data-mm-id=”_5713ffj9e”>The NFL is very close to nailing down their coveted 17th game of the regular season. With the players approving it in the new CBA, it is all but certain there will be 18 weeks and 17 games in the 2021 season according to Peter King. This means the Super Bowl will likely get pushed back a week to February 13, 2022. Here's how the 17th game will be scheduled according to King's latest Football Morning in America column. “When the NFL was choosing options, the formula that prevailed—follow me now—was AFC versus NFC, cross-conference matchup from two years ago, 2021 matchup based on 2020 standings. Now that you’re totally confused, here’s an example: The four AFC West teams played the four NFC North teams in 2019. In 2020, Kansas City finished in first place in the AFC West, Green Bay first in the NFC North. So in 2021, it’s AFC West against NFC North, and 1-versus-1 from ‘20 becomes Green Bay versus Kansas City. I will bet you a Kroll’s West cheeseburger with an ice-cold Spotted Cow that the networks will brawl over this ratings-gold game. This game alone is reason enough for the league to rush the 17th game onto the 2021 schedule.”There you go. A good game. What more could you ask for? Besides an extra week of Steve Kornacki breaking down the playoff picture? Here are some other things we're probably looking at this season and beyond.Monday Night Football Wild Card Playoff GameWith the playoffs pushed back a week, the Monday of Wild Card weekend will not coincide with the college football national championship. So instead of playing three games on Saturday and Sunday, the NFL could go 2-3-1. King said the idea is 50-50, but also said it was "very likely." Fans of ratings should be very excited about a Monday Night Football playoff game. Less so when they decide to try a double-header in a few years.AFC Will Host Week 17It will alternate so all teams in the same conference will have the same number of home games. Of course, what no one has mentioned yet is that the cry for 18 games will start as soon as a 17-game season kicks off. All teams should have an equal number of home and away games! Maybe that will finally be the one that also helps create the second bye week. Christmas FootballDecember 25, 2021 is a Saturday, so plan your festivities accordingly. Last year Christmas was on a Friday so they moved the Saints – Vikings Thursday night game to Christmas. This year they'll go head to head to try and crush the NBA as their regular season unofficially begins. King calls this a "good business experiment."
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Sarina Wiegman expressed her pride and relief after England qualified for the 2023 Women s World Cup with a 2-0 win over Austria.
Alessia Russo, replacing the retired Ellen White in the starting line-up, opened the scoring and Nikita Parris doubled the European champions lead at Wiener Neustadt Stadium on Saturday.
Victory for the Lionesses sealed their place in the showpiece in the tournament in Australia and New Zealand next year with one game to spare against Luxembourg on Tuesday.
England head coach Wiegman reflected on a job well done just over a month after her side won a first major trophy by being Germany at Wembley.
She said: I m happy that we qualified, that we had a win, conceded no goals, scored two, which is one more than we did in th…
Marcos Llorente and Alvaro Morata scored as Atletico Madrid earned a 2-0 win at Sevilla on Saturday, ratcheting up pressure on home boss Julen Lopetegui.
Koke claimed an assist for the opening goal, on the day he made a record-breaking 554th Atletico appearance, with Llorente taking the plaudits after placing a neat finish into the bottom-left corner.
Sevilla have won just one league game so far this season, and their lack of confidence was clear as Diego Simeone s men extended their lead through Morata s finish from a one-on-one chance after 57 minutes.
The result lifts Atleti into fifth in LaLiga s early-season standings, while Lopetegui appears to be on borrowed time at Sevilla after overseeing another meek reverse.
Atleti made a bright start as Llore…
Criticism of Louis van Gaal as a conservative coach is unfair, according to Arsene Wenger, who believes the Netherlands boss will gamble when required.
Van Gaal has led the Oranje to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in his third stint in the job, beating the United States 3-1 on Saturday.
The Netherlands also reached the semi-finals under the former Ajax and Barcelona coach in 2014, before missing out on qualification for Russia 2018 in his absence.
Wenger, leading FIFA s technical study group, therefore believes Van Gaal deserves more leeway as his style of play in this tournament is scrutinised.
After finishing top of Group A, Van Gaal told journalists to go home if the Netherlands football was terribly boring , as the accusation had been.
I…
Bayern Munich confirmed Harry Kane did not suffer a serious injury against Eintracht Frankfurt and will be available for England in the international break.
Kane, who has already netted 10 goals in nine appearances for Bayern in all competitions this season, was substituted in the 72nd minute of their 3-3 draw with a suspected thigh injury.
The England captain was assessed by the Football Association s (FA) doctors on Monday, with the German side announcing no structural injury was found.
Kane, who made his 100th appearance for England during their last match against Finland, will be available for the return leg in Helsinki, and their match against Greece at Wembley prior to that.
While the striker has been given the all-clear for international action, Da…
Africa Cup of Nations hosts Cameroon are back in action as the second matches of the group stage get under way.
Thursday sees Group A take centre stage, with Cameroon facing Ethiopia and Cape Verde taking on Burkina Faso.
Cameroon, champions in 2017, of course have the aim of going all the way on home soil to claim their sixth AFCON title. A win, combined with victory for Cape Verde, would see both progress to the knockout stage with a game to spare.
Cameroon v Ethiopia (16:00 GMT)
Cameroon are ranked 50th in the world by FIFA, making them the seventh-best side in the competition, but tournament hosts always have that extra impetus to go all the way.
Captain Vincent Aboubakar scored both of Cameroon s goals in a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso in thei…
Jonas Eidevall failed to concede Arsenal s hopes of winning the Women s Super League title after falling to a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday.
The defeat leaves Arsenal in sixth place in the early-season standings having taken just five points from their opening four games of the season.
Mayra Ramirez and Sandy Baltimore handed the visitors a two-goal advantage early on, with Caitlin Foord s fine individual effort before half-time proving to be just a consolation.
It brought an end to a dismal week for Eidevall, having watched his side lose their Champions League opener 5-2 to Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
It certainly doesn t help, but as I said before, the only way is to go game by game, Eidevall said on his side s hopes of winning t…
Market: Peterborough win
Odds: 4/5 @
Desperate to make up some ground in the play-off hunt in midweek, Peterborough will welcome Charlton to the Weston Homes Stadium on Tuesday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Peterborough might have been enduring another downbeat run earlier in the month, Darren Ferguson s side have found a welcomed boost. Last seen over the weekend putting in a stellar display on home soil as they claimed a 5-2 romp against promotion contenders Plymouth, the Posh have now secured back-to-back League One victories. Smelling the chance to lay down another marker on Tuesday night, the midweek hosts are also desperate to make up some ground in the play-off hunt. Racking up eight third-tier strikes in their consecutive wins, fans around the We…
Chelsea have signed England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton on a free transfer from Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old, capped twice by her country and named in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, has signed a three-year deal after her contract with Villa expired.
She brings Women’s Super League experience from stints with both Birmingham and Villa, having made 15 appearances while helping the latter to a fifth-placed finish last term.
OFFICIAL | 22yr old English Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton joins the Blues from Aston Villa on a contract until the summer of 2026.
Welcome to Chelsea FC
— CHELSEA WOMEN (@Chelseawomen_)
Hampton was part of England’s trophy-winning squad at Euro 2022 and also has honours to her name from the Fina…
Michael Carrick signed for Manchester United from Tottenham on this day in 2006.
United paid an initial £14million – rising to a potential £18.6m – for the then 25-year-old England midfielder, who went on to spend the rest of his playing career with the Red Devils.
He made 464 appearances for the club, winning five Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, two League Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup before retiring in 2018.
He arrived at United a year after the departure of Roy Keane and inherited the Irishman’s old number 16 shirt.
The deal, which made Carrick the sixth most expensive player in United’s history, came to fruition after protracted negotiations with Spurs, who held out for a price close to their £20m val…
Ghana head coach Otto Addo insists the Black Stars will not seek revenge against Uruguay when they collide in a repeat of their infamous 2010 World Cup quarter-final.
Following their narrow 3-2 win over South Korea on Monday, Addo s side will seal their last-16 place with victory over La Celeste in their final Group H match on Friday.
There will be added spice to the clash, which comes 12 years after their notorious last-eight clash in South Africa.
After Diego Forlan cancelled out Sulley Muntari s earlier strike, Luis Suarez denied Ghana an extra-time winner when he handled Dominic Adiyiah s goalbound header on the line.
Asamoah Gyan missed the subsequent spot-kick, which was wildly celebrated by the dismissed Suarez, while Uruguay eventually advanced to…