Week 18 Of NFL Season Is A Possibility

The NFL is keeping open the possibility of adding a Week 18 to the schedule in January, according to Roger Goodell. "Flexibility is going to be critical," Goodell told reporters Tuesday, as the league tries to navigate the COVID world and fit in games that can't be rescheduled.

The league is even pulling out the Tuesday night NFL action card this evening as the Bills and Titans face off in Nashville. That schedule change brought on by the Titans COVID outbreak affected the Bills schedule, forcing the Chiefs-Bills game that was scheduled for this Thursday to be moved to Monday, October 19.

Again, flexibility.

That's where the NFL finds itself. The NFLPA will not even consider any regular-season bubble options, but the postseason could be a different story. There is reportedly “strong support” for a playoff bubble and “contingencies are now gaining traction.”

Goodell has threatened teams with loss of draft picks and forfeits if they can't get it together, but so far he has yet to drop the hammer, even against the Titans who hosted illicit practices in violation of COVID protocols. At this point, it looks like the commissioner will let the Titans situation go without punishment and use it as a warning to other teams who could call his bluff.

NFL Executive Vice President Troy Vincent said today that the league's goal remains playing a 256-game schedule over a 17-week period.