American Football Conference
The year 1960 marked the beginning of a new professional football league when eight teams launched play under the banner of the American Football League. This organization grew to ten teams by adding the Miami Dolphins in 1966 and the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968 before negotiations for a merger began. The National Football League had been operating since 1920, but the AFL challenged its dominance with aggressive expansion strategies and higher player salaries. By 1969, both leagues faced financial pressures that made a union inevitable rather than optional. Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns, proposed a plan where three NFL teams would join the AFL to create two equal conferences. Modell hoped this arrangement would allow his franchise to establish a lucrative rivalry with the newly formed Bengals. He was hospitalized for internal bleeding during these critical talks while struggling to service debt from purchasing the team. Art Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Wellington Mara of the New York Giants visited him in the hospital. They agreed to move their franchises to the AFC if Modell did so as well. Carroll Rosenbloom of the Baltimore Colts also joined the agreement. On the 10th of May 1969, the announcement came that three old-guard NFL teams would pay $3 million each to enter the new conference. The merger officially took effect for the 1970 season when the American Football Conference was born.
Sixteen teams now occupy the four divisions of the East, North, South, and West within the American Football Conference. Each division contains exactly four teams playing at specific stadiums across the United States. The Buffalo Bills play at Highmark Stadium located in Orchard Park, New York. Miami Dolphins call Hard Rock Stadium home in Miami Gardens, Florida. The New England Patriots compete at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. New York Jets play their games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Baltimore Ravens host matches at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Cincinnati Bengals play inside Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cleveland Browns take the field at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Pittsburgh Steelers play at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Houston Texans play at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Indianapolis Colts play at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jacksonville Jaguars play at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Tennessee Titans play at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Denver Broncos play at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. Kansas City Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Las Vegas Raiders play at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. Los Angeles Chargers play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The NFL uses a complex mathematical formula to determine which fourteen opponents each team faces during the seventeen-game regular season. Every AFC team plays the other three teams in its division twice, once at home and once away. Three additional games are assigned based on that team's final standing from the previous season. The remaining eight games split between two other divisions chosen by a rotating cycle. For example, every team in the AFC West played against all teams in the AFC East and NFC North during the 2023 schedule. At the end of the season, four division winners qualify for the playoffs along with three wild card teams. Wild cards represent non-division winners with the best records among those who did not win their division. The playoff tournament culminates in the AFC Championship Game where the winner receives the Lamar Hunt Trophy. The champion then advances to face the NFC representative in the Super Bowl. As of 2025, the conference has won twenty-seven out of fifty-five total Super Bowls. The New England Patriots hold the record with twelve conference championships. Pittsburgh Steelers share the most Super Bowl wins with six titles.
Five expansion teams have joined the American Football Conference since the merger while two franchises have departed entirely. Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the league in 1976 but switched conferences after one season before returning permanently. Jacksonville Jaguars joined the AFC in 1995 as part of another wave of growth. Five teams have relocated at least once since the merger era began. The Indianapolis Colts moved from Baltimore to Indiana in 1984. Cleveland Browns attempted a move to Baltimore in 1995 which led to Modell establishing the Ravens instead. The Browns were placed in suspended operations before being reinstated by the league. Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1982 then returned to Oakland in 1995 before settling in Las Vegas in 2020. San Diego Chargers played fifty-six years in their original city before moving back to Los Angeles in 2017. Houston Oilers became Tennessee Oilers in 1997 and later renamed themselves the Titans. The Houston Texans joined the league in 2002, expanding the total number of teams to thirty-two across both conferences. Since that time, no further relocations or expansions have occurred.
CBS and NBC retained broadcasting rights immediately following the 1970 merger completion with CBS handling all NFC games and NBC covering all AFC matches. Monday Night Football aired on ABC regardless of conference affiliation while Sunday Night Football launched on ESPN in 1987 for the second half of each season. TNT took over the first half of SNF in 1990 until ESPN assumed full control in 1998. The entire package moved to NBC in 2006 when they won rights from ESPN. Thursday Night Football began airing on NFL Network in 2006 before simulcasting on CBS or NBC between 2014 and 2017. Fox acquired exclusive rights to TNF from 2018 through 2021 before Amazon Prime Video took over exclusively starting in 2022. The Super Bowl rotated annually between NBC for odd-numbered years and CBS for even-numbered years until ABC joined the rotation in 1984. Wild Card games added to the playoff structure in 1990 were broadcast by ABC then later transferred to NBC in 2006. ESPN removed one Wild Card game from NBC in 2014 while taking a Divisional playoff game from CBS in even years and Fox in odd years. Playoff expansion to fourteen teams in 2020 gave the league two extra games available for short-term deals.
Only nine of sixteen AFC teams reached the Super Bowl between 1995 and 2022 despite having half the total franchises. New England Patriots appeared ten times during that period while Pittsburgh Steelers made four appearances. Denver Broncos also reached the championship game four times alongside Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts who each went twice. Kansas City Chiefs won three titles while Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans each secured one appearance. Seventeen of nineteen AFC champions from 2001 to 2019 started one of just three quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Ben Roethlisberger. The conference has used seven different quarterbacks in the last twenty Super Bowls compared to sixteen distinct starters from the NFC. The Kansas City Chiefs remain the most recent winners as of 2024 with their fourth title. The original AFL logo featuring six blue stars surrounded by a bold red A defined the early identity before changing in 2010. Four stars now represent the current divisions inside the letter A on modern jerseys. The Kansas City Chiefs continue to feature the original AFL design on their uniforms today.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was the American Football Conference officially formed?
The American Football Conference was officially born for the 1970 season following a merger announcement on the 10th of May 1969. Three old-guard NFL teams paid $3 million each to enter the new conference that year.
Which teams play in the East division of the American Football Conference?
Four teams occupy the East division including the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets. These franchises play at Highmark Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, Gillette Stadium, and MetLife Stadium respectively.
How many Super Bowls has the American Football Conference won as of 2025?
As of 2025, the American Football Conference has won twenty-seven out of fifty-five total Super Bowls. The New England Patriots hold the record with twelve conference championships while the Pittsburgh Steelers share the most Super Bowl wins with six titles.
What happened to the Cleveland Browns franchise after the 1995 relocation attempt?
The Cleveland Browns were placed in suspended operations before being reinstated by the league after an attempted move to Baltimore led Art Modell to establish the Ravens instead. This event occurred during a period where five teams relocated at least once since the merger era began.
Who currently holds exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football for the American Football Conference?
Amazon Prime Video took over exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football starting in 2022 after Fox held them from 2018 through 2021. CBS and NBC previously handled broadcasting rights immediately following the 1970 merger completion.