Before the 2022 season, here is everything you need to know about American football.
What exactly is the NFL?
With 32 teams competing for the Super Bowl, and the end-of-season championship, the National Football League (NFL) is the most prestigious American football competition in the United States.
The two conferences have 32 teams: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football League (NFL).
- The NFC and AFC are further subdivided into four divisions, each with four teams, based on region.
- The Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings make up the NFC North.
- The NFC East comprises the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, and others.
- The NFC South comprises the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- The NFC West comprises the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Arizona Cardinals.
- The AFC North comprises the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens.
- The AFC East comprises the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills.
- The AFC South comprises the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, and others.
- The AFC West comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers.
What is the NFL’s structure?
Each team plays the three other teams in its division at home and on the road throughout the season; the remaining ten games of their 16-game schedule are predetermined.
Most games are played on Sunday afternoons, with live coverage of each week’s tripleheader beginning at 6 p.m. on Sky Sports NFL. Late-night televised games are shown every Thursday and Monday, starting with the 2022 season opener on September 8 between the defending champion Rams and the Buffalo Bills, which starts at 1.20 a.m. on Friday.
How are points earned?
With four attempts allowed, teams must travel at least 10 yards with the ball every time their offense takes position. Otherwise, the ball is handed over to the opposition.
They get six points if they run or pass the ball down the field and score a touchdown. They can get seven or eight points if they kick an “extra point” through the goalposts or try a “two-point conversion,” which is trying to score another touchdown from two yards out of the endzone.
A team can attempt a “field goal,” another attempt to kick the ball between the goalposts, to add three points to their score if they fail to reach the endzone.
In most cases, the team will punt the ball back to the opponent deep in their half so that their offense can take the field if a field goal is impossible.
Are any games scheduled for the UK this year?
The NFL has played 30 International Series games outside the United States since the 2007 season. The New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins 13-10 in London in the first match.
Twickenham and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have also played host to games in subsequent years, but Wembley Stadium was the sole venue for one annual game. Except for the Covid-affected 2020 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have played one of their regular-season games in London since 2013…
