When Is the NFL Season Over?

It’s hard to keep track of when the NFL season is over, but we’ve got you covered. Check out our blog post to find out when the season is done.

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Introduction

The National Football League (NFL) regular season typically runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games. The playoffs follow a similar schedule, typically running from early January to late February.

The Length of the NFL Season

The NFL season begins in September and ends in December or early January. Each team plays 16 regular season games. The playoffs follow the regular season and culminate with the Super Bowl, which is usually held in February.

Pre-Season

In the National Football League (NFL), the preseason is the period each year during which NFL teams play several not-for-the-record exhibition games before the regular season starts.

With the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the NFL preseason was reduced from 4 weeks to 2. This was done in order to allow for more time for COVID-19 related rescheduling if needed. The 2020 preseason began on August 13 and ended on August 29.

The first full week of the preseason is typically referred to as “Preseason Week 1”, while the last week is called “Preseason Week 4”. Most NFL teams treat Preseason Week 3 as a dress rehearsal for the regular season, giving starters extended playing time in what is effectively a dry run for Week 1 of the regular season.

Regular Season

During the regular season, each team plays 16 games over a 17-week period. Weeks 11-17 are considered the NFL’s “regular season.” The regular season begins the week after Labor Day (the first Monday in September) and ends the week after Christmas.

The NFL’s regular season is by far the longest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Major League Baseball’s regular season is 162 games, spread out over 183 days (26 weeks). The National Basketball Association plays 82 games over a 178-day period (24 weeks), while the National Hockey League schedule is 82 games as well, but played over 187 days (27 weeks).

Post-Season

The National Football League (NFL) regular season typically runs from September to December, with each team playing 16 games. Once the regular season is over, 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 Super Bowl, which is usually held in early February.

When the Season Ends for Different Teams

The end of the NFL season is different for every team. The date range for the end of the season is from January 1st to February 4th. The playoffs start on January 5th and end on February 4th. The date that each team’s season ends depends on if they make the playoffs.

Wild Card Teams

The four divisional winners and two wild card teams from each conference advance to the NFL playoffs. The four divisional winners are seeded 1-4 based on their won-loss-tie record, with the top seed hosting the fourth seed, and the second seed hosting the third seed.

The two wild card teams from each conference play each other in the Wild Card round. The winners of those games advance to the Divisional round, where they play one of the four divisional winners. The two surviving teams from each conference’s Divisional round then meet in the Conference Championships. The AFC and NFC champions compete against each other in the Super Bowl.

Divisional Round Teams

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 based on regular season records. The four division champions from each conference (the team with the best record in each division) earn home playoff berths. The two wild card teams (the two non-division champions with the best records in each conference) also qualify for the playoffs.

Seeding in the NFL playoffs is based on regular season records. There are no restrictions on intra-division games and neither division titles nor seeds are guaranteed. The four division champions are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6.

During Wild Card Weekend, Seeds 3 and 6 hosting Seed 5, while Seed 4 hosting Seed 7 (playoff bracket). The 1 and 2 Seeds receive a bye during Wild Card Weekend. During Divisional Playoff weekend, the highest remaining seed hosts Seed 4 (playoff bracket), while 2nd highest remaining seed hosting 3rd highest remaining seed (playoff bracket).

The winners of those games advance to their respective conference championships, hosted by the higher seed. During Conference Championship weekend, AFC Championship game is hosted by higher seed of remaining 2 AFC teams while NFC Championship game is hosted by higher see of remaining 2 NFC teams.

The winners of Conference Championship advance to Super Bowl Sunday which features Super Bowl LIV this year between NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers vs AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on February 2nd, 2020 at 6:30 PM ET broadcasted by FOX Sports.

Conference Championship Teams

Conference Championship teams are the two teams in each conference that have advanced to the Conference Championship game. The Conference Championship game is played on the first Sunday in February, two weeks after the Pro Bowl. The winner of each conference advances to the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl Winner

The NFL season generally starts in September and ends in January or February. However, the Super Bowl, the most important game of the season, is usually played in February. Therefore, the actual end of the season depends on whether or not a team makes it to the Super Bowl. For example, the New England Patriots made it to the 2019 Super Bowl, so their season ended on February 3rd, 2019.

What Happens After the Season Ends

After the regular season, there are three rounds of playoffs. The first round is called the Wild Card round. This round is when the four best teams that did not win their division play each other. The two winners from this round advance to the next round, called the Divisional Playoffs. In this round, the two Wild Card winners play the two best teams from each division that won their division. The two winners from this round advance to the Championship game, called the Super Bowl.

Conclusion

The NFL regular season typically runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games. The postseason begins in early January with wild-card playoff games, followed by divisional playoff games and then the conference championship games. The Super Bowl is usually held on the first Sunday in February.