An Idea for the NFL's Schedulers to Adopt Immediately

The NFL recently announced that season schedules will be back-loaded with division games and that every single game in the final week will be against a division opponent. The Browns, for instance, will be facing off against the hated Steelers in Pittsburgh. This decision is an attempt to make late-season games more meaningful and to try and dissuade teams from resting players and giving games away in preparation for the playoffs.

While this is a solid move, I'll do commissioner Goodell one better.

The example of this year's Browns/Steelers matchup in Pittsburgh is probably the best outcome Goodell could have hoped for with this new system. The rivalry between these two teams is so intense that even if there were zero playoff implications for either, both teams would probably play with their usual intensity. Fan bases of either city would demand it, and would likely boo their own team if they didn't receive it.

Take this one step further, though. What if, at the end of the season, the Browns visited Pittsburgh in week 16 and then in week 17 the Steelers came to Cleveland. A home-and-home of epic proportions featuring one of the most intense rivalries in football.

I will now let you collect your thoughts since your mind has naturally been blown.

Think of the intensity after week 15 as two teams and two cities gear up for football Armageddon against their most hated foe. Then think of what kind of playoff implications would be involved in two straight division games between division rivals. And then think, because of those two factors, how much these teams and these fanbases would want those victories.

I'm not saying Cleveland should end the season this way every year (though I wouldn't be opposed to it) but I do think it would be incredibly compelling if the NFL went out of its way every year to feature one rivalry like this with its final two weeks.

Good sportswriters make the big bucks spinning compelling storylines for every game. The drama in these match-ups would be built in and the suspense will have built up for an entire season. Ratings would go through the roof, lines would be drawn, allegiances would be tested, and some serious, hard-nosed, grind-it-out football would be played.

Make this happen, commissioner Goodell. The sport, the league, and every fan that hates another team more than the guy that ran over their dog will all love you for it.