Which NFL Teams Played Today and Why It Matters

Find out which NFL teams played today and why it matters for your fantasy football team.

Introduction

In today’s NFL, teams take the field for 16 regular season games over 17 weeks. That leaves bye weeks for each team built into the schedule, along with one week during which all teams are idle. The NFL’s regular season typically runs from early September through late December.

During the bye week, no team plays. This gives every player a chance to rest and recover from any injuries they may have sustained during the first part of the season. The break also provides an opportunity for coaches to regroup and devise new strategies to help their teams improve for the second half of the season.

In recent years, the NFL has experimented with adding an extra week to the regular season schedule. In 2020, for example, there were 17 weeks of regular season games. However, this change does not affect how many bye weeks each team has; it simply means that there are more games played overall.

So which NFL teams played today? And why does it matter? Read on to find out!

History of the NFL

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world. The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held on the first Sunday in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and 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 considered itself a separate major league until its merger with rival American Football League (AFL) in 1966. After its inception, college football decreased dramatically in popularity due to several reasons. In 1933, baseball legend Babe Ruth called his shot at Wrigley Field which increased baseball’s popularity. The University of Chicago abandoned its football program after several embarrassing losses in 1939. In 1940, both Notre Dame Fighting Irish football and Ohio State Buckeyes football rose to national prominence under coaches Knute Rockne and Francis Schmidt respectively; both boosted interest in college football nationwide.

How the NFL Schedule Is Made

The National Football League schedule is made through a process that involves input from several people, including team owners, head coaches, general managers, stadium personnel, television networks and league office personnel. The goal is to create a schedule that is fair and balanced, and one that maximizes the number of meaningful games in the context of each team’s strengths and weaknesses.

Once the NFL season ends, the league’s scheduling department begins its work. The first step is to create a master list of all potential opponents for each team. This list is then refined based on a number of factors, including divisional rivalries, recent meetings between teams, strength of schedule and geographical considerations.

Once the potential opponents have been determined, the next step is to create a matrix that shows how often each team would play each opponent over a four-year period. This matrix is then used to create drafts of schedules for the upcoming season. These drafts are then evaluated by various people within the league office, including the head of officiating, before a final schedule is released to the public.

Why It Matters Who Plays on What Day

The National Football League releases its regular season schedule every year in the spring, and while most fans are excited to see when their favorite team will be playing each week, there is also a lot of strategy involved in scheduling. For example, teams that play on Thursday night tend to have a shorter week to prepare, which gives them a disadvantage. Likewise, playing on Monday night means you have an extra day to rest and prepare.

So which NFL teams played today and why does it matter? The answer depends on a number of factors, including the day of the week and the time of year. Here’s a closer look at why it matters who plays on what day:

Thursday Night Football
Thursday Night Football began in 2006 as a way to give fans more football during the week. Prior to that, the only weekday games were on Monday nights. The Thursday night games are typically not must-see TV due to the short week for teams preparing for them, but they are still a big draw for casual fans.

Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is the most iconic weekday game in the NFL. It began in 1970 as a way to showcase one marquee matchup each week during the season. The game has since evolved into must-see TV, with two games being played each Monday night during the season.

Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football began in 1987 as a way to bring parity to primetime television. NBC was looking for a way to compete with ABC’sMonday Night Football, so they created Sunday Night Football. The game has become one of the most watched shows on television each week during the NFL season.

Saturday Games
The NFL occasionally schedules games on Saturdays during the regular season, typically in December when there are fewer games being played overall. These Saturday games are typically divisional matchups with playoff implications.

Wild Card Weekend
The NFL playoffs begin with Wild Card Weekend, which is when four divisional winners from each conference (the NFC and AFC) play two playoff games each. These games are typically played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons/evenings depending on which network is broadcasting them (Fox or CBS).

Conclusion

It’s important to know which NFL teams are playing today so that you can make informed decisions about your bets. The results of these games will have a direct impact on the standings, and that will in turn determine which teams make the playoffs and ultimately compete for the Lombardi Trophy. Simply put, if you want to be a successful NFL bettor, you need to pay close attention to which teams are playing each week.