When Does the NFL Regular Season Begin?
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It’s time to start getting excited for the NFL regular season! Here’s everything you need to know about when it starts.
The NFL regular season typically begins the week after Labor Day
The NFL regular season typically begins the week after Labor Day, in September. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 NFL regular season is scheduled to begin on September 10, 2020. The NFL playoffs are typically held in January, with the Super Bowl taking place in February.
The regular season typically consists of 17 weeks, with each team playing 16 games
The NFL regular season typically consists of 17 weeks, with each team playing 16 games. The season starts the week after Labor Day, and ends the week after Christmas. The regular season began on September 9, 2020, and will end on January 3, 2021.
The NFL playoffs typically begin in January, with the Super Bowl being played in February
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league’s two conferences qualify for the playoffs. Seeded according to regular season record, the division winners and two wild card teams from each conference advance to the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1–4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The other two teams are seeded 7 and 8.
During Wild Card Weekend, typically held the first weekend in January, four games are played on Saturday and four more on Sunday. The four divisional playoff games, played during the second weekend in January, feature two games on both Saturday and Sunday. During Conference Championship weekend, usually held the third weekend in January, two games are played on both Saturday and Sunday to determine each conference’s champion. Finally, during Super Bowl weekend, usually held the fourth weekend in January or early February (Super Bowl Sunday), one game is played to determine the NFL championship for that year.
The NFL regular season schedule is typically released in April
The NFL regular season schedule is typically released in April, but the specific date depends on a number of factors. The main factor is the scheduling of the NFL Draft, which takes place in late April or early May. Once the draft is over, the NFL can finalize the regular season schedule and release it to the public.
In recent years, the NFL has been releasing the regular season schedule earlier and earlier. In 2018, for example, the schedule was released on Thursday, April 19. The 2019 schedule was released on Wednesday, April 17. And the 2020 schedule was released on Thursday, April 23.
So while there is no set date for when the NFL regular season schedule will be released, you can generally expect it to come out in mid-to-late April.
