The NFL regular season runs from the weekend after Labor Day in September through early January, featuring 272 games where each of the 32 teams plays 17 contests over an 18-week period with one "bye" week off. Games are spread across five weekly time slots: Thursday night (8:15 pm ET), Sunday afternoon (1:00 pm and 4:05/4:25 pm ET), Sunday night (8:20 pm ET), and Monday night (8:15 pm ET), with special additions like Thanksgiving Day games and a Black Friday afternoon game since 2023. Broadcasting rights are split among major networks—CBS and Fox handle Sunday afternoon games based on the visiting team's conference (AFC for CBS, NFC for Fox), while NBC airs Sunday night, ESPN/ABC covers Monday night, and Amazon Prime Video streams Thursday night and Black Friday games. Since 2021, the league uses a strict scheduling formula where each team plays its three division rivals twice, plus all four teams from one AFC and one NFC division, along with two intraconference and one interconference game determined by the previous season's standings. However, due to regional broadcasting restrictions, viewers in any local market can only watch a maximum of two Sunday afternoon games per time slot, with the rest exclusive to the NFL's streaming service. This carefully orchestrated system ensures competitive balance while delivering football action nearly every day of the week throughout the fall and early winter.