Starting in 2021, the NFL officially expanded to a 17-game regular season, following approval from team owners in March 2021, which was enabled by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL Players Association.
Despite an extra week of football, the additional game has been met with criticism by players and fans alike. With today being game 17 and the final week of the NFL season, here’s how fans are reacting to the extra game.
How are NFL Fans Reacting to Week 18 Games?
Unsurprisingly, most fans are reacting negatively to the 17th game of the season, with fans highlighting poor play, star players resting, and bad teams attempting to finalize their tank for a better draft pick. Here are some reactions to the early slate of Sunday’s Week 18 games.
One fan calls the extra football a bad product instead of a quality one that gives fans an additional week of football. They highlight how the season feels like it is already over, since there are only a handful of matchups that matter for the coming playoffs. They write, “I feel like the 17-game season is getting worse instead of better. The year just already feels spiritually over.”
I feel like the 17-game season is getting worse instead of better. The year just already feels spiritually over
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) January 4, 2026
Another fan reaffirms that sentiment, stating that the extra game is detrimental to the product. They write, “Hard to overstate how profoundly negative the 17th game has been for the product.”
Hard to overstate how profoundly negative the 17th game has been for the product https://t.co/HLQCS89irZ
— Ben Gretch (@YardsPerGretch) January 4, 2026
This fan thinks about the extra game from a player’s perspective and admits that they are still trying to figure out how it benefits the player. They write, “I’m old enough to remember when there was no 17th game in the NFL. Still trying to figure out what the players got in return.” The additional game increases the risk of injury, so there’s no reason why star players sit out the final game, even if they didn’t make the playoffs.
I’m old enough to remember when there was no 17th game in the NFL.
Still trying to figure out what the players got in return.— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) January 4, 2026
This fan highlights why the extra game is bad for the league. They write, “Dave the Curmudgeon likes the IDEA of ‘more football’ but the 17th game has yielded some pretty lame results. Fake injuries…teams having good players sit…an extra game to tank for the bottom feeders…”
Dave the Curmudgeon likes the IDEA of “more football” but the 17th game has yielded some pretty lame results.
Fake injuries…teams having good players sit…an extra game to tank for the bottom feeders…— Dave Dameshek (@Dameshek) January 4, 2026
Finally, this post from Barstool Sports highlights the poor play that fans have grown accustomed to in the final week of the season.
The kind of football you watch during the week 18 slate
pic.twitter.com/c6Pb4INUj9— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 4, 2026
While the final week produces a poor-quality product, it begs the question: How much worse would it be if the league added the rumored 18th game of the regular season?
