How Many Teams are in the NFL?
There are a total of 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL).
Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world.
The NFL Today
As of the 2019 season, there are 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL). This includes the addition of the most recent team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who joined the league in 1976. The NFL is divided into two conferences, the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Each conference is further divided into four divisions, East, West, North, and South.
The American Football Conference (AFC)
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League, the highest professional level of American football in the world. The AFC was created after the success of the first two Super Bowls, when the NFL began to merge with its then-rival, the American Football League (AFL). Today, it includes 16 teams from across the United States: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers
The National Football Conference (NFC)
The National Football Conference (NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the world. This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference (AFC), currently contain 16 teams each, for a total of 32.
How the NFL Got Started
The National Football League is a professional American football league. It was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL has 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference.
The First Professional Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world. The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held on the first Sunday in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.
The NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with its rival league, the American Football League (AFL), in 1966, creating a Super Bowl match-up between AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs against NFL Champion Green Bay Packers after both leagues’ championship games were completed that season. The first AFL–NFL World Championship Game was played on January 15, 1967; since then there have been 52 Super Bowls played.
The American Professional Football Association
In 1920, the American Professional Football Association (APFA) was formed. The APFA had 14 charter members: Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Dayton Triangles, Decatur Staleys, Hammond Pros, Massillon Tigers, Muncie Flyers, New York Yankees, Racine Cardinals, Rochester Jeffersons, Rock Island Independents, Syracuse Stars and Toledo Maroons. These 14 teams each played two games against non-league opponents and four games against league opponents.
The APFA was renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922. In its first year as the NFL there were only 22 games because several teams had dropped out or been expelled for violating league rules. In 1925, the NFL began using red and white stripes on the football to make it easier to see in the black-and-white television broadcasts that began that year; this is why the football is called “The pigskin.”
The NFL continued to grow throughout the 1930s as more teams were added and one team even moved from New York City to become the Detroit Lions. At this time there were African American players in the NFL but they were segregated on all-black teams such as the Chicago Black Hawks and Pittsburgh Steelers. This segregation continued until 1946 when Kenny Washington of the Los Angeles Rams became the first African American player in the NFL since 1933.
The NFL Today
As of the 2020 NFL season, there are 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL). This includes the addition of the Las Vegas Raiders and the expansion of the league to Los Angeles with the Chargers and Rams.
The American Football Conference (AFC)
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the world. This conference also organizes one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The AFC was created after the NFL merged with its rival, the American Football League (AFL).
The AFC comprises 16 teams organized into four divisions: North, East, South, and West. Two teams from each division make it to the AFC playoffs culminating in the AFC Championship Game. The winner of that game goes on to play in the Super Bowl, the biggest and most important American football game.
The National Football Conference (NFC)
The NFC is made up of 16 teams, divided equally into four divisions.
-NFC East: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
-NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
-NFC South: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-NFC West: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
Conclusion
After looking at all of the data, it appears that there are currently 32 teams in the NFL. However, with the current pandemic, there is a possibility that this number could change in the future.
