NFL teams currently play 17 regular-season games each year, plus up to 4 playoff games for teams that go all the way from Wild Card round to the Super Bowl.

Regular season

  • Each of the 32 NFL teams plays 17 regular-season games over 18 weeks.
  • Across the league, that adds up to 272 total regular-season games.

Playoffs

  • The postseason is a separate knockout tournament after the regular season.
  • A team entering on Wild Card weekend would play 4 playoff games (Wild Card, Divisional, Conference Championship, Super Bowl) if it reaches and wins the Super Bowl.

Other games (preseason)

  • Before the regular season, teams usually play 3 preseason games , which do not count toward standings.

Quick recap:

  • Regular season per team: 17 games.
  • Maximum total meaningful games for a Super Bowl winner: 17 regular-season + 4 playoff = 21 games , not counting preseason.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.