Who Plays Next in the NFL?
The NFL season is in full swing and there are plenty of games to keep us entertained. But who plays next? Here’s a look at the NFL schedule for the next few weeks.
Introduction
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 professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world.
The Teams
In the NFL, there are a total of 16 games in the regular season. 8 of them are divisional games, and the other 8 are non-divisional games. The divisional games are against teams in your division, while the non-divisional games are against teams in the other divisions in your conference.
The AFC
In the American Football Conference (AFC), each team plays every other team in their own division twice. They also play 6 games against teams from the other divisions in their own conference. Finally, they round out the schedule playing 4 games against teams from the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFC operates under the same rules.
The current divisional alignment began in 2002. Before that, there were 3 divisions in each conference: East, Central, and West.
The East
In the NFL, there are two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference is then further divided into four divisions: East, West, North, and South.
The AFC East is made up of the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets. The Bills are based in Orchard Park, New York; the Dolphins play in Miami Gardens, Florida; the Patriots call Foxborough, Massachusetts home; and the Jets play in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The North
The NFC North is a division of the National Football League (NFL) located in the upper Midwest of the United States. It is one of four divisions in the NFC, and prior to 2002, it was known as the NFC Central. The NFL considers the NFC North to be one of its most competitive divisions.
The division was created before the realignment that occurred in 2002 as a result of the Houston Texans joining the NFL as an expansion club. At that time, three other divisions had teams that were located further south than any team in the newly created NFC North: NFC East, AFC West and AFC South.
Since creating this list I have added Green Bay to it after they won Super Bowl XLV.
The South
The South includes the teams from the AFC and NFC West divisions.
-Arizona Cardinals
-Los Angeles Rams
-San Francisco 49ers
-Seattle Seahawks
-Denver Broncos
-Kansas City Chiefs
-Oakland Raiders
-San Diego Chargers
The West
The West is home to the NFC West and AFC West, two very competitive divisions. In the NFC West, the Rams and Seahawks have been dominant for years, but the 49ers and Cardinals are both improving and could make a run at the division title. In the AFC West, the Chiefs are the team to beat after winning the Super Bowl last year, but the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos all have talented rosters and could make a push for the playoffs.
The NFC
In the National Football Conference (NFC), teams are divided into the East, West, and North divisions. The current divisional alignment was introduced in 2002. Although the NFC is part of the NFL, its teams do not necessarily play all teams in the NFL. The NFC has 16 teams total, and four teams from each division make it to the conference playoffs at the end of each season.
The East division consists of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins. The West division is made up of the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks. The North division is made of the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings.
The East
The East is made up of the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Redskins. These teams are all in the NFC East division.
The Dallas Cowboys are America’s Team. They have a rich history dating back to 1960. The Cowboys have played in eight Super Bowls, winning five of them. They are currently coached by Jason Garrett and led by quarterback Dak Prescott.
The New York Giants are one of the original teams in the NFL. They play their home games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The Giants have won four Super Bowls, most recently in 2011. They are coached by Pat Shurmur and led by quarterback Eli Manning.
The Philadelphia Eagles are another original team in the NFL. They play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles have won three Super Bowls, most recently in 2018. They are coached by Doug Pederson and led by quarterback Carson Wentz.
The Washington Redskins round out the NFC East division. They play their home games at FedEx Field in Maryland. The Redskins have won three Super Bowls, most recently in 1992. They are coached by Jay Gruden and led by quarterback Alex Smith
The North
AFC NORTH
1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Cincinnati Bengals
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC NORTH
1. Chicago Bears
2. Detroit Lions
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Minnesota Vikings
The South
The South includes the teams from the AFC South and NFC South. For the AFC South, we have the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and the Tennessee Titans. For the NFC South, we have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers.
The West
In the AFC West, the Broncos have a comfortable three-game lead over the Chargers and Chiefs. Denver’s advantage is due in part to its head-to-head victories over both San Diego and Kansas City. The Raiders are out of contention with a 2–10 record.
The NFC West is on pace to send two teams to the playoffs: the 10–2 Seahawks, who have clinched a playoff berth, and the 8–4 Cardinals. Both teams have benefited from playing in a division with only two other teams above .500. The 49ers (7–5) and Rams (6–6) are battling for the division’s final playoff spot.
Conclusion
The playoffs are now set and we know who will be playing in the Conference Championship games next weekend. In the AFC, the New England Patriots will be taking on the Kansas City Chiefs, while in the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams will face off against the New Orleans Saints.
