If you’re an NFL fan or even just a casual sports enthusiast, you might have wondered: just how many weeks are there in the NFL regular season? Let’s tackle this question from the end zone to the 50-yard line!
The National Football League, or NFL, regular season consists of 17 weeks, a format that has been in place since 1990. However, it’s important to note that this will change in 2021. From this year forward, the NFL regular season will span 18 weeks. This change was approved by NFL team owners in March 2021, marking the first expansion of the regular season since it went from 16 to 17 weeks over three decades ago.
But why the change? The decision to add an extra week to the regular season was primarily fueled by the opportunity to generate more revenue. More games mean more tickets sold, more merchandise purchased, and more viewers tuning in on television or online. The added week also provides an additional opportunity for teams to compete for a coveted spot in the playoffs.
So, how are the games structured within these weeks? Each of the 32 teams in the NFL plays a total of 17 games during the regular season. The schedule includes six games against a team’s divisional opponents, four games against teams from a different division within the same conference, four games against teams from a division in the other conference, and two games against teams from the two remaining divisions within its own conference. The final game is against a team from the opposing conference.
The NFL season typically kicks off the week after Labor Day (the first Monday in September) and runs through the end of December or beginning of January. Each team is also given one bye week during the regular season, a week off without a game. This is a crucial time for teams to rest, recover, and strategize for their upcoming games.
Once the regular season wraps up, the action doesn’t stop there. The top teams from each division advance to the NFL playoffs, a single-elimination tournament that culminates in the Super Bowl, arguably the biggest event in American sports. The playoffs stretch over four weeks, including the Super Bowl, so all told, from start to finish, the NFL season lasts about 22 weeks.
The change to an 18-week regular season certainly adds a new dynamic to the NFL. It gives teams another chance to prove their mettle on the field, fans an extra week of games to watch and cheer for their favorite teams, and more opportunities for everyone involved in the NFL to revel in the excitement and camaraderie that defines this sport.
So, the next time someone asks you how many weeks there are in the NFL regular season, you can confidently answer that it’s 18 weeks. But remember, the thrill of the NFL lasts far beyond the regular season, extending into the high-stakes drama of the playoffs and the grand spectacle of the Super Bowl. Here’s to another exciting season of NFL football!