The NFL expanded its regular season from 14 to 16 games starting with the 1978 season, and that 16‑game format lasted through the 2020 season.

Quick Scoop: Core Facts

  • The league first used a 16‑game regular season in 1978 , after previously having a 14‑game schedule from 1961–1977.
  • Teams played 16 games per season from 1978 through 2020 , spanning more than four decades of NFL history.
  • Beginning with the 2021 season , the NFL moved again, this time to a 17‑game regular season, ending the long 16‑game era.

Mini Timeline

  • 1961–1977: 14‑game regular season.
  • 1978–2020: 16‑game regular season (the answer to “when did the NFL go to 16 games”).
  • 2021–present: 17‑game regular season.

So if you’re watching an old box score or records discussion and hear “in a 16‑game season,” that era runs from 1978 through 2020.

TL;DR: The NFL went to a 16‑game regular season in 1978 , and it stayed that way until the switch to 17 games in 2021.

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