NFL teams currently play three preseason games, with a few teams each year getting a fourth if they are selected for the Hall of Fame Game.

Quick Scoop: NFL Preseason Game Count

  • Most NFL teams: 3 preseason games each summer.
  • Hall of Fame Game participants: 4 preseason games (the Hall of Fame Game plus the standard three).
  • The preseason spans roughly three weeks in August , plus the Hall of Fame Game in late July or early August.

Why it used to feel like more

  • Historically, teams played 4–5 preseason games , and sometimes more decades ago.
  • When the NFL expanded the regular season to 17 games , the league cut the preseason down to three weeks to reduce wear-and-tear and make room on the calendar.

Mini timeline

  • Old format: 4+ preseason games per team, 16-game regular season.
  • Current format: 3 preseason games per team (4 for Hall of Fame teams), 17-game regular season.

Small clarification

If you’re asking “how many preseason games in NFL” in general, the best short answer for today is:

Each NFL team plays three preseason games, with two teams each year playing a fourth extra matchup in the Hall of Fame Game.

Simple HTML table on preseason format

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Era</th>
      <th>Preseason games per team</th>
      <th>Regular season games</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Past (before 17-game era)</td>
      <td>4–5 games</td>
      <td>16 games</td>
      <td>Longer preseason, more exhibition weeks.[web:6][web:10]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Current format</td>
      <td>3 games (4 for Hall of Fame teams)</td>
      <td>17 games</td>
      <td>Three-week preseason plus Hall of Fame Game.[web:1][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

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