How the NFL Season Works
Updated November 9, 2026. Rules are based on the 2026 NFL rulebook.
The NFL calendar is short and tightly built. Each team plays just 17 regular-season games, far fewer than baseball or basketball, so every game carries real weight in the standings.
The year at a glance
| Period | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Preseason | August | Exhibition games that do not count in the standings |
| Regular season | September to early January | 18 weeks, 17 games per team |
| Playoffs | January | 14 teams in a single-elimination bracket |
| Super Bowl | February | The championship game |
| Offseason | February to July | Free agency, the draft in late April, and the schedule release in May |
How each team's 17 opponents are chosen
The schedule is not random. A formula set years in advance decides who plays whom:
| Games | Opponents |
|---|---|
| 6 | The other three teams in its division, home and away |
| 4 | All four teams from one division in its own conference, on a rotation |
| 4 | All four teams from one division in the other conference, on a rotation |
| 2 | One team from each of the two remaining divisions in its conference, based on last season's division standings |
| 1 | A 17th game against a team from the other conference, also based on last season's standings |
The rotation means that every team plays each of the other 31 teams at least once over a four-year period.
Home and away
With an odd number of games, half the league gets nine home games and the other half gets eight. The two conferences take turns year by year. Some games are played at international sites, and the 2026 schedule includes games in Australia, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Mexico and Spain.
Bye weeks
Each team has one week off during the 18-week season, called a bye. The byes fall in the middle of the season, which is why some weeks have 14 games rather than 16. You can see who is resting at the bottom of any week's schedule.
When games are played
- Thursday night: one game most weeks.
- Sunday afternoon: most of the league, with games at about 1:00 p.m. and 4:05 or 4:25 p.m. Eastern.
- Sunday night: a national prime-time game.
- Monday night: the game that closes the week.
- Saturdays: added late in the season once college football wraps up.
Flex scheduling
Late in the season, the league can move a game into a different time slot so that a more meaningful matchup gets a national audience. Sunday afternoon games can also shift between early and late windows. For the final week, the league waits until the previous week's games are done before setting its times, so that playoff-deciding games can be placed where the most fans can see them.
Because kickoff times can change, it is worth checking the schedule close to game day. All times update to your own time zone automatically.
What comes next
When the regular season is over, the best teams move on. Read how the playoffs work.