When Did the NFL Start Playing 17 Games?

The NFL is currently playing a 17-game regular season, but when did this start? And why? Here’s a look at the history of the NFL’s regular season schedule.

The NFL’s Beginnings

The National Football League started playing in 1920. It was originally composed of 14 teams. The two most notable teams were the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cardinals. The NFL’s first game was played on September 26th, 1920.

The first NFL game

The first ever NFL game was played on October 3, 1920 between the Rock Island Independents and the Decatur Staleys. The game ended in a scoreless tie.

The first NFL season

The first NFL season began in 1920 with 11 teams. The league played a 14-game schedule in its inaugural season, which meant that each team played every other team twice. Two of the 11 teams that year, the Chicago Tigers and the Decatur Staleys, would eventually become members of the NFL’s Chicago Bears franchise.

The league’s first ever game was played on October 3rd, 1920 between the Rock Island Independents and the St. Paul Ideals. The game ended in a scoreless tie. The first NFL touchdown was scored by George Hawpe of the Dayton Triangles in a 13-0 win over the Columbus Panhandles on October 10th, 1920.

The Akron Pros went undefeated that season and were crowned the first ever NFL champions. They finished with an 8-0-3 record. There were no playoffs at that time and tie games were not counted in a team’s overall record.

The NFL’s Expansion

The National Football League announced in August 2020 that the league would be expanding from 16 to 17 regular-season games starting in the 2021 season. The additional game will be added to the schedule for each team on a rotating basis, with each team getting an extra game every 32nd year.

The AFL-NFL merger

In 1970, the NFL and AFL agreed to merge into one league. As part of the deal, the NFL agreed to expand from 16 games to 17 games. The 17-game schedule became official in 2021.

The NFL’s expansion has had a major impact on the league. The extra game has allowed teams to play more competitive schedules and has increased revenue for the league. The NFL has also been able to add more teams and divisions, which has made the league more competitive.

The addition of the 17th game has been a positive change for the NFL, and it is likely that the league will continue to expand in the future.

The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the biggest and most important American football game of the year. It is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game is played between the winning teams from the NFL’s two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The winner of the Super Bowl receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the legendary Green Bay Packers head coach who won the first two Super Bowls.

The NFL Today

The National Football League 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 agreed to merge with the American Football League (AFL) in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season; the merger was completed in 1970.

The current NFL schedule

In 2020, the NFL will have 256 regular-season games, plus 10 more in the postseason. That’s up from 246 regular-season games in 2019.

The NFL’s current scheduling format, which began in 2010, features 17 weeks of regular-season play. Each team plays 16 games and has one bye week. The bye week is built into the schedule so that no team has more than two consecutive home or away games.

The NFL began its 16-game schedule in 1978. Prior to that, teams played 14 regular-season games and four exhibition games. The league expanded to 18 games in 2021 but then reverted back to 17 the following year.

The NFL’s popularity

The National Football League (NFL) is the most popular professional American football league, consisting of 32 teams divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (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 merger with the American Football League (AFL) in 1966, creating the Super Bowl which has become the biggest annual sporting event in the United States. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world and is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America.