The NFL is split into two conferences: the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference. Each has 16 teams in four divisions of four.
Where They Came From
The split is a legacy of the 1970 merger between the NFL and the rival American Football League. The ten AFL clubs became the core of the AFC, and three established NFL franchises, the Colts, Browns and Steelers, moved over to balance the numbers at 13 a side.
That history explains groupings that otherwise look arbitrary. The AFC contains most of the old AFL franchises, which is why the Chiefs, Raiders, Jets and Bills are all there.
What Difference Does It Make?
| Schedule | 13 of a team’s 17 games are against conference opponents |
|---|---|
| Playoffs | Seven teams qualify from each conference and play only each other |
| Championship | The conference champion advances to the Super Bowl |
| Tiebreakers | Conference record is used before common games in many scenarios |
The Only Meeting That Counts
Teams from opposite conferences meet four or five times a season in the regular season, but those games do not affect playoff seeding within a conference beyond overall record. The postseason is entirely separate until the Super Bowl, which is the one game where an AFC team and an NFC team play with a championship at stake.
Are They Different in Style?
Not structurally. The rules are identical, the salary cap is shared, and teams change conferences only through realignment, which is rare. Any perceived difference in quality between the conferences in a given era comes from the distribution of good teams rather than anything built into the system.
Related
Divisions explained · All 32 teams · How the playoffs work
The Bottom Line
Two conferences of 16, born from the 1970 merger. Thirteen of 17 games are inside your conference, the playoff bracket is separate, and the Super Bowl is the only crossover that matters.