Who Plays in the NFL?
Wondering who plays in the NFL? Check out this blog for a comprehensive list of NFL teams and players.
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 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 agreed to merge with the American Football League (AFL) in 1966, and effective with that season’s playoffs both leagues operated as one league with two conferences. Currently, it is estimated that 30 million people in over 200 countries around the world watch American football on television yearly, making it one of America’s most popular sports exports.
The Teams
There are a total of 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL), with 16 teams in each conference. The teams are divided evenly between the NFC (National Football Conference) and AFC (American Football Conference). In this article, we will take a look at all of the teams in the NFL and their records.
AFC East
The AFC East is one of the eight divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 1970 season when the NFL realigned its teams into two conferences after expanding to 16 teams. The division comprises four teams: the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.
Since its creation, all four teams in the AFC East have won at least one Super Bowl each. The most recent Super Bowl champion of this division is the New England Patriots, who won Super Bowl LIII.
AFC North
The AFC North is home to four very successful teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. These teams have a long history of success and are always in contention for the playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most successful teams in the NFL for many years. They have won six Super Bowls, more than any other team in the AFC. The Cincinnati Bengals are also a very successful team, winning two Super Bowls. The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns have each won one Super Bowl.
AFC South
The AFC South is a division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The AFC South consists of four teams: the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.
AFC West
The AFC West consists of the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and Oakland Raiders.
The Broncos play their home games at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. The Chiefs play their home games at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chargers play their home games at StubHub Center in Carson, California. The Raiders play their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.
NFC East
The NFC East is a division of the National Football League (NFL) that includes four teams: the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Redskins. These teams are all located in the eastern United States.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division. They are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NFL, having completed 64 consecutive seasons without missing the playoffs (1966–67 to 2019–20), in which they won 54 times, more than any other team.
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which it shares with the New York Jets in a unique arrangement. The Giants hold their summer training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell purchased the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia.Bell, Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Brian Dawkins, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Sonny Jurgensen, and Norm Van Brocklin have been inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Redskins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the NFC East division. They are headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, and their home games are played at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.
NFC North
The National Football Conference (NFC) North is a division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was formed in 2002 as the NFC Central, and comprises four teams: the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers, and the Minnesota Vikings.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl, and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears have also recorded more victories than any other NFL franchise.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, the team began play in 1929 as an independent professional team.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team who play in the National Football League (NFL). They are members of the NFC North division, and are the oldest franchise in the NFL. The Packers were founded in 1919, and have played in Green Bay, Wisconsin since 1921. They have won 13 NFL championships, more than any other team in NFL history.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for the 1961 season. The team competes in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division.
NFC South
The NFC South is a competitive division with four teams that are all fighting for a spot in the playoffs. The New Orleans Saints are the reigning champions and they have a strong team that can compete for another Super Bowl. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a young team on the rise and they have a lot of talent. The Carolina Panthers are a team that is rebuilding but they have a lot of potential. The Atlanta Falcons are a team that has struggled recently but they have a lot of talent.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the National Football League (NFL) South division. The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL).
In their 53 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 368–466–6 (.442 winning percentage), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016. The Falcons have appeared in two Super Bowls, Super Bowl XXVIII and Super Bowl LI, both losing to the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots respectively.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints currently compete in the National Football League as a member of the league’s National Football Conference South division. The team was founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966. The Saints began play in Tulane Stadium in 1967.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), and are the reigning NFC champions. The Buccaneers joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Seattle Seahawks. Tampa Bay played its first season in the American Football Conference (AFC) West division as part of an NFL realignment plan that placed each newly added expansion team into a pre-determined division.
NFC West
The NFC West is a division of the National Football League’s National Football Conference. The NFC West consists of four teams: the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks.
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Cardinals were founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States. The Cardinals play their home games at State Farm Stadium, which opened in 2006 and is located in the northwestern suburb of Glendale. Since their founding, the team has won two NFL championships, both while it was based in Chicago.
The team was founded as an amateur football team on October 1, 1898 by Chicago tobacco merchant Chris O’Brien, who served as its first president.[9] An important figure during these years was O’Brien’s partner Guy Humphrey, who served as vice president and secretary-treasurer.[9] O’Brien moved the team to Normal Field on Racine Avenue and promptly began to equip it with machinery for printing labels and magazines.[10] The new organization went by the name of Racine College Foot Ball Club.[11][12] Shortly after acquiring equipment for its new printing business, Humphrey and O’Brien realized that it would be more profitable to sell newspapers instead.[9] Consequently, they sold Racine College Foot Ball Club to Chicago businessman David Jones for $500 on November 27, 1898 – just eleven days after they acquired it.[13][14] At this time Racine Ave. east of 22nd St. had not yet been renamed Racine Ave., while westbound traffic continued to use 22nd St..
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that play in the National Football League (NFL). The Rams compete in the NFC West division, and are headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The Rams play their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in Ohio. The franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1946, making it the first and only NFL team to ever play in the city. The Rams played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 1980, when they moved to Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim) in Anaheim, California. In 1994, the team returned to their original city of St. Louis, Missouri and played at Busch Memorial Stadium until 2015. The franchise then returned to Los Angeles for the 2016 season.
The Rams have won three NFL championships, and are the only team to win championships while representing three different cities (Cleveland, Los Angeles, and St. Louis).
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team located in the San Francisco Bay Area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The team plays its home games at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located 38 miles (61 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley. Since 1988, the 49ers have been headquartered in Santa Clara.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Seahawks joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Seahawks are owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and are currently coached by Pete Carroll. Since 2002, the Seahawks have played their home games at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field), located south of downtown Seattle. The Seahawks previously played home games in Tacoma’s Dome Stadium and Husky Stadium.
