The NFL is the most popular sports league in the United States, and millions of fans eagerly anticipate the schedule release each season. So how does it all work? This guide explains how the NFL schedule comes together.
NFL Season Structure: How Does It Work
Duration and Format of the NFL Season
The NFL regular season takes place over 18 weeks, beginning in early September and finishing in January. Each team plays 17 games and receives 1 bye week, in which they do not play. The post season starts in January and concludes with the Super Bowl in February.
Divisions, Conferences, and Interconference Play
In total, 32 teams compete in the NFL each season. These are split between 2 conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Each conference is further divided into 4 geographical divisions (North, East, South, and West) with 4 teams in each division. Of the 17 games each team plays during the regular season, 12 are against opponents from the same conference and 5 are against teams from the other conference.
Playoff System and Super Bowl
The NFL Playoffs are held after the regular season and feature the 14 best-performing teams from that season. The 8 division winners qualify automatically, while the remaining 3 spots for each conference go to the teams with the best records who did not win their division. The Playoffs include 3 rounds of single-elimination play, after which the last 2 remaining teams face off in the Super Bowl. The winners of the Super Bowl are named NFL champions for the season.
NFL Schedules By Team: A Closer Look
Creation of the NFL Schedules
A group of senior NFL staff is responsible for building the schedule each season. The process is highly complicated, as all the needs of the teams, broadcasters, venues, and fans must be taken into account. Bearing these factors in mind, the group uses computers to generate thousands of possible schedules. The final schedule is chosen from these options, with some flexibility for moving games around late in the season.
Factors Considered in Creating the NFL Schedules
Many factors must be considered in the schedule creation process. These include travel distances for each team, input from broadcasting partners, and the requirements of the schedule rotation system. The timing of bye weeks is also an important consideration, as the schedule must seem fair to every team. Each January, teams start to notify the NFL of other major events taking place at their venues during the upcoming season. This ensures that games do not clash with these events and allows for thorough logistical planning on topics like traffic management and protection of the playing surface.
Breakdown of the 17-game Schedule for Each Team
Each NFL team plays 17 games during the regular season. This includes:
- 2 games against each divisional opponent (6 divisional games total)
- 4 games against teams from a different division in the same conference
- 4 games against teams from a division in the other conference
- 2 games against teams from the remaining 2 divisions in the same conference
- 1 game against a team from a remaining division in the other conference
Importance of Home and Away Games Balance
Teams must have a fair balance of home and road games in the NFL season structure. Between preseason and regular season games, each team hosts 10 matchups at home. These 10 games alternate each season between 9 regular season and 1 preseason game and 8 regular season and 2 preseason games.
Exploring Team Matchups
Divisional Rivalries and Frequency of Matchups
Over the course of the NFL regular season, every team will play the other 3 teams in the division twice each. This includes 1 home game and 1 road game against each divisional opponent. Due to this relative frequency of meetings, rivalries between teams who share divisions can be some of the most exciting for fans. Recent changes to the schedule structure mean that each team is guaranteed to meet every other team in the NFL at least once every 4 years.
Impact of Team Performance on Scheduling
The performance of each NFL team in the previous season has important implications for the season’s schedule. For example, each team will play 2 games against opponents from other divisions within the same conference. These matchups are decided based on similar divisional standings from the previous season, meaning a team that finished first in its division is likely to play other first-place finishers.
Inside the NFL Season
Key Dates and Milestones Throughout the Season
Key dates for the 2023/24 NFL season include:
- 7 September 2023 – Kansas City Chiefs v Detroit Lions to kick off the new season
- 1 October 2023 – Atlanta Falcons v Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL International Game in UK)
- 8 October 2023 – Jacksonville Jaguars v Buffalo Bills (NFL International Game in UK)
- 15 October 2023 – Baltimore Ravens v Tennessee Titans (NFL International Game in UK)
- 5 November 2023 – Miami Dolphins v Kansas City Chiefs (NFL International Game in Germany)
- 12 November 2023 – Indianapolis Colts v New England Patriots (NFL International Game in Germany)
- 7 January 2024 – final regular season games
- 13-15 January 2024 – Wild Card Round in NFL Playoffs
- 20-21 January 2024 – Divisional Round in NFL Playoffs
- 28 January 2024 – AFC and NFC Championship Games
- 11 February 2024 – Super Bowl LVIII
Divisional Matchups and Their Implications
The divisional matchups for the NFL 2023/24 regular season are:
- AFC East
- AFC North
- NFC South
- 17th game from NFC East
- AFC North
- AFC East
- NFC North
- 17th game from NFC West
- AFC South
- AFC West
- NFC West
- 17th game from NFC South
- AFC West
- AFC South
- NFC East
- 17th game from NFC North
- NFC East
- AFC West
- NFC North
- 17th game from AFC East
- NFC North
- AFC North
- NFC East
- 17th game from AFC West
- NFC South
- AFC East
- NFC West
- 17th game from AFC South
- NFC West
- AFC South
- NFC South
- 17th game from AFC North
To give an example, this means that the New Orleans Saints of the NFC South will play 1 game against each team from the AFC East, 1 game against each team from the NFC West, and 1 game against a single team from the AFC South.
Implications of the Schedule on Playoff Chances
The NFL schedule can have a significant effect on a team’s chances of making the playoffs, as a few difficult games in a row can knock a team out of contention. The scheduling structure now ensures that the final games of the season are all intra-division matchups. This adds excitement to the end of the season, because the final division rankings are crucial for determining the teams who make it to the playoffs.
FAQs
How many games are there in an NFL regular season?
Each of the 32 NFL teams plays 17 games per season. This means that the NFL regular season consists of 272 games in total. These games are played over a period of 18 weeks.
How are ticket prices determined for NFL games?
Official NFL tickets are priced dynamically. This means that teams can change their ticket prices over the course of the season, raising or lowering costs depending on demand for tickets. High profile games between the top performing teams will see raised prices, while struggling teams may lower their prices during the season to attract more fans to the stadium.
Can NFL games be moved after the schedule is announced?
Each NFL season schedule includes some flexibility. Certain weeks during the season, including the final week of games, are timetabled less strictly than others, allowing for decisive games to be moved into primetime slots. The opponents each team will face cannot change, however, as these are determined by algorithms before the schedule is even compiled.
What is flexible scheduling in the NFL?
Flexible scheduling means that the NFL can reshuffle games occasionally throughout the season, fitting the most eagerly anticipated matchups into the best broadcasting slots. Although the matchups will stay in the same week marked on the original schedule, a top performing team may be moved into a prime Sunday Night Football slot, for example.
Can teams play each other multiple times in a season?
NFL teams will play the other members of their division twice each during the regular season. Every other opponent will only be faced once. If a team makes it to the playoffs, however, they may well encounter a team they have already played during the regular season.