What Is The Schedule For The Nfl?
Contents
The NFL schedule is always subject to change, but here’s a look at what it typically looks like.
Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) schedule for the 2019 season was released on Wednesday, April 17. The regular season will begin on Thursday, September 5 and end on Sunday, December 29. The playoffs will begin on Saturday, January 4 and conclude with Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, February 2.
The NFL Schedule
How the NFL Schedule Is Made
The National Football League schedule is created through a process that began in 1970, when the NFL merged with the American Football League. For the first eight years of the merger, both the NFL and AFL played a 14-game regular season. In 1978, that was increased to 16 games.
The NFL schedule is made up of 256 regular season games, four preseason games for each team and four post-season games leading up to the Super Bowl. The NFL releases its schedule in April each year.
Once the NFL releases the regular season schedule, each team’s specific game dates and times are typically announced about a month in advance.
How the NFL Schedule Affects Teams
The NFL schedule is made up of 256 regular season games, four preseason games for each team, and three weeks of playoffs. The regular season starts the week after Labor Day and ends the week after Christmas. Each team plays 16 games in 17 weeks.
The NFL schedule is designed so that each team plays every other team at least once every four years. This is accomplished by having each team play every other team in its conference twice during the regular season, and every team in the other conference once. In addition, each year every team plays two games against teams in the same conference that finished in the same position in their standings from the previous season (e.g., the first place team will play the first place teams from the two other divisions in its conference). These games are referred to as intraconference rivalries or interconference matchups, and they are noted on the NFL schedule with a star () next to them.
In odd-numbered years (e.g., 2013, 2015), each AFC team also plays one game against a randomly selected NFC team outside of its normal yearly rotation. This adds an element of variety to the NFL schedule, and helps to ensure that each AFC team has a relatively even home/away balance over the course of a given season.
Conclusion
The NFL schedule is always subject to change, but we will do our best to keep you updated on any changes that arise. As always, be sure to check back frequently for the most up-to-date information. Thank you for reading and good luck this season!
