This article provides an overview of the National Football League (NFL) and a List of Teams in the NFL. The National Football League is the world’s largest professional American football league. From a legal entity perspective, the National Football League is an unincorporated, non-profit organization 501(c)(6) association controlled by its members.
The National Football League was initially formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association. Later, the league changed to the National Football League in 1922. Currently, the NFL consists of thirty-two teams from the United States. The league is divided into two separate conferences – the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), and each conference has four divisions with four teams each.
List of Teams in the NFL
Following is a list of teams in the National Football League (NFL). The list includes the team name and a link to their official website. Additionally, the list indicates where the team is based, its headquarters, and where they play home games.
American Football Conference (AFC) Football Teams
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League. The AFC has 16 teams, divided into four divisions: North, South, East, and West. Following is a list of teams in the AFC:
List of teams in the NFL – AFC North Division
The AFC North Division has four teams: the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Baltimore Ravens – The Baltimore Ravens play home games at the M&T Bank Stadium. They are based in Baltimore, Maryland, and their HQ is in Owings Mills.
- Cincinnati Bengals – The Cincinnati Bengals are based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They play home games in the Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
- Cleveland Browns – The Cleveland Browns are based in Cleveland, Ohio, and play home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The team’s offices are in Berea, Ohio.
- Pittsburgh Steelers – The Pittsburgh Steelers are based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play home games at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium (previously Heinz Field).
List of teams in the NFL – AFC South Division
The AFC South Division has four teams: the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.
- Houston Texans – The Houston Texans are based in Houston, Texas, and play their home games at NRG Stadium. The Texans replaced the Houston Oilers.
- Indianapolis Colts – The Indianapolis Colts are based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts play home games in Lucas Oil Stadium.
- Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jacksonville Jaguars are based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team plays its home games at TIAA Bank Field.
- Tennessee Titans – The Tennessee Titans are based in Nashville, Tennessee, and play games at Nissan Stadium. The Tennessee Titans were previously the Houston Oilers. The team moved from Houston, Texas, to Nashville in 1997.
List of teams in the AFC East Division
The AFC East Division includes four teams: the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets.
- Buffalo Bills – The Buffalo Bills are based in the Buffalo / Niagara Falls metro area. The team plays home games at the New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills started with the AFL in 1960 and joined the NFL in 1970.
- Miami Dolphins – The Miami Dolphins are Florida’s oldest professional sports team. Their headquarters is in Davie, Florida, and they play their home games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
- New England Patriots – The New England Patriots play their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Also, the team’s official headquarters is located at Gillette Stadium.
- New York Jets – The New York Jets play their home games in MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Uniquely, the Jets share the MetLife Stadium with the New York Giants. The New York Jet’s headquarters is in Florham Park, New Jersey.
List of teams in the AFC West Division
The AFC West Division has four teams: the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders, and the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Denver Broncos – The Denver Broncos are based in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos play home games at the Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
- Kansas City Chiefs – The Kansas City Chiefs are based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs play their home games in Arrowhead Stadium.
- Oakland Raiders – The Raiders are based in Oakland, California. They play their home games in the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum.
- Los Angeles Chargers – The LA Chargers are based in Los Angeles, California. They play their home games in the StubHub Center.
National Football Conference (NFC) Football Teams
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League. The league created the conference after merging with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970. Originally, the NFC had 13 teams that year, all playing in the NFL before the merger.
Meanwhile, the former AFL teams and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Colts formed the American Football Conference (AFC). Following is a list of Teams in the National Football Conference (NFC):
List of teams in the NFC East Division
The NFC East has four teams: The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Redskins.
- Dallas Cowboys – The Dallas Cowboys are headquartered in Frisco, Texas. The team plays home games at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
- New York Giants – The New York Giants are based in the New York metropolitan area. The team plays home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- Philadelphia Eagles – The Philadelphia Eagles are based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are headquartered in the NovaCare Complex and play home games in Lincoln Financial Field.
- Washington Redskins – The Washington Redskins are based in the Washington metropolitan area. The team is headquartered in the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Virginia. The team plays home games at the FedExField in Landover, Maryland.
List of teams in the NFC North Conference
- Chicago Bears – The Chicago Bears were founded in 1920. The Bears are based in Chicago, Illinois. The team is headquartered in Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois. They play at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
- Detroit Lions – The Detroit Lions were founded in 1930. The Lions are based in Detroit, Michigan. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
- Green Bay Packers – Founded in 1919. The Green Bay Packers are based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. And they play their home games at Lambeau Field.
- Minnesota Vikings – The Minnesota Vikings are based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
List of teams in the NFC South Conference
- Atlanta Falcons – The Atlanta Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team. The Falcons are based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team plays home games at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta. The team’s headquarters and practice facilities are in Flowery Branch, Georgia.
- Carolina Panthers – The Carolina Panthers were founded in 1995. They are based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team’s headquarters and home games are in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Also, the stadium is known as Panther’s Stadium.
- New Orleans Saints – The New Orleans Saints came together in 1967. They are based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints play their home games in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were founded in 1976 and are based in Tampa, Florida. The team plays its home games at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
List of teams in the NFC West Conference
- Arizona Cardinals – The Arizona Cardinals began in 1898. They are based in Phoenix, Arizona. The team plays its home game at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
- San Francisco 49ers – The San Francisco 49ers were formed in 1946. They are located in the San Francisco Bay area, and its headquarters is in Santa Clara, California. The team plays home games at Levi’s Stadium.
- Seattle Seahawks – The Seattle Seahawks were originally formed in 1976 and are based in Seattle, Washington. The team plays home games at CenturyLink Field.
- St. Louis Rams – The St. Louis Rams were founded in 1936 and are based in the Los Angeles metro area. They play on their home field, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Regular Season Play
The regular season includes a seventeen-week schedule during which each team has one “bye” week (a week off) and plays sixteen games. Further, this schedule includes six games against a team’s divisional rivals and several inter-division and inter-conference games.
The season starts on a Thursday night in the first full week of September (the Thursday after Labor Day). Depending on the playoff schedule, it runs weekly to late December or early January.
The Super Bowl
The annual championship game is known as the Super Bowl. The game is held at the end of the regular season, either in late January or early February. The game is held in a different city and state each year in light of the economic benefits of hosting the Super Bowl.
List of Interesting Facts
- The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots have won the Superbowl six times more than any other teams.
- The Miami Dolphins completed the NFL’s only perfect season in 1972, winning all their regular-season games, playoff games, and Super Bowl VII.
- The Green Bay Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the U.S.
- The Buffalo Bills are the only team in New York to play their home games. The New York Giants and the New York Jets play in New Jersey.
- The Buffalo Bills are the only team to lose four consecutive Super Bowl games.
- The Browns, Lions, Texans, and Jaguars have never played in a Superbowl game.
- Only three stadiums are not named after a corporate sponsor – Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin; Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois; and Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Questions and Comments
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Also, see a list of Major League Baseball teams or view more Lists of Lists.
