01 Apr OFFICIAL: The NFL Season Expands to 17 Regular Season Games; The 49ers Will Face The cincinnati bengals

The NFL has played 16 regular-season games since 1978, which it remained the same until 2021 whereby recently, the NFL owners have approved 17 games in the regular season. The 2021 season will consist of 272 games, with each of the 32 teams playing 17 games with one bye-week.

In addition, the NFL is looking to take this new inventory of games internationally in the future as well. This means all 32 teams will play internationally at least once in an eight-year period which will start in 2022. The league has stated that they are looking to increase its revenue by having more international games and they had been playing games regularly in the UK and Mexico.

With the additional of the 17th game in the regular season, the 49ers will face the Cincinnati Bengals. The inter-conference matchup was determined by using a formula whereby it was based on the division standings from the previous season and the teams must faced each other two seasons prior.

Here’s more information regarding the situation