Founded in 1920 in Carton, Ohio, the National football league (NFL) is the premier gridiron football organization in the United States.
The NFL consolidated its position as America's leading league in 1970 after its merger with its rival league, the American football league (AFL). Today a league that started with 14 teams has expanded multiple times over.
How Does The NFL Work (NFL setup)?
The NFL season begins with the annual playoff of 14 teams leading to the Super Bowl championship game. The league consists of 32 teams from the NFL and AFL who battle it out for the trophy after 272 games over 18 weeks.
The season ends in January, and the new campaign doesn't start until September. The opponents for each season are known after the end of each season, and the NFL releases its full schedule in the spring – four months ahead of the actual game.
NFL Schedule for Each Team
Typically NFL games are scheduled for Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays, but sometimes minimal adjustments may occur. Each team in the NFL plays 17 games per season, hosting 9 regular-season games and one preseason game, or 8 regulars and 2 preseason games.
First, each team plays six games against division opponents: two games against each team, home and away. Then, four games against teams from one division within its conference, home and away.
They also play four games against teams from one division in the other conference, home and away, and two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its conference. Finally, one game against a non-conference opponent from a division that the team is not scheduled to play.
Every team hosts nine regular-season games, one preseason game, eight regular-season games, and two preseason games.
The next NFL preseason game for 2022 starts on August 5 between the Raiders and Jaguars. The regular season begins on September 8, with the current Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams in the NFL Kickoff Game vs. Buffalo, and ends on January 8, 2023.
The playoffs are scheduled to start on January 14 and conclude with Super Bowl LVII, the state's championship game, on February 12, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
