Favorites, schedule and TV: Everything you need to know about the NFL season

The world’s highest-grossing sports league, the National Football League (NFL), started its new season at the beginning of September. Here you will find answers to all important questions about the US league.

When does the NFL season start?

In the night from Thursday to Friday (September 6), at 2:20 a.m. German time, the NFL started its 105th season. In the opening game, the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on the Baltimore Ravens. It is a repeat of last year’s “semi-final” (AFC Championship Match).

Most of the season games usually run on Sundays from 7 p.m. until late at night. The grand finale of the season, the Super Bowlwill take place in just under five months: on February 9, 2025 in Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Where is the NFL shown live on TV?

To watch all the games live in Germany, you need the “NFL Game Pass” on DAZN. Without it, only selected games can be seen on DAZN. There are also several selected games on RTL and RTL+ – in addition to the opening game, three Sunday games are planned for each game day.

Who are the favorites in the Super Bowl?

The Kansas City Chiefs have been at the forefront for years. The team has won three times in the last five seasons. In February, the Chiefs even defended their title. Now the “Triple victory“, the third title in the series – no one has ever achieved that in the Super Bowl era. The faces of the team are superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce – the latter is currently in the press a lot due to his relationship with Taylor Swift, in addition to his sporting successes.

The San Francisco 49ersLast season’s runners-up are once again the favorites. For the team around talented quarterback Brock Purdy, this could be the last year in which the increasingly expensive squad is filled with as many superstars as it is now.

What are other good NFL teams?

Among the closest contenders for the title are the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit LionsLast season, both teams were doing well and quickly reached the Super Bowl – but lost narrowly to Kansas City and San Francisco respectively. This year, the semifinalists have a good chance again.

The extended circle of favorites includes: Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers.

Which NFL teams are also in focus?

Die New York Jets signed star quarterback Aaron Rodgers last season – which made the Jets a Super Bowl contender in the eyes of some experts and hopeful fans. However, Rodgers was seriously injured in the first game of the season. Now he is fit again – and the Jets are hoping for great things.

Many eyes are particularly excited about the presumed new quarterback star of the Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams. Williams was the very first player selected in the NFL Draft, where the best college players are signed by NFL teams every year. Now he has to live up to the high expectations.

Are there German players in the NFL?

For years, Amon-Ra St. Brown has been set as Wide receiver (pass receiver) at the Detroit Lions. Last season he was selected to the All-Pro team, which All Starteam of the best in their positions. A few months ago he signed a huge contract: 120 million US dollars over four years. This briefly made him the highest-paid receiver in the entire league.

The only German player who made it into one of the final 53-man squads alongside St. Brown is Brandon Coleman. Offensive Lineman was launched in April this year by the Washington Commanders in the draft and will enter his first NFL season with them.

Other Germans were released from their NFL teams at the deadline for the squad announcement. Some of them were back with their old teams shortly afterwards in the “Training squadWith the “Practice Squad”, each team has a supplementary group of players who are allowed to train with the squad, also earn a salary and, for example in the event of injuries to regular players, can also hope for a place in the matchday squad.

Austria also has a strong man in the NFL: Bernhard Raimann. He is a regular player for the Indianapolis Colts and, as an offensive lineman, protects the quarterback from oncoming opponents.

Will there be another NFL game in Germany?

An NFL game is scheduled to take place on German soil again on November 10, 2024. New York Giants then meet the Carolina PanthersAs in 2022, the game will be played in the arena in Munich.

The German Jakob Johnson could also be part of the party. After a tough back and forth, the Stuttgart native has landed in the New York Giants’ training squad for the second time (as of September 4, 2024) and can now hope for an NFL appearance on German soil.

It is the fourth NFL game in Germany. According to the plan, Frankfurt will be next in 2025, where two games were already played last year. It is not yet known whether there will be further NFL games in Germany after that. Other international games are scheduled for London and São Paulo.

How does the NFL schedule work?

32 teams are in the league and each team has 17 season games spread over 18 weeks – the remaining matchday is an individually determined week break per team, which “Bye week“. Not all teams play against each other during the season – that alone would require 31 match days.

The 32 teams are divided into two Conferences divided (AFC and NFC). Both conferences have four divisions (North, South, East, West) with four teams each. These divisions have been set for years and offer the greatest rivalry.

Within the division, there are home and away games – that makes six fixed pairings per year. All other teams play against each other once, including the highest team of the season. Teams often don’t even meet for years, as there are only five games per season against teams from the other conference, out of 16 possible opponents.

After the regular season, the best teams go into the playoffs. The classic knockout principle applies there: if you lose, the season is over for you. The playoffs are played out within the conferences first. The Super Bowl is then the grand finale: this is where the winners of the NFC and AFC conferences meet at the end.

The most important rule changes?

During kickoffs, every ball that reaches the “landing zone” (goal line to 20 yards) must be returned – the “fair catch” is history. Until now, ball catchers often stated that they did not want to carry the ball back. The new rule is intended to make kick returns more attractive. In addition, players from both teams are only allowed to move when the ball has touched the ground, a kickoff returner or the end zone. In addition, most professionals stand close to each other. This prevents them from running into each other at high speed, which is intended to prevent injuries.

To protect the players, so-calledHip drop tackles” are prohibited. These are considered to be particularly injury-intensive, as a player grabs the opponent and uses his own weight to pull the ball carrier down – broken ankles of the ball carrier are often the result.

For the first time, players are allowed to be in the season.Guardian Caps” This is a padded cover for the helmet that is intended to reduce the risk of head and brain injuries. Use is voluntary.

Any more NFL bragging knowledge?

The most Super Bowl victories have been Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots (six each). The latter all won their titles with quarterback legend Tom Brady. He himself has even won one more Super Bowl and, with a total of seven titles, is by far the most of any player.

Incidentally, Brady is starting his career as a TV commentator for the US broadcaster Fox this year, and the media giant is paying a lot for it. Brady reportedly earned a total of $375 million over 10 years – that would be more salary than he earned in his 23 years as an NFL player.

Over a third of all teams – unlike Tom Brady – have never won a Super Bowl. Four have never even been in the final: the Detroit Lions, die The Cleveland Brownsdie Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston TexansDetroit failed by a narrow margin last year. On the other hand, the Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings They have been to the Super Bowl four times, but lost each time.

The best players regularly try to outdo each other with new record salaries. Several quarterbacks now earn over 50 million US dollars per year. Only in 19th place of the top salaries is a non-quarterback: wide receiver Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings) with 35 million dollars per year. Just behind him is the highest paid defense-player in the league, Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers), with 34 million dollars annually.