When Did the NFL Go to 14 Games?

A look at how the NFL schedule has changed over the years, from 14 games to 16 and now back to 14.

The NFL’s History

The National Football League (NFL) is the largest professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from the United States. 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 went to a 14-game schedule in 1961.

Pre-1920s

The National Football League (NFL) was established in 1920, but its roots date back to 1898, when two separate professional football organizations were formed: the National League of Professional Football (which has no connection to Major League Baseball’s National League) and the American Professional Football Association. Neither of these leagues lasted very long—the National League played only four games before folding, and the American Professional Football Association didn’t fare much better, playing only two seasons before merging with the National League.

The 1920s

The National Football League (NFL) was established in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) with ten teams from four states. Joe Carr was elected as the first president of the NFL.

The APFA changed its name to the National Football League in 1922. By 1925, the league had grown to 18 teams with George Halas of the Chicago Bears being a dominant team owner. In 1927, the NFL adopted a rule change that allowed forward passes anywhere behind the line of scrimmage, not just five yards, as long as it was caught beyond that point (this change opened up the game and led to higher scoring).

The NFL then went on to adopt several other rule changes in an effort to open up the game and reduce injuries. The number of players on each side was reduced from 15 to 11; touchdowns were increased from five points to six points; field goals were lowered from five yards outside of the end zone to three yards; and extra point attempts were moved back from the five-yard line to the fifteen-yard line.

The 1930s

The NFL played its first four-game regular season in 1930. In 1934, it expanded to an eight-game regular season. In response to the Great Depression, which had begun in 1929, NFL owners cut their players’ salaries in 1931 and ’32. The NFL’s revenue also declined, from $4.4 million in 1927 to $2.9 million in 1932. During this time, however, the league also introduced several rule changes that made the game more exciting and helped increase scoring.

In 1933, for example, the NFL implemented a new rule that allowed players to pass from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage, not just from seven yards back as before. The change helped open up the game and led to more scoring. In 1934, the league expanded the playing field from 80 yards wide to 100 yards wide. The extra width made it easier for offenses to complete passes and also helped increase scoring.

The 1930s were a decade of transition for the NFL. The league weathered the Great Depression and made several changes that would shape the game for years to come.

The 1940s

The National Football League (NFL) went through several changes in the 1940s. The number of games played was increased from 12 to 14 during the regular season. The number of teams was also increased, with the addition of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. The playoff system was also changed, with the introduction of a divisional playoff system.

The 1950s

In the 1950s, the NFL went from 12 games to 14 games. This was due to the increase in popularity of the sport and the need for more revenue. The owners also wanted to increase the number of teams in the league, so they expanded from 8 to 10 teams.

The 1960s

In the NFL’s constitution, it was stipulated that the league would play an unbalanced schedule. Each team would play two games against three of the other teams in its conference, and one game against all of the teams in the other conference. The rationale behind this was to generate more inter-conference games, which were considered to be more attractive to fans and generated more revenue. This arrangement continued through the 1967 season.

In 1968, the NFL increased the regular season from 12 games to 14 games. This was done by adding two additional inter-conference games to each team’s schedule. The extra inter-conference games were rotated each year, so that each team would play every other team in the other conference at least once every four years.

The 1970s

The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL–NFL merger. The season concluded with Super Bowl V when the Baltimore Colts beat the Dallas Cowboys 16–13 at Miami Orange Bowl. This was the first Super Bowl played after the 1966 AFL–NFL merge. Consequently, this game also marked the 26th NFL Championship Game, and because it determined a combined champion between two leagues for only the second time (the first being Super Bowl IV), it is considered one of “The Greatest Games Ever Played”.

The 1980s

In the 1980s, the NFL expanded to 14 games with the addition of two playoff rounds. The regular season was lengthened to sixteen games in 1978. In 1982, a second wild card team was added to each conference, expanding the playoffs to eight teams. The number of regular season games was increased to fourteen in 1984.

The 1990s

In the 1990s, the NFL’s popularity was on the rise, and several events took place that helped to increase the league’s Exposure. In 1991, the league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. This brought even more attention to the NFL, and it also meant that there were more games being played each week.

In 1993, NFL games began being broadcast on network television in prime time. This gave even more people the chance to watch NFL games and follow their favorite team. In 1994, another expansion took place as the league added two more teams, the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns.

The 1990s were a great time for the NFL, and it was during this decade that the league became one of America’s most popular sports.

The NFL’s Expansion

In 2002, the NFL expanded from its traditional 16-game season to a now-standard 14-game season. This was done in large part to increase revenue by allowing each team to play two additional regular-season home games. The expanded schedule also had the side benefit of making it easier for teams to qualify for the playoffs.

The First Expansion

In 1960, the NFL doubled in size from 12 to 24 teams with the addition of the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings. This was the first major expansion in NFL history, and it completely changed the way the league operated.

Prior to 1960, each NFL team played a 12-game schedule, with two division winners meeting in the NFL Championship Game. But with the addition of two new teams, the league had to come up with a new format that would allow all 24 teams to play each other during the regular season.

The solution they came up with was to have each team play 14 games, divided evenly between division rivals and non-division opponents. This format continued until 1967, when the NFL once again expanded, this time to 26 teams.

The Second Expansion

The NFL went from 12 to 14 games in 1978 as part of its second expansion. That year, the league added the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as its 27th and 28th franchises.

To this day, the NFL is the only major professional sports league in North America to have an odd number of teams. As a result, each team has one bye week during the 17-week regular season.

The Third Expansion

The third expansion occurred in 2002, when the NFL added the Houston Texans as its 32nd franchise. This made the NFL the first major professional sports league in North America to have a team in Houston. The Texans began play in 2002, and they won their first division title in 2011.

The NFL Today

The National Football League (NFL) is the highest level of professional American football. It was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL today consists of 32 teams from across the United States.

The New Millennium

At the beginning of the new millennium, the NFL increased the regular season from 16 to 17 weeks (which included a bye week for each team). This meant that each team would play 16 games and have one week off during the course of the season. This change took effect in 2002.

In 2010, the NFL switched back to a 16-game regular season schedule but with two bye weeks for each team. This schedule change was made in an effort to improve player safety by giving them more rest during the grueling NFL season.

The New TV Deals

In an effort to increase both revenue and viewership, the NFL introduced a new television package starting with the 2006 season. The most notable change was increasing the number of regular season games from 16 to 17, with each team playing one additional game. The other major change was moving the traditional Thanksgiving Day games from CBS to NBC.

The new TV deals were a massive success for the NFL, as ratings and revenue increased significantly. In fact, the NFL’s television ratings have been on the rise ever since, reaching an all-time high in 2015.

There are several reasons why the addition of one more regular season game has been so beneficial for the NFL. First, it gives fans more football to watch. Second, it provides more opportunities for teams to make the playoffs. Finally, it gives the networks more content to fill their programming schedules.

It’s safe to say that the NFL’s decision to add an additional regular season game has been a resounding success. Thanks to these tv deals, the league is now more popular than ever before.

The New Stadiums

The National Football League today is a far cry from what it once was. In fact, it’s almost unrecognizable. The game has changed so much that it’s hard to believe that it’s still the same sport. It’s become a big business and the athletes are now treated like celebrities. The stadiums have changed too; they’re bigger and better than ever before. But when did the NFL go to 14 games?

The answer is simple: when the league expanded. In 1960, the NFL added two more teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the Minneapolis Vikings. This brought the total number of teams up to 14. As a result, each team had to play two more games during the regular season. This increased the total number of games from 12 to 14.

The additional games meant that the season had to be lengthened by two weeks. This was done by adding an additional bye week for each team. The bye week gave each team a chance to rest and prepare for the next game. It also gave them an opportunity to heal any injuries that they may have sustained during the previous weeks of play.

The longer season also meant that there were more opportunities for teams to make mistakes and lose games. This made it more difficult for teams to make it to the playoffs. In fact, only six teams made it to the playoffs in 1961, the first year of the 14-game season. That number increased to eight teams in 1962 and then 10 teams in 1963. By 1966, all 14 teams were making it to the playoffs . . . and TV ratings skyrocketed!

The Future of the NFL

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football. It was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with ten teams from four states, all of whom existed in some form as participants of regional leagues in their respective territories.

The International Game

The NFL has been toying with the idea of an international game for a while now. In 2007, the NFL played its first regular-season game outside of the United States, when the New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins in London. The game was a hit, and it led to more games being played in London in subsequent years. In 2012, the NFL launched the International Series, which saw games played in England, Mexico, and Canada.

The success of the International Series led to speculation that the NFL might one day expand its schedule to include games played in other countries. In 2017, that speculation became reality when the NFL announced that it would be playing four regular-season games in London in 2018. The games were a success, and they paved the way for the NFL to play additional games in London in 2019 and 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the International Series in 2020, but it is expected to resume in 2021. And with the success of the series so far, it’s likely that we’ll see even more games played outside of the United States in the future.

The London Games

The NFL has been playing regular season games in London since 2007, and they have been very popular. The games are played at Wembley Stadium, which seats about 90,000 people. They are usually sellouts, and the fans are very enthusiastic.

The NFL has said that they would like to have a team in London someday, and they are working on it. They have been talking to the city of London and the government of the United Kingdom about it. The main obstacle is finding a suitable stadium. Wembley is too small for an NFL team, and there is no other stadium in London that is big enough. The other problem is that the time difference between London and the United States would make it difficult for fans in the United States to watch games live on television.

The NFL is also looking at other countries for potential sites of future games. Canada, Mexico, and Germany have all been mentioned as possible locations.

The Los Angeles Games

The NFL’s move to Los Angeles was a turning point for the league. The league had been trying to get a team in the city for years, and finally succeeded in 1960. The Los Angeles market was much bigger than any other market at the time, and the NFL knew that it needed to be in the city.

The league expanded to 14 teams in 1961, with the addition of the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers were originally supposed to be an AFL team, but they were instead placed in the NFL. The AFL would not start play until the following year.

The NFL continued to expand throughout the 1960s, adding new teams and increasing its TV presence. The league also began to experiment with new rules, such as two-point conversions and instant replay. These changes helped make the game more exciting and accessible to fans.

In 1970, the AFL and NFL merged into one league. This made sense from a business standpoint, as both leagues were competing for players and TV viewers. The merger helped solidify the NFL’s position as the premier professional football league in America.