<P> There have been proposals to expand the regular season schedule to 17 or 18 games per team . Current Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he favors expanding it to 18 games . However, a longer regular season proposal was defeated in the 2011 labor negotiations between the owners and the players association . One of the proposals for the 17th and 18th games is to have every team play at least one game abroad every year . Another idea being put forth by Houston Texans owner Bob McNair is to move the traditional regional rivalries that are currently played in the preseason (such as the Governor's Cups) into a permanent annual part of each NFL team's schedule . The NFL Players' Association opposes extending the season, largely because of injury concerns, and extending the season would require that such an extension be included in the next collective bargaining agreement . The collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011 maintained the sixteen game regular season schedule . </P> <P> This chart displays the current schedule of division match - ups, based on the three - year intra-conference and four - year inter-conference rotations in place since 2002 . In each year, all four teams in each division listed at the top will play one game against all four teams in both of the divisions to which it has been assigned--one from the AFC, the other from the NFC . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="10"> Scheduled division matchups </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Season </Th> <Th> Conf . </Th> <Th> AFC East </Th> <Th> AFC North </Th> <Th> AFC South </Th> <Th> AFC West </Th> <Th> NFC East </Th> <Th> NFC North </Th> <Th> NFC South </Th> <Th> NFC West </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> 2018 </Th> <Td> AFC </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> West </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> NFC </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> North </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> 2019 </Th> <Td> AFC </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> North </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> NFC </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> South </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> 2020 </Th> <Td> AFC </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> East </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> NFC </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> East </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> 2021 </Th> <Td> AFC </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> South </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> NFC </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> North </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> South </Td> <Td> West </Td> <Td> East </Td> <Td> North </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="10"> Scheduled division matchups </Th> </Tr>

When does the afc east play the nfc east