How Many Games are in the NFL Season?
The Regular Season: Number of Games
The NFL regular season typically lasts for 17 weeks and consists of 256 games. Each of the 32 teams in the league plays 16 games during this period, with one bye week. The bye week is a scheduled week off for each team, giving players a chance to rest and recover before returning to the field for the remainder of the season.
The regular season usually begins in early September and ends in late December or early January. During this time, teams compete to earn a spot in the postseason, with the top teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs. The number of games played during the regular season can have a significant impact on a team’s chances of making it to the playoffs, making each game a crucial opportunity to succeed.
The Preseason: How Many Games are Played?
The NFL preseason is a period of exhibition games that takes place before the regular season. During this time, each team typically plays four preseason games, giving coaches and players a chance to assess their strengths and weaknesses before the season begins in earnest.
The primary purpose of the preseason is to allow teams to experiment with different plays and strategies, as well as to give rookies and new players a chance to gain experience and prove themselves on the field. While the games do not count towards a team’s regular season record, they can be an important factor in determining which players make the final roster.
The length of the preseason can vary depending on the year, with some seasons featuring an extra fifth preseason game. However, in 2021, the NFL announced that the preseason would be reduced to three games for each team, with the extra week added to the regular season.
Playoff Games: How Many Teams Make it to Postseason?
At the end of the regular season, the top teams from each conference advance to the postseason. In total, 14 teams make it to the playoffs, with 7 teams from each conference competing for a chance to reach the Super Bowl.
The playoff format consists of three rounds of single-elimination games, followed by the championship game. The first round, known as the Wild Card Round, features the three lowest-seeded division winners and the three wild card teams from each conference. The second round, the Divisional Round, features the top-seeded division winner from each conference and the winners from the Wild Card Round. The third round, the Conference Championships, determines which team from each conference will advance to the Super Bowl.
In recent years, the NFL has expanded the playoff format to include an additional wild card team from each conference, resulting in a total of 14 teams competing in the postseason. This change was made for the 2020 season and has been continued for the 2021 season and beyond.
Super Bowl: The Championship Game
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the NFL, pitting the top team from each conference against each other in a single game to determine the league champion. The game typically takes place on the first Sunday in February, following the conclusion of the regular season and playoffs.
The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch the game and the halftime show. In addition to the game itself, the Super Bowl is known for its high-profile commercials, which are often produced specifically for the event and can cost millions of dollars to air.
The location of the Super Bowl changes each year, with the game being played in a different stadium each time. The host city is typically chosen well in advance, giving the host city and stadium time to prepare for the event and its associated festivities.
Historical Changes in the Number of NFL Games
The number of games played in the NFL has changed throughout its history. In the early years of the league, teams played relatively few games, with the average number of games played per season ranging from 10 to 14.
Over time, the number of games played during the regular season has increased, with the league eventually settling on a 16-game regular season in 1978. The league also introduced the concept of the bye week in the 1990s, giving teams a scheduled week off during the regular season.
In recent years, there has been discussion around potentially expanding the number of games played in the regular season. In March 2021, the NFL announced that the regular season would be expanded to 17 games per team starting in the 2021 season, with one game removed from the preseason. This change marks the first time the NFL has expanded the number of games in the regular season since 1978.
