When Did The NFL Go To 16 Games?

Check out our blog post to find out when the NFL went from 14 to 16 games in the regular season.

Introduction

The National Football League (NFL) began to moving to a 16-game regular season schedule in 1978. Prior to 1978, the NFL had a 14-game regular season schedule. The move to 16 games regular season was approved by NFL owners on March 29, 1978.

The change in the NFL regular season schedule was due in part because of the success of the American Football League (AFL). The AFL began play in 1960 and also had a 14-game regular season schedule. In 1966, the AFL expanded to a 16-game regular season schedule. The extra games helped increase revenue for the league and its teams.

When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, both leagues kept their own schedules. In 1971, the NFL expanded to a 16-game regular season schedule while the AFL maintained its 14-game schedule. After the 1971 season, both leagues had 16-game schedules.

The History of the NFL

The National Football League was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association. In 1922, the league changed its name to the National Football League. The NFL initially consisted of 14 teams. In 1932, the NFL expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pre-1920

The National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920, but its roots date back to the late 19th century. Professional football traces its origins back to 1892, when Pittsburgh player Pudge Heffelfinger was paid $500 to play in a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.

The professional game took off from there, with several leagues forming and folding throughout the early years of the 20th century. The American Professional Football Association (which would later become the NFL) was formed in 1920, with eleven teams from across the country. The league’s first season was a success, and it has continued to grow ever since.

In 1933, the NFL split into two divisions, the East and West, in an effort to increase competitiveness. This was also the year that the first NFL Championship Game was played. The NFL continued to expand throughout the 1930s and 1940s, adding new teams and creating new divisions as needed. In 1960, it merged with the rival American Football League (AFL), solidifying its position as the premier professional football league in America.

1920-1932

At first, the NFL played a 14-game schedule. In 1920, there were only 10 teams. In 1921, the league expanded to 22 games (each team played two games against each of the other 11 teams). The following year, the league adopted a playoff system to determine its champion. The first NFL Championship Game was played in 1933. From 1920 to 1934, the NFL title was awarded to the team with the best winning percentage (a tie counted as half a win).

1933-1949

The NFL went through several changes in the 1930s. The biggest change came in 1933 when it adopted a playoff system to determine its champion. Prior to 1933, the champions were determined by whoever had the best record at the end of the season. Another big change came in 1934 when the NFL divided itself into two divisions (the Eastern and Western Divisions). The two division winners would then play each other in a championship game to determine the NFL champion.

The NFL also increased the number of games each team played from 10 to 12 in 1936. The reason for this was two-fold: 1) it would help generate more revenue for the league and 2) it would help ensure that teams were more evenly matched (i.e., only the truly bad teams would have losing records).

In 1940, the number of teams increased from 10 to 12 with the addition of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. This brought about another change as well: each team now played 14 games (instead of 12). This change lasted for just one season as the number of games was reduced back to 12 in 1941.

The following year, 1942, saw yet another change as the regular season was shortened from 12 games to 11 due to World War II. This change lasted for just two seasons as things returned to normal in 1946 (i.e., each team playing 12 games). In 1947, however, things changed again as two more teams were added to the league (the All-America Football Conference or AAFC). This meant that each team now played 14 regular season games.

The AAFC only lasted for four seasons (1946-1949) before it ceased operations. During its four-year existence, however, it had a major impact on professional football.

1950-1959

The National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) with ten teams from four states, all of whom existed in some form as participants of regional circuits such as the Northwestern Ohio League and New York Pro Football League. The NFL considers itself the successor to the APFA. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League.

In 1950, the NFL was composed of thirteen clubs, all located in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States:
-New York Giants
-Green Bay Packers
-Chicago Bears
-Detroit Lions
-Cleveland Browns
-Philadelphia Eagles
-Washington Redskins
-Pittsburgh Steelers
Baltimore Colts Brooklyn Dodgers New York Yankees

1960-1969

In the 1960s, the National Football League (NFL) Championship Game was played in early December, after the end of the 14-game regular season. The playoff format consisted of four teams: the three division winners, plus a fourth “wild card” team (the team with the best record among the non-winners). The first round of the playoffs was a best-of-three game between the two division winners in each conference; the winners then advanced to play each other in the NFL Championship Game.

In 1967, the NFL doubled its regular season schedule from 14 games to 16 games. As a result, it was necessary to modify the playoff format; now, only two teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs. The first round remained a best-of-three game between the division winners, but now the winner of that game advanced to play the loser of a game between the two conference runners-up. This new system remained in place for three seasons, until 1970 when all four divisional runners-up were given berths in an eight-team playoff.

1970-1979

The first two years of the 1970s were a time of transition for the National Football League. The AFL-NFL merger completed in 1970 brought an end to the long-standing rivalry between the two leagues and ushered in a new era of professional football. The NFL also saw significant changes to its playing rules, expanding the regular season from 14 games to 16 games in 1978. These changes would have a major impact on the league going forward, as teams began to focus more on winning than simply surviving the grueling regular season.

The 1970s also saw the rise of some of the most iconic figures in NFL history. Stars like Terry Bradshaw, Fran Tarkenton, and Roger Staubach led their teams to new heights, while coaches like Chuck Noll and Tom Landry created dynasties that would dominate the league for years to come. It was a decade that truly defined the NFL as we know it today.

1980-1989

The 1980s were a decade of growth for the National Football League. The league added two more regular-season games in a 16-game schedule, replacing the 14-game schedule that had been in place since 1978. The playoffs also expanded, going from 10 teams to 12 teams. The number of divisions also increased, going from two to four.

The Super Bowl also became a more significant event during the decade. In 1980, Super Bowl XIV was played in Pasadena, California, between the Los Angeles Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was the first time that the game was played in California. The Rams won the game by a score of 19-17.

In 1985, Super Bowl XIX was held in Stanford Stadium, home of the Stanford Cardinal. This was the first time that the game was played in a college football stadium. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins by a score of 38-16.

The1980s were a decade of growth for the National Football League

1990-1999

The 1990s were a time of great change for the National Football League. In 1991, the league expanded to add the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks, bringing the total number of teams to 28. This was the first time the league had expanded since 1976, when the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the NFL.

In 1992, the NFL switched to a 16-game regular season schedule, increasing the number of games each team played from 14 to 16. This change was made in order to make all teams play each other at least once during the regular season, and it also meant that each team would now have two bye weeks (one during each half of the season).

The 1990s also saw the rise of several new stars, including San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, who won the league MVP award in 1992 and 1994; Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, who led his team to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1997 and 1998; and Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who won three consecutive MVP awards from 1995 to 1997.

2000-2009

The 2000s was a decade of change for the National Football League. The decade began with Super Bowl XXXIV, which was also the final game of the 1990s. It was a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIII between the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams, which the Rams won 23-16. This would be the final game played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the NFL’s week 2 games were postponed and rescheduled to the end of the season. For the first time in NFL history, a regular season game was played on a Tuesday night (Sept. 25) when the New York Giants hosted the visiting Washington Redskins at Giants Stadium.

In 2002, the NFL expanded to 32 teams with the addition of t he Houston Texans. This made for an even 16-game schedule for each team as opposed to having two teams have byes each week (14 games).

In 2006, Super Bowl XL was held in Detroit, MI at Ford Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated NFC champion Seattle Seahawks 21-10 to claim their fifth Super Bowl victory in franchise history. The game’s MVP was Steelers’ wide receiver Hines Ward who had five catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.

On February 3, 2008, Super Bowl XLII was held at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This would be one of if not THE most memorable Super Bowls in NFL history as it featured one of (if not THE) greatest upsets in NFL history when Eli Manning and David Tyree connected on “The Catch” leading to Manning winning his first career Super Bowl MVP as well as one for head coach Tom Coughlin as well as defeating New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s attempt at a perfect 19-0 season as well putting an end to quarterback Tom Brady’s streak of 10 straight playoff wins dating back to 2002 . The final score was Giants over Patriots 17-14.

Finally, 2009 saw Drew Brees and Sean Payton lead the New Orleans Saints to their first ever Lombardi Trophy after defeating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida on February 7th. This gave Brees his first Lombardi Trophy as well as Super Bowl MVP honors becoming only ever player besides Bart Starr to win both awards multiple times (Starr did it twice).

Conclusion

It’s official, the NFL will go to a 16 game regular season in 2021. This has been speculated for months, but the owners finally voted on it and approved the change today. The NFL has been at 15 games since 1978, when they went from 14 games to 16. This will be the first time in 43 years that the NFL will have more than 15 regular season games.

There are a few reasons why the NFL is making this change. Firstly, they want to add two more playoff teams, which means more revenue for the league. Secondly, they want to add another bye week for each team. This will help players rest and recover during the long season. And finally, they want to reduce the number of preseason games from four to three.

It’s unclear how fans will react to this news. Some may be excited for more football, while others may be disappointed that the preseason is getting shorter. Either way, it’s clear that the NFL is making this change in order to improve the quality of their product on the field.