As an avid watcher of the National Football League, I’m always trying to understand just how the league operates and what makes it such a great sport. One of the most important aspects of the league setup is the schedule of match-ups between teams. What I was curious to know is just how many times does each NFL team play each other?
Well, the answer depends on the division and conference where the teams are located. For example, in the AFC and NFC divisions, teams play a total of 16 regular-season games. But the two teams aren’t just randomly matched up once during the year, usually they play each other twice, one home game and one away game. That means that if there’s a team in each division with the same record by the end of the year, they’ve probably met head-to-head twice already.
It also depends on the conference. In the NFC, teams only play their divisional opponents twice a year, which means they play six other teams once. In the AFC, teams play their divisional opponents twice, but they also play four out-of-division opponents each year as well. That means AFC teams play ten teams total throughout the regular season, including two non-divisional teams.
On top of the regular season though, the NFL also features a variety of post-season tournaments such as the Super Bowl, which gives teams a chance to compete for the championship. The post-season tournament requires teams to play opponents from other conferences, so in the playoffs, teams can meet each other more than twice in a single season.
As a fan, it’s interesting to see just how the NFL lines up the teams and tries to keep parity across the board. It also makes for exciting games with the players and teams getting to play against each other twice, which heightens the rivalry and adds to the excitement of the game.
In addition to the regular season and post-season games, there are also special matchups that can happen throughout the year. For example, the NFL has a Thanksgiving Day game each year, a Pro Bowl every February, and a few other matchups designed to showcase some of the best players in the league. These types of matchups allow fans the chance to see their favorite teams and players compete against each other in unique settings.
Overall, the NFL does a good job of mixing up the games so teams and players get to compete against each other multiple times throughout the season. It keeps the interest level up as teams and players can measure their progress against other teams, while the post-season also provides a chance for them to compete on a much bigger stage and really show what they’re capable of.