When Does The NFL Season Officially Start?
The NFL season starts on Thursday, September 10th.
Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) season usually starts the week after Labor Day. For example, the 2016 season started on September 8. The regular season consists of 16 games, usually played over 17 weeks from September to December. After the regular season ends, six teams from each conference (a total of 12 teams) advance to the playoffs. The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament that culminates with the NFL championship game, better known as the Super Bowl.
The Regular Season
The National Football League regular season typically begins on the last Thursday in August and ends on the first Sunday in January. Each team plays 16 games during the regular season.
During the regular season, teams play against opponents in their own division twice (home and away). They also play ten games outside their division—four gamesagainst teams from one other division in their conference and six games against teams from the other conference.
The Preseason
The NFL preseason is the period each year during which NFL teams play several not-for-the-record exhibition games before the regular season. It begins in late July or early August and continues until just before the start of the regular season in September.
The Playoffs
The NFL season officially begins with the preseason, typically in early August. However, the real action doesn’t start until the playoffs in January.
The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament that determines the league’s champion. The top six teams in each conference (the NFC and AFC) qualify for the playoffs. The four division winners in each conference are seeded 1-4 based on their regular season record, while the two wild card teams are seeded 5-6.
The playoffs start with the wild card round, which features the two wild card teams playing each other, and the three division winners with the worst record playing the sixth seed. The winners of these games advance to the divisional round, where they play one of the top two seeds. The divisional round winners then advance to the conference championships, with the winners of those games earning a trip to the Super Bowl.
Conclusion
The NFL season officially starts the week of September 5th.
