Sometimes the schedule-makers for the NFL put together a list of 16 games, both home and away, where you go, “oh, that’ll be a good game,” and sometimes you’ll say, “meh.” NFL rivalries always invoke an added intrigue, even when the teams in question aren’t playing up to their potential. Like the upcoming matchup between a pair of 0-3 teams in Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
For the most part, the schedule for your favorite team is usually done with care over 17 weeks. It’s not always perfect, but for a league that’s always looking to improve its viewership and ratings, there’s something they should try:
Pairing teams that share a state that only plays each other every three seasons a guaranteed game every season.
NFL Rivalries: Pairing Teams Regardless of Conference
Not every team in the NFL lines up this way but there are notable exceptions that would work every season. Philadelphia Eagles versus Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys versus Houston Texans, New York Giants versus Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins versus Tampa Bay Bucs, and the battle for Los Angeles between the Rams and Chargers.
How Would You Do It?
Much like in the MLB, teams that play one another with a battle for their respective city or state, they tend to have this extra flair about them. Fans who don’t normally come to games show up, their ears perk up, they defend their team’s honor and they cheer for that sweet, sweet victory.
Having guaranteed games of rival pride could help draw in new fans getting their first exposure to the game. How you become a fan can happen a number of ways, and despite what anyone may tell you, you CAN be a fan of a team whose state you don’t live in.
Seeing the red-hot Dak Prescott take on an equally hot Deshaun Watson would be a huge draw for state-bragging rights. Or seeing Carson Wentz battle Ben Roethlisberger every season in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh and watching fans go nuts over the outcome.
Currently, most of the teams within the same state are playing pretty good football. Even Miami stayed with Dallas for a bit before the wheels came off. And that brings up the point of added incentive for players to play. Take a city like Chicago where the White Sox are nearing their turning point while the Chicago Cubs are already in theirs.
Regardless of the record, the two baseball teams put on a good show, and I believe the same could be true in the NFL. “Who wants it more” and “Any Given Sunday” could ring truest for these rivalry games.
However, you might say, “well, how will the NFL fit a game into a determined schedule?”
That’s a good question. This is how I would do it. You can leave in all the divisional rival games as it is. However, where you could change it is within a division’s rotating divisional opponent.
For example, take the NFC East, specifically the Cowboys versus Texans matchup we want to happen. They play the AFC East this season. You could swap out the intrastate matchup for the last place team from a season ago. That way you potentially remove a non-competitive game for a competitive one. The idea could also create new games with their own storylines down the road.
This also creates a rotating game that you may not see for seasons to come but if other leagues are willing to deregulate teams from the higher competition, then the NFL can as well.
Who knows? Maybe teams that currently have a quarterback like Eli Manning, whose most likely on his way out, create a rivalry between Daniel Jones and Josh Allen? If your goal of the longevity of possible entertainment is an achievable one, then why not set up rivalries of the future? It’s something worth thinking about — like having a doubleheader on Monday Night Football every week.
State pride within sports is a very real thing. Just ask any fan of NCAA football. Intrastate rivalries can be that added draw for newcomers and veteran fans alike for the NFL. It’s a shame that only some matchups draw once every three seasons — withstanding the Super Bowl.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
