From 1920-1931 the NFL championship was determined by a team's won-loss percentage. In 1932, a playoff game was arranged following the season to determine the championship.

In 1933, the NFL was organized into two divisions (later called conferences). The winners of each division played each other to determine the champion of the league. This format would remain through the 1966 season.  Read more about the NFL Champions...

There are currently thirty-two NFL clubs. The NFL is the only organization among the four major professional sports leagues of North America to have all of its teams in the United States; MLB and the NBA each have one team in Canada, and the NHL has six teams there.  Read more about the NFL Teams...

Objective of the game

The object of the game is to outscore your opponent by advancing the football into their endzone for as many touchdowns as possible while holding them to as few as possible. There are other ways of scoring, but a touchdown is usually the prime objective.Read more about the strategy of the game...

During the league's regular season, each team plays 16 games over a 17-week period generally from September to January. At the end of each regular season, six teams from each conference play in the NFL playoffs, a 12-team single-elimination tournament that culminates with the NFL championship, the Super Bowl.  Read more about the NFL Tournaments...

This Digest of Rules of the National Football League has been prepared to aid players, fans, and members of the press, radio, and television media in their understanding of the game.

It is not meant to be a substitute for the official rule book. In any case of conflict between these explanations and the official rules, the rules always have precedence. Read more about the football rules...

Betting General Rules

Bets are considered official after 55 minutes of play. If 55 minutes of play is not conducted, a bet on the team is treated as no action, and a parlay bet will be reduced accordingly. Bets on 1st, 2nd halfs and all quarters will be considered action upon completion of the period in question. Bets on spread, money line, totals for the whole game and all bets on second halfs always include overtime scoring. Bets for 4th quarter do not include overtime scoring.  Read more about the betting rules...