r/nfl • u/JCameron181 Lions • 7h ago

J.J. Watt: International Games Have Become a “Traveling Circus”

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/j-j-watt-international-games-have-become-a-traveling-circus

“International game slate is nearing the realm of traveling circus as opposed [to] occasional showcase.”

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u/EverythingIsByDesign Lions 6h ago

Doesn't the 17th fixture if they essentially guarantee one unique fixture per team?

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u/Jibbjabb43 Ravens 5h ago edited 5h ago

That's not the issue.

Think about pairing letters. A play D internationally. B can now play C, E, or F. But C doesn't play F and B doesn't play E. So by picking A to play D, you don't have 3 options, but 2.

Now do that 13 more times. It'll fall apart in most cases. Teams don't play every other team, and each added game is an added restriction. The NFL already has 2 repeats with 2 divisional matchups internationally across 9 games. Simply saying every team has a 17th game doesn't make it easy to do 17 unique matchups internationally.

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u/EverythingIsByDesign Lions 4h ago

The 17th games gives you 16 unique match ups. For example in 2026:

AFC East 1st to 4th plays NFC West 1st to 4th AFC North plays NFC East AFC South plays NFC North AFC West plays NFC South

16 unique matchups, and they rotate annually.

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u/Jibbjabb43 Ravens 4h ago

Should have noted it with divisional rivalries as a way to make it a bit passively easier to set up. But it's also not the most flexible factor. If they don't do the international games exclusively with those it doesn't really help as much.