NFL 2024/25

Not I suspect what most people wanted but hardly a surprise. Hope Eagles win it but I wouldn't bet against the Chiefs.

Questions from a layman:

As far as I understand it, the AFL started as a sort of Kerry Packer split from the NFL, but then they sorted themselves out and all came under the NFL umbrella, and the teams were split into NFC and AFC.

When they were split, both parts cover N, E, S, W so it's not a regional split. 

- How were the teams for each decided? 
- Did AFL teams largely end up in the AFC?  
- Are there any rule differences in the two leagues, or are they essentially the same thing but with different teams?
- Why didn't they all just come under the NFL and not be split out into AFC and NFC?

Most of the teams stayed with their original conferences, some have since moved across, such as Seattle who used to play in AFC West with Raiders, Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos. They moved across to NFC when there some expansion teams moved and they realigned to make 8 divisions of 4. Before that some had 5 teams and others had 4

Both conferences play to the same rules

There was still quite a distrust between the two leagues, and the first few Superbowl's were before the two leagues actually merged

good article on wiki - AFL–NFL merger - Wikipedia

North Lower Neil said:

So there's no real difference now?  It's just like it there'd been a split in football 50 years ago and say Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Spurs played in one league, and Arsenal, Man Utd, Newcastle, Villa in another Premier League but never met apart from a final between the winners of each at the end of the season?

Do players move between the two?

It is all under the umbrella of the NFL just separated into the two conferences. Players are traded between both conferences.  They are collectively share the revenue etc

Take the Bristol Streets trophy - one competition, but separated into 2 conferences - North and South. The two 'conference' winners will play at Wembley in the 'Superbowl'

North Lower Neil said:

So there's no real difference now?  It's just like it there'd been a split in football 50 years ago and say Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Spurs played in one league, and Arsenal, Man Utd, Newcastle, Villa in another Premier League but never met apart from a final between the winners of each at the end of the season?

Do players move between the two?

it's kinda like that but you'd also have  teams playing teams from the other league as well as their own done in as complicated a way as possible

it's something like this

6 games are played against the other 3 in your division
4 games against the 4 teams from another division in your conference
2 games against teams from the other 2 divisions in your conference
4 games against the 4 teams from a division in the other conference
1 game against another team from the other conference but not from the division in the line above this one

so in the regular season you play teams in your division all the time, others in your conference fairly regularly and those in the other conference occasionally

some games are decided randomly, others based on rankings from the last season

9 games are home, 8 away in one conference, 8 home and 9 away in the other. this alternates year to year

there are no rule differences as they're all 1 league but there are differences between NFL, college and the Canadian leagues

AddicksAddict said:

Ian Nightingale said:

Anyone but Kansas at this point, can’t see any of the remaining teams beating them though

I think it hinges on how much the Chiefs have to put into stopping Saquon Barkley.  If they can do that and cover the other possible plays, they win.  If they leave too many holes in doing it, the Eagles have a chance.

The way we struggled to stop Cook at the weekend, the thought of Barkley is scary.

they definitely played against the other conference when i started watching in 1983

AddicksAddict said:

North Lower Neil said:

So there's no real difference now?  It's just like it there'd been a split in football 50 years ago and say Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Spurs played in one league, and Arsenal, Man Utd, Newcastle, Villa in another Premier League but never met apart from a final between the winners of each at the end of the season?

Do players move between the two?

They didn't used to have inter-conference games during the regular season but that changed a few years ago.  According to a Wiki article "Using the 2023 regular season schedule as an example, each team in the AFC West played against every team in the AFC East and NFC North."

they've had interconference games since the merger in 1970

Well the big match approaches who is everyone cheering for and what predictions are out there.

I’ll be rooting for the Eagles as the lesser of 2 evils!!

I think the Chiefs win a close one unless the Eagles can keep the ball out of Mahomes hands for the last 3/4 minutes of the game.

I have to say my friend and I have always made a point of watching the Super Bowl he lives in Devon so arrangements have to be made and usually made early. This year it feels a bit different and we aren’t bothering to meet. Don’t know whether it’s the teams involved or the way the NFL seems to be going. I love the game and have played, coached and watched from when it first started but this year I just can’t put my finger on why

Think the Chiefs will win, interest definitely wanes when one team is so dominant. Eagles do have a chance but Reid & Mahomes seem to have a habit of creating some magic somewhere that I don't think the Eagles will be able to compete with.

rina said:

North Lower Neil said:

So there's no real difference now?  It's just like it there'd been a split in football 50 years ago and say Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Spurs played in one league, and Arsenal, Man Utd, Newcastle, Villa in another Premier League but never met apart from a final between the winners of each at the end of the season?

Do players move between the two?

it's kinda like that but you'd also have  teams playing teams from the other league as well as their own done in as complicated a way as possible

it's something like this

6 games are played against the other 3 in your division
4 games against the 4 teams from another division in your conference
2 games against teams from the other 2 divisions in your conference
4 games against the 4 teams from a division in the other conference
1 game against another team from the other conference but not from the division in the line above this one

so in the regular season you play teams in your division all the time, others in your conference fairly regularly and those in the other conference occasionally

some games are decided randomly, others based on rankings from the last season

9 games are home, 8 away in one conference, 8 home and 9 away in the other. this alternates year to year

there are no rule differences as they're all 1 league but there are differences between NFL, college and the Canadian leagues

Thank you that's very helpful!

Napoleon Swift

SouthWest_Addicks said:

Is there anywhere (Not a dodgy stream) to watch the Super Bowl tomorrow on catch up?

I presume it'll be on ITV X