Every autumn, the NFL returns to dominate sports conversation across the United States – and increasingly, around the world.
Yet for those newer to the league, its complex structure, endless statistics, and unique rules can feel daunting.
From game basics to play-off drama, here’s a full breakdown of how professional American football works in 2025.
The Basics: How the game works
Each NFL contest lasts for 60 minutes, divided into four quarters of 15 minutes each. However, the actual experience is far longer – often close to four hours – as stoppages for half-time, replays, penalties, and commercial breaks extend the runtime.
If the teams are level at the end of regulation, a 10-minute overtime period is played. Both sides get at least one chance to possess the ball unless the first team immediately scores a touchdown, in which case the game ends on the spot.
If neither team can break the deadlock within those ten minutes, the regular-season game ends in a tie – though in the play-offs, overtime continues until a winner emerges.
The field itself measures 100 yards from goal line to goal line, with a 10-yard “end zone” at each end – the area where touchdowns are scored. Offensively, the goal is simple: move the ball downfield and outscore your opponent.
Teams have four attempts, called “downs,” to gain 10 yards and reset their possession. Fail to do so, and the ball changes hands.
A touchdown, worth six points, is the most prized outcome, with opportunities to add either one or two points afterwards. Field goals are worth three points, while safeties – rare but dramatic – give two points to the defending team.
The play-offs: Where the real season begins
Once the regular season ends, attention shifts to the play-offs – the NFL’s high-stakes knockout tournament that decides who reaches the Super Bowl.
The current play-off structure was introduced in 2020 and remains in place for 2025. It expanded the postseason to include more teams and create an even more unpredictable path to glory.
How many teams make the play-offs?
Fourteen teams qualify – seven from each conference, the AFC (American Football Conference) and NFC (National Football Conference).
Each conference consists of four divisions, and the four division winners automatically book their play-off places. The remaining three spots in each conference are given to the teams with the best records that didn’t win their division – known as the “wild-card” teams.
Seeding the teams
Seeding determines both matchups and home-field advantage. The division champions are seeded first through fourth based on their win–loss records, while the three wild-card entrants fill the fifth, sixth, and seventh seeds in order of best to worst record.
The top seed in each conference earns a crucial advantage – a first-round bye – which means they skip the opening weekend and advance directly to the divisional round.
The Wild-Card Round
The posts-eason opens with the wild-card round, where the remaining six teams in each conference go head-to-head:
- The No. 2 seed faces the No.7 seed
- The No. 3 seed plays the No.6 seed
- The No. 4 seed meets the No.5 seed
The higher-seeded team always hosts the game, rewarding regular-season consistency. From here, every matchup is single elimination – lose once, and your season is over.
Divisional and conference championships
Winners from the wild-card weekend move into the divisional round. Matchups are restructured so that the lowest remaining seed in each conference faces the No.1 seed, ensuring the top teams benefit from their regular-season dominance.
The other two winners play each other, again at the higher seed’s stadium.
Victors in those contests progress to the conference championships, one for the AFC and one for the NFC. These are among the most intense fixtures in American sports, with the winners earning their ticket to the ultimate stage – the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is more than just a football game; it’s an American cultural phenomenon watched by hundreds of millions worldwide.
It pits the AFC champion against the NFC champion at a neutral venue chosen well in advance. The winner claims the Vince Lombardi Trophy – and a permanent place in NFL history.
What Happens If Teams Tie in the Standings?
Given the NFL’s 18-week regular season, it’s not uncommon for teams to finish with identical records. To separate them, the league applies a detailed series of tiebreakers.
Within divisions, head-to-head results come first, followed by divisional record, performance against common opponents, and conference record.
If teams still can’t be split, strength of schedule, points scored, and other statistical factors are considered – and if all else fails, it comes down to the luck of a coin toss.
