How Does The NFL Make The Preseason Schedule?

The NFL preseason serves as the unofficial kickoff to the football season, offering fans a first glimpse at new talent, NFL preseason stats, roster battles, and team chemistry. But how many NFL preseason games are there? And when is the last NFL preseason game played before the regular season begins? Most importantly, many fans wonder: do preseason games count toward a team’s official record?

In this article, we’ll break down the structure and purpose of the NFL preseason, what fans can expect from these matchups, and how they fit into the broader context of the NFL calendar.

How Many NFL Preseason Games Are There?

All NFL teams play ay least three preseason games. The only exception are the two teams that play in the NFL Hall of Fame game (the first preseason game of each year). These two teams play a total of four preseason games.

League-wide, each NFL preseason is comprised of 98 individual games.

When Is The Last NFL Preseason Game?

For 2025, the last preseason game is August 23rd at 9 PM and features a matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.

Do NFL Preseason Games Count Towards Overall Win/Loss Record?

No they do not. The preseason is completely separate from both the regular season and the postseason.

How Does The NFL Make The Preseason Schedule?

The league begins collecting information from the clubs in January of a particular year about any events that may create scheduling conflicts.

The league sets all game dates and times. From there, individual teams are allowed to negotiate their own deals to play each other during the preseason.

Unlike the regular season, the preseason matchups are not based on any rotating or set formula.

The league allows individual teams to provide input into desired matchups and determines the matchups for any games that were not individually negotiated.

The NFL allows them to directly pick 3 of the teams (they rotate home and away and those have been consistent for about a decade) and the league advises on the other game.

They are not allowed to schedule interdivision and try to set them up in a way that avoids playing 3 home or 3 away.

How Are The Teams for the NFL Hall of Fame Game Selected?

The Hall of Fame game is decided by the league, played in Canton, Ohio, and, except in extraordinary celebrations like NFL 50, are held between an AFC v NFC teams.

Prior to the 1970 AFL–NFL merger it was common for teams to play each other twice in the same pre-season.

Among the most recent occurrences were in 1992 when the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers played on August 1 in Tokyo, then again on August 15, in Dallas, and in a more recent season, the Buccaneers and the Dolphins played each other twice in one preseason.

To this day, although multiple preseason games against the same two teams are no longer common, two teams may hold a joint practice and scrimmage in addition to a preseason contest.

It was also commonplace for division opponents to play each other in the preseason, due to the larger size of pre-merger divisions, but this is no longer allowed.

As recent as 1984, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers played a preseason game despite the two being bitter rivals.

The last such occurrence was in the 1999 season when the San Diego Chargers played their division rivals the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason.

How Many Regular Season Games Do NFL Teams Play?

Every NFL team plays 17 regular-season games with one bye week.

Teams alternate seasons where they host nine regular-season games and one preseason game, or eight regular-season games and two preseason games. (For example, the AFC hosted nine regular season home games in the 2023 season.)

The schedule makers will have to work around events that are already scheduled to take place in or near NFL stadiums — events that may compete with the games, put undue stress on the playing surface, or create traffic or logistical nightmares.

The NFL schedule makers must consider the fans, the league’s broadcast partners, and many other factors when building the 98-game preseason schedule.