NFL

History

In August 1920, representatives from four states- Akron, Canton, Cleveland, and Dayton- held a meeting and formed the American Professional Football Conference (APFC) to improve footballing standards in the country. A month later, they formed the American Professional Football Association (APFA) and played a league with 14 teams. In 1922, they changed the name to National Football League (NFL).

In 1960, a new professional league- American Football League (AFL) started as a competition to the NFL. After six years, in 1966, the two leagues announced a merger that would take effect from 1970. During the four years between the announcement and the actual merger, the leagues started playing a Championship game- The Suoer Bowl. Since their merger, the two leagues are being recognized as two conferences within the NFL.

Participating teams

There are 32 teams in the NFL divided equally among the two conferences- National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Each of the conferences is further divided into 4 divisions- East, North, South, and West- with each division containing four teams.

American Football Conference (AFC)

East

• Buffalo Bills


• Miami Dolphins


• New England Patriots


• New York Jets

North

• Baltimore Ravens


• Cincinnati Bengals


• Cleveland Browns


• Pittsburgh Steelers

South

• Houston Texans


• Indianapolis Colts


• Jacksonville Jaguars


• Tennessee Titans

West

• Denver Broncos


• Kansas City Chiefs


• Oakland Raiders


• Los Angeles Chargers

National Football Conference (NFC)

East

• Dallas Cowboys


• New York Giants


• Philadelphia Eagles


• Washington Redskins

North

• Chicago Bears


• Detroit Lions


• Green Bay Packers


• Minnesota Vikings

South

• Atlanta Falcons


• Carolina Panthers


• New Orleans Saints


• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

West

• Arizona Cardinals


• Los Angeles Rams


• San Francisco 49ers


• Seattle Seahawks