The NFL going to an 18 game regular season?

[NWPATSFAN]

They could also do the following:

They could reduce the quarter lengths from 15 minutes to 12.5 minutes each.

A 16 game season with 15 minute quarters would = 960 minutes of regular season game time

An 18 game season with 12.5 minute quarters would = 900 minutes of game time

This would improve game time, reduce exhaustion injuries late in a game, they can add more commercials into a game, which sucks for fans but would make tv companies happy and line the league with just as much money. They players also get more in game rest, and less time on field during a game. This would generate the 18 game schedule, reduce playing minutes, maintain revenue strength with broadcasting companies. Win for the players, win for the owners, win for the broadcasting companies, semi win for the fans with reduced game lengths.

Leave the game itself alone.

 

[PhilSimms11]

Actually if you think about how the schedule is done 18 would make it fairer. Teams would play each team in their div twice and then once against 3 other divisions. They could eliminate inter conference games too if they wanted too so playoff teams in each conference would have a fairer comparison. So basically a team would play each team in their conference once and their division twice for a total of 18 games.

That's an excellent observation. If they were to go to an 18-game schedule that would be an interesting way to do it. Just as MLB did for many years until 1997; there was no AL-NL matchup until the World Series. If this were to happen (and I wouldn't count on it) it would give huge ammunition to the proponents of seeding playoff teams by W-L record after the division winners and wildcards have been determined.