Today the NFL announced that there will indeed be a 17th game added to the NFL schedule. The league has played a 16-game season since 1978, but from this point forward the Dallas Cowboys will not go 8-8.

Now that that lame joke is out of the way, the 17th game that's being added to the schedule will be in addition to normal rotations that the NFL has used in its current format. The AFC will host the 17th game this week, while the NFC will host the 17th game in 2022. The NFL will begin Thursday, September 9th, and the regular season will end Sunday, January 9th, 2022. Super Bowl LVI will take place on February 13th, 2022 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

This 17th game won't necessarily be played in the 17th week, but it does provide us with some pretty great matchups in its first year. The most popular player in Lubbock and former NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs will get to host the Green Bay Packers and reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. That's going to be a gunfight.

The NFL also gifted us with Kliff Kingsbury's Arizona Cardinals going up against his former protege who spurned him at Texas Tech Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns playing a game in Cleveland. Do I want to hear about the Baker Mayfield Saga again? No. Will I enjoy the hell out of this game? Yes.

Finally, the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots will battle in the highest-rated game of the season. You can disagree all you want to, but the Dallas Cowboys are America's Team. The only team who generates the same kind of love and hate over the last 20 years has been the New England Patriots. Are they the same since Tom Brady left? No, but whatever rookie plays against Dak Prescott will be just as fun I guess.

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