So, if the NFL is forced to eliminate the preseason, or if the offseason is more condensed than years past, having a little more time to get into the heart of a team’s schedule, against in-conference or divisional opponents, would be wise. That’s another thing the league would accomplish with this idea.
Really, it’s all about contingency plans and making the most out of what could be (but hopefully won’t be) a bad situation.
Of course, nothing will be confirmed until the NFL schedule is released Thursday night during a three-hour broadcast featuring coaches, players and general managers. The broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. ET.
