After years of deliberating, the NFL has officially added a 17th regular-season game to the 2021 NFL schedule.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported over the weekend the league was finalizing plans to add another game. The news was confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

Peter King and others provided a formula for some of the new matchups football fans will see in the NFL 2021, which we previously discussed here.

Now that the NFL has officially added a 17th game to the schedule, let's take a closer look at the five best matchups created with the expansion of the regular season.

5. Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers

Frankly, this game might even rank higher simply based on intrigue alone.

Both teams have fascinating offseason storylines, headlined by the trade drama involving Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. The Steelers, meanwhile, ultimately decided to bring back veteran signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger. They have also had to navigate a slew of cap issues and internal free agents.

This showdown could well be one of the explosive offenses against the dominant pass rush. Wilson and the Seahawks can rack up points in a hurry, while the Steelers–even after losing the likes of Bud Dupree and others on the defensive front–still boast one of the very best front sevens in football.

Not to mention, both teams find themselves battling in very crowded divisions.

The NFC West could be even better with expected improvement from the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams gambling on Matthew Stafford as an upgrade under center. Plus, the San Francisco 49ers have the chance to revitalize their hopes of contention with better health.

The AFC North is also all the more competitive with the Cleveland Browns staking their claim as contenders in 2020. The Baltimore Ravens remain one of the top contenders in the AFC, and even the Cincinnati Bengals could be better in Joe Burrow's sophomore campaign.

Perhaps this showdown will come with serious postseason implications.

4. Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns

The Arizona Cardinals have been as aggressive as any team in football in terms of bolstering the roster to make a more competitive push in 2021.

Arizona shocked the football world by signing three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt to form a formidable pass-rushing duo with Chandler Jones. The Cardinals also added veteran cornerback Malcolm Butler to replace Patrick Peterson in the secondary, while Kyler Murray gets some help with the addition of former Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green and center Rodney Hudson, one of the best players at his position in recent season.

The Browns were arguably the talk of football in 2020 after ending their playoff drought, and they will be hungry to improve upon the 2020 campaign this upcoming fall.

Cleveland made more subtle upgrades to the defensive front in signing Takk McKinley and former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Anthony Walker. The biggest move was signing Los Angeles Rams safety John Johnson III, who should be an enormous upgrade at that spot.

Realistically, this one figures to be a high-powered offensive affair. The Browns might look to assert their will in the trenches and pound the pigskin with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, while Cleveland's front seven will be forced to chase Murray all over the field.

Whereas the Seahawks and Steelers are more established franchises in terms of recent success, the Cardinals and Browns offer more intrigue as two upstart contenders whose arrows appear to be pointing up.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts

Bruce Arians returns to Indy.

Football fans might forget it was Arians' tenure as Colts interim coach in 2012 that helped cement his status as a top head-coaching candidate. He went 9-3 with then-coach Chuck Pagano battling leukemia, landing the head coaching job with the Cardinals the following season.

Now, Arians will head back to Indianapolis fresh off the first Super Bowl win of his career. His prolific Bucs offense will take on a Colts defense that was one of the very best in football in 2020.

The Colts have a tremendous defensive front headlined by All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and former All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard. Indy absolutely stuffed opposing rushing attacks last season, though Tom Brady and the Bucs figure to air it out and test a still-developing Colts secondary.

Of course, fans will also have a better grasp of Carson Wentz's impact as the new quarterback in Indianapolis.

The Colts are banking Wentz's relationship with head coach Frank Reich–as well as a terrific offensive line and promising group of receivers–will help cultivate the talent of a guy who once looked like the franchise quarterback in Philly. He could have his hands full against a terrific Bucs front that returns Shaquil Barrett and Lavonte David.

As a final note: it's always fun when Brady plays in Indy after years of developing a unique individual rivalry with former Colts quarterback and NFL legend Peyton Manning.

2. Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens

Who doesn't want to see Aaron Donald and Co. try to bring down the ever-elusive Lamar Jackson?

There is unbelievably explosive talent on both sides of the ball. Jackson is unparalleled in terms of escapability and the potential to turn a loss into chunk yardage. Conversely, Donald is unparalleled in consistently beating double teams and making plays in the defensive backfield.

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That's just the one-on-one dynamic. It will certainly be fascinating to see how Los Angeles attacks the Ravens' run-heavy offensive scheme. What about L.A.?

The Rams' offense will be one of the most interesting follows in football this season after the Stafford acquisition and all the buzz of the fallout between Jared Goff and L.A. head coach Sean McVay. Will Stafford's tremendous arm talent make for an upgrade? Baltimore's defense could pose a stern test.

The Ravens mostly stifled opposing passing attacks with a deep group of pass rushers who consistently disrupted things in the backfield. Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue are both gone, but Baltimore still has some terrific defensive personnel.

Much like Seahawks-Steelers, this is another showdown that could have massive NFL postseason implications.

1. Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

The best game added as part of the expansion will also have the shortest blurb.

This is the best quarterback matchup. Packers star and reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers leads Green Bay's high-scoring group against Patrick Mahomes and a Chiefs team out for redemption after an embarrassing Super Bowl loss at the hands of the Bucs.

Kansas City's explosive offense will be a measuring stick for new Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry. It will also be interesting to see how the Chiefs' new-look offensive line holds up against Za'Darius Smith and a fairly staunch Green Bay front.

For the Packers, it will be interesting to see whether Green Bay adds receiving talent via the draft after bringing back Aaron Jones. Can Rodgers and Co. match the Chiefs?

In any event, this could be one of the best quarterback matchups fans will see all season in the NFL, let alone as part of the expanded schedule.