NFL regular season

• 1. The Eighteen Week Calendar

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  The National Football League regular season begins on the weekend following the first Monday of September. This timing places the start date after the Labor Day holiday, creating a consistent annual rhythm for fans and broadcasters alike. The schedule runs through early January, concluding just before the playoffs tournament begins. During this period, 272 games are played across the league. Each of the NFL's 32 teams plays exactly 17 games during an 18-week period. One week is designated as a bye week where each team sits out to rest players and recover from injuries. This structure ensures that every team has equal time off while maintaining a competitive balance throughout the long season.

• 2. Weekly Broadcast Windows

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  Since 2012, the NFL generally schedules games in five distinct time slots during the week. The first game of the week kicks off on Thursday night at 8:15 pm ET. Thanksgiving games and the kickoff game start slightly later at 8:20 pm. The majority of games occur on Sunday with most starting at 1 pm ET. Some late afternoon games begin at either 4:05 or 4:25 pm ET depending on the market. A single Sunday night game airs every week at 8:20 pm ET. Finally, one or two Monday night games start at 8:15 pm ET. When two games air on Monday, one may start at 7:30 pm or 9 pm. Occasionally games appear on Saturday afternoons or evenings including Black Friday afternoon games since 2023.

• 3. Network Rights And Partnerships

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  In place since 2006, the current broadcasting contract establishes broadcast partners for each game. Sunday afternoon games are broadcast either on CBS or Fox. CBS holds rights for teams in the American Football Conference while Fox has rights for teams in the National Football Conference. In games where teams from both conferences play each other, the network with rights to the away team broadcasts the match. Each local television market shows three Sunday afternoon games. One network displays two games back-to-back in each time slot while the other shows a single game. These networks generally alternate weeks when each has the right to show both games. The Thursday night game is broadcast by Amazon Prime Video except for the kickoff and Thanksgiving games which air on NBC. The Sunday night game airs on NBC while the Monday night game appears on ESPN/ABC.

• 4. Scheduling Algorithm Evolution

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  The NFL uses a strict scheduling algorithm to determine which teams play each other from year to year. This system relies on current division alignments and final division standings from the previous season. Currently each team plays the other three teams in its own division once at home and once away. Teams also face all four teams from a single division in the AFC once and all four teams from a single division in the NFC once. Two additional intraconference games and one additional interconference game complete the schedule. Between 1970 and 2002 the league used different formulas based on conference strength and division sizes. From 1978 through 1994 a special last place schedule existed for teams finishing fifth in five-team divisions. The 1995 to 1998 era featured balanced six-division structures where every team played eight divisional games plus two teams from each other division.

• 5. International Game Initiatives

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  To date several NFL regular season games have been played outside the United States. The first occurred in 2005 between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City. In October 2006 owners approved a plan to stage up to two international games per season starting in 2007. The New York Giants and Miami Dolphins played at Wembley Stadium in London on the 28th of October 2007. A second game took place on Sunday the 26th of October 2008 when the San Diego Chargers faced the New Orleans Saints also at Wembley. Since 2022 each team will host at least one international game every eight years. The Jacksonville Jaguars play home games at Wembley up to and including 2020 while the Buffalo Bills hosted games in Toronto from 2008 through 2013 before cancellation due to poor sales.

• 6. Disruptions And Contingencies

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  Several games have been postponed or relocated because of natural disasters. In 1989 Candlestick Park was damaged by the Loma Prieta earthquake causing the 49ers to play against the Patriots at Stanford Stadium. Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the Louisiana Superdome leading to the Saints moving all eight scheduled home games to other locations like Giants Stadium and Tiger Stadium. On the 14th of September 2008 the Houston Texans were forced to postpone their game against the Baltimore Ravens until November 9 because of Hurricane Ike. The roof of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome collapsed on the 12th of December 2010 after a severe snowstorm forcing the Vikings to move two home games to Ford Field and TCF Bank Stadium. Labor disputes also altered calendars with the 1982 strike lasting 57 days and canceling weeks three through ten.