NFL Regular Season - NFL Playoff

The NFL regular season begins on the weekend following Labor Day in early September and runs through early January, after which the playoffs begin. The league features 32 teams, and the regular season consists of 272 total games, with each team playing 17 games over an 18-week schedule, which includes one bye week for every team. This format has been in place since the 2021 season and remains the standard under the current collective bargaining agreement.

Games are played across multiple weekly time slots, with action typically starting on Thursday Night Football, which usually kicks off at 8:15 PM ET (the NFL Kickoff Game and Thanksgiving night games begin at 8:20 PM ET). Most games are played on Sundays, primarily at 1:00 PM ET, with additional late-afternoon games starting at 4:05 or 4:25 PM ET. Each week also features Sunday Night Football at 8:20 PM ET, while Monday Night Football usually begins at 8:15 PM ET, with select weeks featuring doubleheaders or alternate start times.

Television coverage follows a long-standing broadcast structure. CBS airs most games featuring AFC road teams, while FOX carries most games featuring NFC road teams on Sunday afternoons. In each local market, fans can watch up to three Sunday afternoon games, while out-of-market games are available through NFL Sunday Ticket. Prime-time games are broadcast nationally, with NBC airing Sunday Night Football, ESPN/ABC handling Monday Night Football, and Amazon Prime Video serving as the exclusive broadcaster for Thursday Night Football and the Black Friday game.

The NFL uses a strict scheduling formula to determine opponents each season. Every team plays its three divisional rivals twice (home and away), accounting for six games. Teams also face four teams from another division within their conference on a rotating three-year cycle, four teams from a division in the opposite conference on a rotating four-year cycle, two intraconference games based on prior-season division finish, and one additional interconference game that makes up the 17th game, also determined by prior-season standings. This system ensures competitive balance and guarantees that teams face every opponent in their conference at least once every three years and every team from the other conference at least once every four years.

Scheduling flexibility has become a major part of the modern NFL. Flex scheduling allows the league to move games into prime-time slots later in the season, ensuring the most competitive matchups are shown nationally. Flex rules currently apply to Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and select Thursday night games late in the season. Since 2010, the NFL has also ensured that Week 18 features only divisional matchups, preserving competitive integrity in playoff races.

International play is now a permanent part of the NFL calendar. Since 2005, the league has hosted regular-season games outside the United States, with games played in London, Mexico City, Germany, and other global markets. Under current rules, each NFL team is guaranteed to host an international game at least once every eight years, reflecting the league’s continued global expansion.

While the NFL has discussed expanding the schedule to 18 games, the current collective bargaining agreement limits the regular season to 17 games per team through at least 2031. Until any future agreement changes that structure, the 17-game, 18-week format remains the official and accurate regular-season model for the NFL.

When NFL is founded?

NFL is founded on September 17, 1920.

How many teams are played in the NFL?

How many games are played in the NFL season?

272 games

How many parts in the NFL?

It is also the beauty of the league that has four parts: Preseason, Regular season, Playoffs, and Super Bowl.

Preseason: It is 3 Week’s exhibition rounds runs in August to help teams prepare and evaluate players.

Regular season: It is 18 Week’s 272 game’s professional football tournament where each team play 17 games and 1 Week bye runs from early September to early January.

NFL Playoffs: The NFL Playoffs have 3 parts: Wild Card, Divisional round, and Conference championship runs, and end in January.

Super Bowl: It is NFL’s league championship game commonly known as Super Bowl, is held every year in February.

NFL Draft: It’s a huge event scheduled in NFL offseason to select players and build teams.

Can I stream the NFL?

Yes, you can stream NFL on Amazon Prime, ESPN, CBS, FOX, and NBC, and also watch on mobile through NFL+.

Can I get an NFL ticket?

Yes, you can get it from here.

See also