How Many Games are in the NFL Season?
Find out how many games are in the NFL season so you can plan your fall accordingly.
Introduction
The NFL regular season typically lasts 17 weeks, with each team playing 16 games. However, there are occasionally games that need to be rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances, such as weather. As a result, the regular season can sometimes be extended to 18 weeks. The NFL playoff system is also a single elimination tournament, so some teams may only play one or two playoff games if they lose early on.
The regular season
The National Football League regular season typically begins on the Thursday night following the Labor Day holiday in early September and runs until late December or early January. Each team plays 16 games during the regular season, which is divided into 4 quarters of 4 games each. Most teams have 2 bye weeks during the season, for a total of 10 games played.
The playoffs
The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Seven teams from each conference (4 division winners and 3 wild card teams) qualify for the playoffs. The playoff seeds are determined by each team’s record.
The playoffs began in 1933, when the NFL split into two divisions, the Eastern and Western. The first playoff game was between the Chicago Bears and New York Giants, with the Bears winning 32-14. The NFL Championship Game was then played between the Bears and Western Division champions Portsmouth Spartans (now the Detroit Lions), with the Bears winning again, 9-0.
The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the biggest and most important game of the NFL season. It is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game is played between the champion of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the champion of the National Football Conference (NFC). The winner of the Super Bowl receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, who led his team to victories in the first two Super Bowls.
