The Cleveland Browns will not go 11-5 again in 2021. It’s now an impossibility, but not because of anything the promising young team has done.
The NFL officially added a 17th regular season game to the schedule in 2021 on Tuesday. Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement from the NFL owners’ meetings, which are taking place virtually this week.
“This is a monumental moment in NFL history,” said Goodell. “The CBA with the players and the recently completed media agreements provide the foundation for us to enhance the quality of the NFL experience for our fans. And one of the benefits of each team playing 17 regular-season games is the ability for us to continue to grow our game around the world.”
For 2021, the AFC teams will host rivals from the NFC, with each division squaring off against an NFC counterpart. The AFC North is hosting the NFC West, and the Browns draw the Arizona Cardinals–the respective third-place teams from each division in 2020.
The exact order of the schedule will be released later this offseason.
