| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 10, 2020 – January 3, 2021 |
| Playoffs | |
| Start date | January 9, 2021 |
| AFC Champions | Kansas City Chiefs |
| NFC Champions | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Super Bowl LV | |
| Date | February 7, 2021 |
| Site | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida |
| Champions | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Pro Bowl | |
| Site | Virtual (via Madden NFL 21) |
The 2020 NFL season was the 101st season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season started with the NFL Kickoff Game on September 10, in which defending Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City defeated Houston. The playoffs were expanded from 12 to 14 teams, adding a third wild card spot per conference.[1][2][3] The season concluded with Tampa Bay defeating Kansas City in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, 2021.
After a decades-long controversy, the Washington Redskins retired the use of their name and logo and adopted the temporary placeholder name Washington Football Team, up until their official name change to Washington Commanders for the 2022 season.[4][5]
The season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; the most prominent changes were the cancellation of all preseason games[6] and the 2021 Pro Bowl,[7] the suspension of international games for the year,[8] an allowance for players to opt out of playing the season without violating their contracts (66 players opted out),[9] the playing of games with either a greatly reduced audience or no fans at all, and the postponement and/or rescheduling of multiple games due to numerous positive COVID-19 tests among players and staff. Despite these changes, all 256 regular season games were played within the original 17-week span with no cancellations.[10]
This was also the final season played under the 16-game schedule, as the schedule was expanded to 17 games in 2021.[11]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
playoff expansionwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Seifert, Kevin (March 31, 2020). "How will expanded NFL playoffs work? Here's what you need to know". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (March 31, 2020). "Owners approve expanding postseason to 14 teams". NFL.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Patra, Kevin. "Washington retiring nickname, logo; new nickname TBD". National Football League. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ Patra, Kevin. "Ron Rivera: Washington rebrand could take up to 18 months". National Football League. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
preseasonwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "NFL cancels 2021 Pro Bowl due to COVID-19 pandemic, awards 2022 game to Las Vegas". USA Today. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
internationalwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
optoutswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Kilgore, Adam. "After 256 games and a few close calls, the NFL's pandemic regular season comes to an end". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "NFL owners approve 17-game season, starting in 2021". ESPN.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.