document_title: Bourne (film series)

question_text: when did the first jason bourne movie come out

text: Bourne (film series)

text: Films[edit]

text:
Film

U.S. release date

Director

Screenwriter(s)

Story by

Producer(s)

The Bourne Identity

June 14, 2002 (2002-06-14)

Doug Liman

Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron

Doug Liman, Patrick Crowley and Richard N. Gladstein

The Bourne Supremacy

July 23, 2004 (2004-07-23)

Paul Greengrass

Tony Gilroy

Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley and Paul L. Sandberg

The Bourne Ultimatum

August 3, 2007 (2007-08-03)

Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns and George Nolfi

Tony Gilroy

The Bourne Legacy

August 10, 2012 (2012-08-10)

Tony Gilroy

Tony Gilroy and Dan Gilroy

Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Jeffrey M. Weiner and Ben Smith

Jason Bourne

July 29, 2016 (2016-07-29)

Paul Greengrass

Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse

Matt Damon, Paul Greengrass, Gregory Goodman, Frank Marshall, Jeffrey M. Weiner and Ben Smith

text: The Bourne Identity (2002)[edit]

text: A man is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea with two gunshot wounds in his back and a device with the number of a Swiss safe deposit box embedded in his hip. Upon reaching shore, the man assumes the name Jason Bourne after finding a passport under that name in the safe deposit box, along with other alien passports, large amounts of assorted currencies, and a gun. He subsequently attempts to discover his true identity while countering attempts on his life by CIA assassins, eventually realizing that he is one such assassin who failed to complete his most recent mission. Bourne breaks his connections to the CIA and unites with Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), a woman who helped him learn about his most recent actions prior to his memory loss. Bourne's conflict with the CIA reaches a climax when he takes the fight to their doorstep.

text: The Bourne Supremacy (2004)[edit]

text: Some two years after learning that he is a trained assassin and breaking his connections with the CIA, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is framed for a crime to cover up the true perpetrator. An attempt on his life by Kirill (Karl Urban) a Russian cop, results in Marie's (Franka Potente) death in India. Bourne, thinking that the CIA is hunting him again, proceeds to hunt those responsible for her death and his forgotten past. Bourne discovers that Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), one of the men who oversaw the program which trained Bourne to be an assassin (Operation Treadstone), had stolen millions of dollars from the CIA. Abbott had planned to frame Bourne for the theft, followed by assassinating Bourne in India. Bourne exposes Abbott to Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), the CIA officer in charge of finding Bourne. Abbott kills himself. Bourne goes to Moscow where he is identified, resulting in a long car chase through Moscow.  At the end of the chase, Kirill dies. Bourne is in Moscow to find the daughter of a Russian couple killed in his first mission. He tells her that it was not a suicide, as she had been long told, but a murder. Bourne then goes back into hiding.

text: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)[edit]

text: After six weeks of disconnection from his job, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) learns that a British journalist has been investigating his past and contacts him to find out who his source is. Bourne is subsequently targeted by Operation Blackbriar, an upgraded Operation Treadstone, which also has taken note of the investigation. Believing that Bourne is a threat and is seeking revenge, Blackbriar's director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) begins a new hunt for Bourne. Bourne manages to take classified documents proving that Blackbriar has targeted U.S. citizens; he is aided by Pamela Landy, who disagreed with Vosen from the beginning and does not support Blackbriar's existence, and former Treadstone logistics technician Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles). She may have had romantic feelings for Bourne before his final mission and resultant amnesia. Bourne finally comes face to face with the person who oversaw his behavior modification as the first Treadstone operative some years earlier, memories of which resurface. Those responsible for Treadstone and Blackbriar are exposed, and Bourne goes underground.

text: The Bourne Legacy (2012)[edit]

text: Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is a member of Operation Outcome, a United States Department of Defense black ops program which enhances the physical and mental abilities of field operatives through pills referred to as "chems". Cross, deployed to Alaska for a training assignment, traverses rugged terrain to reach a cabin operated by an exiled Outcome operative. Meanwhile, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has exposed the Blackbriar and Treadstone programs in public, leading the FBI and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to investigate those involved. Retired Air Force Colonel Eric Byer (Edward Norton), who is responsible for overseeing the Beta program from which the CIA's Treadstone and Blackbriar were developed, decides to end Outcome and kill its agents. Cross manages to survive several attempts on his life and seeks a way to get more chems, as his have run out. Cross eventually comes upon Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), his last link to gain more chems. He discovers she has no pills but that his physical enhancements can be "viraled-out" and can become genetically permanent, so he would no longer need physical chems. He, in turn, reveals to her that without the help of the mental chem enhancements, he possesses a well-below average IQ. To avoid this mental regression, and the operatives hunting them, the two travel to a factory in Manila and with Shearing's help, Cross initiates and survives the potentially fatal process of viraling-out of his dependency on the remaining mental-enhancing pills. They evade the Manila police and an operative from the new LARX program, and successfully escape from the Philippines on a junk ship.

text: Jason Bourne (2016)[edit]

text: Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), whom Bourne sent into hiding in The Bourne Ultimatum, gains access to sensitive CIA files. She contacts Bourne to share information about his past, including how he was recruited for Operation Treadstone and his father's role in that operation. Bourne learns that his father, Richard Webb (Gregg Henry), designed Operation Treadstone and was assassinated by the CIA because he did not want his son to enter the program and become a killer. CIA director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) hunts down Parsons and Bourne using a foreign asset (Vincent Cassel) and the technical skills of CIA Cyber Ops Division head Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander), while Bourne plans to avenge his father's death. Bourne first tries to make the man who recruited him into the CIA confirm his understanding of his father's death. He then plans to avenge himself against Dewey. Meanwhile Lee wants to bring Bourne back into the CIA's special operations and Dewey allows her to believe she has his support even though he plans to eliminate Bourne.

text: There is a subplot involving Operation Iron Hand, a surveillance program that will have secret access to a giant social media service called Deep Dream. In the past the CIA and Deep Dream have had a contract to work together, but Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed), its founder and CEO, wants to end this cooperation. When Dewey refuses to allow any such change, Kalloor plans to reveal his relationship with the CIA and its plans to violate the privacy expectations of Deep Dream's millions of users. Dewey plans to assassinate Kalloor before his planned revelations.

text: Future[edit]

text: Producer Frank Marshall said Universal Pictures is hoping to plan a sequel to Jason Bourne, making it the sixth Bourne film. He also stated that a sequel to The Bourne Legacy featuring Renner's Cross is unlikely although he did not explicitly rule it out.[3] However, in March 2017, Matt Damon cast doubt upon a sequel, hinting that people "might be done" with the character.[4]

text: Television[edit]

text: Treadstone[edit]

text: On April 13, 2018, USA Network ordered a pilot for a series titled Treadstone which will be written by Tim Kring. The series will explore the origins of the Treadstone program as well as sleeper agents associated with it.[5]

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text:
A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the film or that the character's presence in the film has yet to be announced.
A V  indicates a voice-only role.
An A  indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.

text:
Character

Film

The Bourne Identity

The Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Legacy

Jason Bourne

2002

2004

2007

2012

2016

Jason BourneDavid Webb

Matt Damon

Matt DamonA

Matt Damon

Marie Helena Kreutz

Franka Potente

Franka PotenteA

Nicolette "Nicky" Parsons

Julia Stiles

Julia Stiles

Ward Abbott

Brian Cox

Brian CoxAV

Daniel "Danny" Zorn

Gabriel Mann

Alexander Conklin

Chris Cooper

Chris CooperA

The Professor

Clive Owen

Clive OwenA

Nykwanna Wombosi

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Adewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeA

Pamela Landy

Joan Allen

Tom Cronin

Tom Gallop

Kirill

Karl Urban

Jarda

Marton Csokas

Noah Vosen

David Strathairn

Ezra Kramer

Scott Glenn

Dr. Albert Hirsch

Albert Finney

Albert FinneyA

Ray Wills

Corey Johnson

Simon Ross

Paddy Considine

Paddy ConsidineA

Paz

Edgar Ramirez

Edgar RamirezA

Martin Kreutz

Daniel Brühl

Desh Bouksani

Joey Ansah

Joey AnsahA

Kiley

Scott Adkins

Aaron CrossKenneth J. KitsomOutcome #5

Jeremy Renner

Dr. Marta Shearing

Rachel Weisz

Eric Byer

Edward Norton

Mark Turso

Stacy Keach

Outcome #3

Oscar Isaac

LARX 3

Louis Ozawa Changchien

Zev Vendel

Corey Stoll

Robert Dewey

Tommy Lee Jones

Heather Lee

Alicia Vikander

Asset

Vincent Cassel

Aaron Kalloor

Riz Ahmed

Craig Jeffers

Ato Essandoh

Richard Webb

Gregg Henry

text: Crew and other[edit]

text:
Crew/detail

Film

The Bourne Identity

The Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Legacy

Jason Bourne

2002

2004

2007

2012

2016

Director

Doug Liman

Paul Greengrass

Tony Gilroy

Paul Greengrass

Producers

Doug Liman, Patrick Crowley, Richard N. Gladstein

Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Paul L. Sandberg

Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Jeffrey M. Weiner, Ben Smith

Frank Marshall, Jeffrey M. Weiner, Ben Smith, Matt Damon, Paul Greengrass, Gregory Goodman

Editor(s)

Saar Klein

Christopher RouseRick Pearson

Christopher Rouse

John Gilroy

Christopher Rouse

Director of photography

Oliver Wood

Robert Elswit

Barry Ackroyd

Composer(s)

John Powell

James Newton Howard

John Powell, David Buckley

Writer(s)

Screenplay by:Tony GilroyWilliam Blake HerronBased on:The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

Screenplay by:Tony GilroyBased on:The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum

Screenplay by:Tony GilroyScott Z. BurnsGeorge NolfiBased on:The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum

Screenplay by:Tony Gilroy and Dan GilroyStory by:Tony GilroyBased on:The Bourne Legacy by Eric Van Lustbader

Screenplay by:Paul GreengrassChristopher RouseBased on:Bourne series by Robert Ludlum

Distributor

Universal Pictures

Release date

June 14, 2002

July 23, 2004

August 3, 2007

August 10, 2012

July 29, 2016

Running time

118 mins

108 mins

116 mins

135 mins

123 mins

MPAA rating

PG-13

text: Reception[edit]

text: The Bourne series has received both critical and commercial success. Ultimatum won three Academy Awards: Best Film Editing, Sound and Best Sound Editing.[6] Both Supremacy and Ultimatum won the Empire Award for Best Film.[7][8]

text: Box office performance[edit]

text:
Film

Release date

Box office revenue

Box office ranking

Budget

Ref(s)

Opening weekendNorth America

North America

Other territories

Worldwide

All timeNorth America

All timeworldwide

The Bourne Identity

June 14, 2002

$27,118,640

$121,661,683

$92,372,541

$214,034,224

#455

#587

$60 million

[9]

The Bourne Supremacy

July 23, 2004

$52,521,865

$176,241,941

$112,258,276

$288,500,217

#227

#396

$75 million

[10]

The Bourne Ultimatum

August 3, 2007

$69,283,690

$227,471,070

$215,353,068

$442,824,138

#126

#195

$110 million

[11]

The Bourne Legacy

August 10, 2012

$38,142,825

$113,203,870

$162,940,880

$276,144,750

#514

#414

$125 million

[12]

Jason Bourne

July 29, 2016

$59,215,365

$162,434,410

$253,050,504

$415,484,914

#267

#222

$120 million

[13]

Total

$7008801012974000000♠801,012,974

$7008835975269000000♠835,975,269

$7009163698824300000♠1,636,988,243

$490 million

[14][15]

Average

$157,587,160

$159,284,953

$323,872,113

text: Critical and public response[edit]

text:
Film

Rotten Tomatoes

Metacritic

CinemaScore[16]

Ref(s)

Critics

Top Critics

Audience

The Bourne Identity

83% (187 reviews)

78% (41 reviews)

93% (965 080 votes)

68 (38 reviews)

A−

[17][18]

The Bourne Supremacy

81% (194 reviews)

74% (43 reviews)

90% (708 460 votes)

73 (39 reviews)

A−

[19][20]

The Bourne Ultimatum

93% (261 reviews)

96% (49 reviews)

91% (1 922 358 votes)

85 (38 reviews)

A

[21][22]

The Bourne Legacy

56% (222 reviews)

55% (44 reviews)

58% (281 875 votes)

61 (42 reviews)

B

[23][24]

Jason Bourne

55% (285 reviews)

51% (47 reviews)

56% (56 548 votes)

58 (50 reviews)

A−

[25][26]

Average

74%

71%

78%

69

A−

text: Production[edit]

text: Director Doug Liman stated that he had been a fan of The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum since he read it in high school. Near the end of production of Liman's previous film Swingers, Liman decided to develop a film adaptation of the novel. After more than two years of securing rights to the book from Warner Brothers and a further year of screenplay development with screenwriter Tony Gilroy, the film went through two years of production.[27] Liman approached a wide range of actors for the role of Bourne, including Russell Crowe and Sylvester Stallone, before he eventually cast Matt Damon. Liman found that Damon understood and appreciated that, though The Bourne Identity would have its share of action, the focus was primarily on character and plot.[28] Production was difficult, with screenplay rewrites occurring throughout the entire filming and Liman constantly arguing with Universal's executives.[29] The Bourne Identity was released in June 2002.

text: Universal confirmed at a media conference in Los Angeles, California, that they have plans to release more Bourne films, despite Legacy being given mixed reviews by critics.[30] In a December 2012 interview, Matt Damon revealed that he and Paul Greengrass are interested in returning for the next film.[31] On November 8, 2013, Deadline reported that the fifth installment in the franchise will feature Renner's Cross, with Justin Lin directing.[32] Andrew Baldwin was attached for the film's screenplay writing. On September 15, 2014, it was announced that Damon and Greengrass will indeed return for the next Bourne film, taking the release date, with Renner returning as Cross in a separate film, at a later date.[33] In November 2014, Damon confirmed that he and Greengrass will return [34] with a script from themselves and film editor Christopher Rouse.[35] On May 23, 2015, Deadline reported that Alicia Vikander is in talks to star with Damon in the fifth film.[36] In June 2015, Variety reported that Stiles will reprise her role as Nicky Parsons and Viggo Mortensen is in talks to appear in the film as an assassin who's tracking down Bourne. Deadline reported that Vikander is confirmed to appear in the film.[37][38] On July 28, 2015, Tommy Lee Jones was cast in a role in the fifth film.[39] On September 1, 2015, Variety reported that French actor Vincent Cassel is cast as the film's villain.[40]

text: Producer Frank Marshall confirmed principal photography for the new film had commenced on September 8, 2015.[41] The film itself was released in the UK on July 27, 2016[42] and in the U.S. on July 29, 2016.[43]

text: The films have been noted for their "well placed", "understated" and "tastefully done" product placement of a "diverse" range of brands, which in the case of the third film, earned the producers tens of millions of dollars.[44][45] The Bourne Identity features brands such as The Guardian newspaper, BT Tower in London and Tag Heuer watches.[44] The Bourne Supremacy features mobile phones made by Sony Ericsson.[46] The Bourne Ultimatum features a total of 54 brands including The Guardian and BT for the second time;[47][48] mobile phones made by Motorola, Nokia and Carphone Warehouse, most prominently the RAZR 2 and SLVR, as Motorola was a major sponsor and had a movie tie-in customized phone;[46][48] cars made by BMW, Ford, Mercedes, and Volkswagen, most prominently the Volkswagen Touareg 2, as Volkswagen provided $25 million in funding;[47][48][49] and technology products such as CTX computer monitors, Norton AntiVirus and the Google web search engine.[48]

text: Music[edit]

text:
The scores of the first three films of the series were written by English composer John Powell, with James Newton Howard scoring the fourth film, The Bourne Legacy.
Powell returned, with David Buckley to compose the score of the fifth film.
Powell was not the original choice as composer for The Bourne Identity—a score for the film had already been composed by Carter Burwell and recorded by an orchestra, when director Doug Liman contacted Powell to provide an alternative soundtrack as he was dissatisfied with the music. Partly for budgetary reasons, Powell scaled down the orchestral score to a mostly electronic soundtrack with strings overlaid to give it a "cinematic feel".[50]

text: The song "Extreme Ways" by musician Moby is used as the end title theme of all five films.


document_title: 2017 NFL season

question_text: when do the next nfl football game come on

question_tokens: when do the next nfl football game come on

root

text: 2017 NFL season

text: Player movements and retirements[edit]

text: The 2017 NFL League year began on March 9 at 4:00 p.m. ET. On March 7, clubs were allowed to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the agents of players who became unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their contracts two days later. On March 9, clubs exercised options for 2017 on players who have option clauses in their contracts, submitted qualifying offers to their restricted free agents with expiring contracts and to whom desire to retain a Right of Refusal/Compensation, submitted a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2016 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit, and teams were required to be under the salary cap using the "Top-51" definition (in which the 51 highest paid-players on the team's payroll must have a collected salary cap hit below the actual cap). The 2017 trading period also began the same day.

tag: p

text: Free agency[edit]

text: A total of 496 players were eligible for some form of free agency at the beginning of the free agency period.[3] Among the high-profile players who changed teams via free agency were cornerbacks A.J. Bouye (from Texans to Jaguars), Logan Ryan (from Patriots to Titans), and Stephon Gilmore (from Bills to Patriots); safeties Barry Church (from Cowboys to Jaguars), Johnathan Cyprien (from Jaguars to Titans), Micah Hyde (from Packers to Bills), and Tony Jefferson (from Cardinals to Ravens); linebackers Jabaal Sheard (from Patriots to Colts), Malcolm Smith (from Raiders to 49ers), and Manti Te'o (from Chargers to Saints); defensive tackles Johnathan Hankins (from Giants to Colts) and Calais Campbell (from Cardinals to Jaguars); offensive tackles Andrew Whitworth (from Bengals to Rams), Kelvin Beachum (from Jaguars to Jets), Matt Kalil (from Vikings to Panthers), Mike Remmers (from Panthers to Vikings), Ricky Wagner (from Ravens to Lions), Riley Reiff (from Lions to Vikings), and Russell Okung (from Broncos to Chargers); offensive guards Kevin Zeitler (from Bengals to Browns), Larry Warford (from Lions to Saints), Ronald Leary (from Cowboys to Broncos), and T.J. Lang (from Packers to Lions); tight ends Martellus Bennett (from Patriots to Packers) and Jared Cook (from Packers to Raiders); wide receivers Alshon Jeffery (from Bears to Eagles), Brandon Marshall (from Jets to Giants), DeSean Jackson (from Redskins to Buccaneers), Kenny Britt (from Rams to Browns), Pierre Garçon (from Redskins to 49ers), Robert Woods (from Bills to Rams), Terrelle Pryor (from Browns to Redskins), and Torrey Smith (from 49ers to Eagles); running backs Latavius Murray (from Raiders to Vikings), Adrian Peterson (from Vikings to Saints), Eddie Lacy (from Packers to Seahawks), and Jamaal Charles (from Chiefs to Broncos); fullbacks Mike Tolbert (from Panthers to Bills) and Patrick DiMarco (from Falcons to Bills); quarterback Mike Glennon (from Buccaneers to Bears).

text: Trades[edit]

text:
On March 9, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded tight end Julius Thomas to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2017 seventh-round draft pick.[4]
On March 9, the Miami Dolphins traded offensive tackle Branden Albert to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2018 seventh-round draft pick.[5]
On March 9, the Houston Texans traded quarterback Brock Osweiler, a 2018 second-round draft pick and a 2017 sixth-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round compensatory draft pick.[6]
On March 9, the Indianapolis Colts traded tight end Dwayne Allen and a 2017 sixth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round draft pick.[7]
On March 9, the Los Angeles Rams traded defensive end William Hayes along with a 2017 seventh-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2017 sixth-round draft pick.[8]
On March 10, the New Orleans Saints traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a 4th round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 1st and 3rd round draft pick.[9]
On March 10, the Carolina Panthers traded defensive end Kony Ealy and a 2017 third-round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2017 second-round draft pick.[10]
On March 15, the Baltimore Ravens traded center Jeremy Zuttah and a 2017 sixth-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers for their 2017 sixth-round draft pick.[11]
On April 4, the Baltimore Ravens traded defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and a 2017 third-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2017 third-round draft pick.[12]
On April 26, the Seattle Seahawks traded the contract rights of previously retired running back Marshawn Lynch and a 2018 sixth-round draft pick to the Oakland Raiders for a 2018 fifth-round draft pick.[13]
On August 11, the Buffalo Bills traded wide receiver Sammy Watkins and a 2018 sixth-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams for cornerback E. J. Gaines and a 2018 second-round draft pick.[14][15] That same day, the Bills traded cornerback Ronald Darby to the Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a 2018 third-round draft pick.[14]

tag: ul

text: Notable retirements[edit]

text:
Tony Romo: On April 4, 2017, before his release from the Dallas Cowboys, Romo announced his retirement from professional football. Shortly after his release, it was announced by CBS that he would join the network as a lead NFL game analyst, joining a team also consisting of Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.[16]
At one point, Jay Cutler had also announced retirement, but later rescinded and signed with the Miami Dolphins.[17] Cutler previously played for the Chicago Bears.

text: Others[edit]

text:
Anquan Boldin
Reggie Bush
Josh Cribbs
King Dunlap
Brandon Flowers
Justin Forsett
Doug Free
Chad Greenway
Percy Harvin
A. J. Hawk
Devin Hester
Rashad Jennings
Andre Johnson
James Jones
Terrance Knighton
James Laurinaitis
Jake Long
Robert Mathis
Pat McAfee
Darren McFadden
Lance Moore
Rob Ninkovich
Jerraud Powers
Steve Smith Sr.
Stephen Tulloch
John Urschel
Michael Vick
DeMarcus Ware
Roddy White
Vince Wilfork

text: Draft[edit]

text: The 2017 NFL Draft was held on April 27–29, 2017 in Philadelphia. The Cleveland Browns selected Myles Garrett with the first overall pick.

text: Preseason[edit]

text: Training camps for the 2017 season were held in late July through August. Teams started training camp no earlier than 15 days before the team's first scheduled preseason game.

text: Prior to the start of the regular season, each team played four preseason exhibition games, beginning on August 10. The preseason began on the evening of August 3 with the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, that featured the Dallas Cowboys (represented in the 2017 Hall of Fame Class by owner Jerry Jones) who hosted Arizona Cardinals (represented by former quarterback and 2017 Hall of Famer Kurt Warner). It was televised nationally on NBC.[18] The 64-game preseason schedule ended on August 31; a 65th game, that of the 2017 Texas Governor's Cup, was canceled due to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

text: Regular season[edit]

text: The 2017 regular season's 256 games will be played over a 17-week schedule which began on September 7. Each of the league's 32 teams plays a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team. The slate also features games on Monday nights. There are games played on Thursday, including the National Football League Kickoff game in prime time on September 7 and games on Thanksgiving Day. The regular season will conclude with a full slate of 16 games on Sunday, December 31, all of which will be intra–division matchups, as it has been since 2010.

text: Under the NFL's current scheduling formula, each team plays the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition a team plays against all four teams in one other division from each conference. The final two games on a team's schedule are against the two teams in the team's own conference in the divisions the team was not set to play which finished the previous season in the same rank in their division (e.g. the team which finished first in its division the previous season would play each other team in its conference that also finished first in its respective division). The preset division pairings for 2017 will be as follows.

text:
Intra-conference
AFC East vs AFC West
AFC North vs AFC South
NFC East vs NFC West
NFC North vs NFC South

   Inter-conference
AFC East vs NFC South
AFC North vs NFC North
AFC South vs NFC West
AFC West vs NFC East

tag: table

text: Highlights of the 2017 schedule include:

text:
NFL Kickoff Game: The Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in a primetime NFL Kickoff Game on September 7, 2017, with the Chiefs winning 42–27.
NFL International Series: For the 2017 season, the International Series underwent a split in branding, with each country's games receiving their own brand.

NFL London Games: Four games were played in London in 2017. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Baltimore Ravens at Wembley Stadium on September 24, and the Miami Dolphins hosted the New Orleans Saints at the same venue a week later. The Los Angeles Rams hosted the Arizona Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium on October 22, and the Cleveland Browns hosted the Minnesota Vikings at the same venue a week later.[19]
NFL Mexico Game: The Oakland Raiders hosted the New England Patriots at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, making this the second consecutive year in which the Raiders have hosted one of their home games in Mexico City; the game was played on November 19, with a kickoff time of 4:25 p.m. EST.[20][21][22]

Thanksgiving Day: As has been the case since 2006, three games were played on November 23, beginning with the Detroit Lions hosting the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Los Angeles Chargers (in their first Thanksgiving Day game since 1969, and their first Thanksgiving game since they joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970), and a primetime game featuring Washington Redskins hosting the New York Giants.[23]
Christmas games: Christmas Day, December 25, falls on a Monday in 2017. Sunday Night Football will move from December 24, Christmas Eve, to Saturday, December 23, with the Green Bay Packers hosting the Minnesota Vikings (alongside a Saturday Thursday Night Football game featuring the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens). Two games will be played on Christmas Day: a late-afternoon game featuring the Houston Texans hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers as a special edition of Thursday Night Football, and the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Oakland Raiders for Monday Night Football.
New Year's Eve games: The NFL will play a full slate of 16 games on December 31, to conclude the regular season. All of the Week 17 games will be intra-divisional matchups, as they have been since 2010.

text: The entire schedule was released on April 20, 2017.

text: In-season scheduling changes[edit]

text: The following games were moved or canceled because of severe weather, by way of flexible scheduling, or for other reasons:

text:
Preseason Week 4: Due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, the Cowboys–Texans game was eventually canceled. The 2017 Texas Governor's Cup preseason game, originally scheduled to be played at Houston's NRG Stadium, was initially moved to the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, before the NFL opted instead to cancel the game altogether in order to allow Texans' players and coaches to reunite with their families as well as to assist with the relief efforts.[24]
Week 1: Due to the threat posed from Hurricane Irma, the Buccaneers–Dolphins game was rescheduled to Week 11 (November 19), when both teams were originally scheduled to have their bye weeks. Both teams had their bye also rescheduled to this week.[25]
Week 7: The Bengals–Steelers game, originally scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. ET, was moved to 4:25 p.m. ET, with the game still on CBS. In addition, the Panthers–Bears game was cross-flexed from Fox to CBS, with the game still at 1:00 p.m. ET.[26]
Week 12: The Saints–Rams game, originally scheduled to start at 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox, was cross-flexed and moved to 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS. In addition, the Titans–Colts game was cross-flexed from CBS to Fox, with the game still at 1:00 p.m. ET.[27]
Week 13: The Panthers–Saints game, originally scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. ET, was moved to 4:25 p.m. ET, with the game still on Fox. In addition, the Broncos–Dolphins game was cross-flexed from CBS to Fox, with the game still at 1:00 p.m. ET.[27]
Week 14: The Cowboys–Giants game, originally scheduled to start at 4:25 p.m. ET, was moved to 1:00 p.m. ET, with the game still on Fox. In addition, the Seahawks–Jaguars game, originally scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. ET, was moved to 4:25 p.m. ET, with the game still on Fox.[28]
Week 15: The Texans–Jaguars game was cross-flexed from CBS to Fox, with the game still at 1:00 p.m. ET.[29]

text: Regular season standings[edit]

text: Division[edit]

text:
AFC East

view
talk
edit

W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
PF
PA
STK

y – New England Patriots
11
3
0
.786
3–1
8–2
395
274
W1

Buffalo Bills
8
6
0
.571
2–2
6–4
248
297
W2

Miami Dolphins
6
8
0
.429
2–3
5–5
232
297
L1

New York Jets †
5
9
0
.357
2–3
5–5
285
342
L2

AFC North

view
talk
edit

W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
PF
PA
STK

y – Pittsburgh Steelers
11
3
0
.786
5–0
8–2
344
278
L1

Baltimore Ravens
8
6
0
.571
3–2
6–4
345
256
W1

Cincinnati Bengals †
5
9
0
.357
2–3
5–6
233
305
L3

Cleveland Browns †
0
14
0
.000
0–5
0–11
218
362
L14

AFC South

view
talk
edit

W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
PF
PA
STK

x – Jacksonville Jaguars
10
4
0
.714
4–1
9–2
374
209
W3

Tennessee Titans
8
6
0
.571
4–1
7–4
295
319
L2

Houston Texans †
4
10
0
.286
1–4
3–7
322
380
L4

Indianapolis Colts †
3
11
0
.214
1–4
2–8
235
368
L5

AFC West

view
talk
edit

W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
PF
PA
STK

Kansas City Chiefs
8
6
0
.571
4–1
6–4
359
302
W2

Los Angeles Chargers
7
7
0
.500
2–3
4–5
321
258
L1

Oakland Raiders
6
8
0
.429
2–3
5–6
281
324
L2

Denver Broncos †
5
9
0
.357
2–3
4–7
254
328
W2

NFC East

view
talk
edit

W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
PF
PA
STK

z – Philadelphia Eagles
12
2
0
.857
5–0
10–1
438
279
W2

Dallas Cowboys
8
6
0
.571
4–1
6–4
336
311
W3

Washington Redskins †
6
8
0
.385
1–4
4–6
305
359
W1

New York Giants †
2
12
0
.143
0–5
0–10
228
365
L4

NFC North

view
talk
edit

W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
PF
PA
STK

y – Minnesota Vikings
11
3
0
.786
3–1
8–2
343
245
W1

Detroit Lions
8
6
0
.571
4–1
7–4
357
339
W2

Green Bay Packers †
7
7
0
.500
2–2
5–5
309
332
L1

Chicago Bears †
4
10
0
.286
0–5
1–10
234
294
L1

NFC South

view
talk
edit

W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
PF
PA
STK

New Orleans Saints
10
4
0
.714
3–1
7–3
400
282
W1

Carolina Panthers
10
4
0
.714
2–2
6–4
331
286
W2

Atlanta Falcons
9
5
0
.643
3–1
8–2
318
282
W2

Tampa Bay Buccaneers †
4
10
0
.286
0–4
2–8
285
335
L5

NFC West

view
talk
edit

W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
PF
PA
STK

Los Angeles Rams
10
4
0
.714
3–1
7–4
438
270
W1

Seattle Seahawks
8
6
0
.571
4–1
6–4
317
294
L2

Arizona Cardinals †
6
8
0
.429
2–3
3–7
244
337
L1

San Francisco 49ers †
4
10
0
.286
0–5
2–9
278
360
W3

text:
x  Clinched playoff berth.
 y  Clinched division title.
 z  Clinched first-round bye.
 †  Eliminated from playoff contention.

text: Conference[edit]

text:
AFC

v
t
e

#
Team
Division
W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
SOS
SOV
STK

Division leaders

1[a]
y – New England Patriots
East
11
3
0
.786
3–1
8–2
.505
.487
W1

2[a]
y – Pittsburgh Steelers
North
11
3
0
.786
5–0
8–2
.490
.461
L1

3
x – Jacksonville Jaguars
South
10
4
0
.714
4–1
9–2
.418
.379
W3

4
Kansas City Chiefs
West
8
6
0
.571
4–1
6–4
.500
.518
W2

Wild Cards

5[b]
Tennessee Titans
South
8
6
0
.571
4–1
7–4
.398
.366
L2

6[b][c]
Buffalo Bills
East
8
6
0
.571
3–2
6–4
.480
.411
W2

In the hunt

7[b][c]
Baltimore Ravens
North
8
6
0
.571
3–2
6–4
.464
.321
W1

8
Los Angeles Chargers
West
7
7
0
.500
2–3
4–6
.485
.357
L1

9[d]
Oakland Raiders
West
6
8
0
.429
2–3
5–6
.485
.405
L2

10[d]
Miami Dolphins
East
6
8
0
.429
2–3
5–5
.546
.536
L1

Eliminated from playoff contention

11[e]
New York Jets
East
5
9
0
.357
2–3
5–5
.515
.457
L2

12[e][f]
Cincinnati Bengals
North
5
9
0
.357
2–3
5–6
.459
.229
L3

13[e][f]
Denver Broncos
West
5
9
0
.357
2–3
4–7
.480
.414
W2

14
Houston Texans
South
4
10
0
.286
1–4
3–7
.505
.339
L4

15
Indianapolis Colts
South
3
11
0
.214
1–4
2–8
.495
.190
L5

16
Cleveland Browns
North
0
14
0
.000
0–5
0–11
.510
.000
L14

Tiebreakers[g]

^ Jump up to: a b New England wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head win percentage.
^ Jump up to: a b c Tennessee wins tie break over Buffalo and Baltimore based on best win percentage in conference games.
^ Jump up to: a b Buffalo wins tie break over Baltimore based on strength of victory.
^ Jump up to: a b Oakland wins tie break over Miami based on head-to-head win percentage.
^ Jump up to: a b c NY Jets wins tie break over Cincinnati and Denver based on best win percentage in conference games.
^ Jump up to: a b Cincinnati wins tie break over Denver based on head-to-head win percentage.
Jump up ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

text:
NFC

v
t
e

#
Team
Division
W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
SOS
SOV
STK

Division leaders

1
z – Philadelphia Eagles
East
12
2
0
.857
5–0
10–1
.439
.417
W2

2
y – Minnesota Vikings
North
11
3
0
.786
3–1
8–2
.510
.461
W1

3[a]
Los Angeles Rams
West
10
4
0
.714
4–1
7–4
.500
.436
W1

4[a][b]
New Orleans Saints
South
10
4
0
.714
3–1
7–3
.556
.486
W1

Wild Cards

5[b]
Carolina Panthers
South
10
4
0
.714
2–2
6–4
.556
.521
W2

6
Atlanta Falcons
South
9
5
0
.643
3–1
8–2
.531
.460
W2

In the hunt

7[c]
Detroit Lions
North
8
6
0
.571
4–1
7–4
.495
.339
W2

8[c][d]
Seattle Seahawks
West
8
6
0
.571
4–1
6–4
.485
.402
L2

9[c][d]
Dallas Cowboys
East
8
6
0
.571
4–1
6–4
.459
.357
W3

Eliminated from playoff contention

10
Green Bay Packers
North
7
7
0
.500
2–2
5–5
.510
.337
L1

11[e]
Washington Redskins
East
6
8
0
.429
1–4
5–6
.571
.429
W1

12[e]
Arizona Cardinals
West
6
8
0
.429
2–3
3–7
.505
.393
L1

13[f][g]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
South
4
10
0
.286
0–4
2–8
.541
.304
L4

14[f][h]
San Francisco 49ers
West
4
10
0
.286
0–5
2–9
.485
.321
W3

15[g][h]
Chicago Bears
North
4
10
0
.286
0–5
1–10
.582
.607
L1

16
New York Giants
East
2
12
0
.143
0–5
0–10
.541
.464
L4

Tiebreakers[i]

^ Jump up to: a b LA Rams wins tie break over New Orleans based on head-to-head win percentage.
^ Jump up to: a b New Orleans wins tie break over Carolina based on head-to-head win percentage.
^ Jump up to: a b c Detroit wins tie break over Dallas and Seattle based on best win percentage in conference games.
^ Jump up to: a b Seattle wins tie break over Dallas based on strength of victory.
^ Jump up to: a b Washington wins tie break over Arizona based on head-to-head win percentage.
^ Jump up to: a b Tampa Bay wins tie break over San Francisco based on best win percentage in conference games.
^ Jump up to: a b Tampa Bay wins tie break over Chicago based on head-to-head sweep.
^ Jump up to: a b San Francisco wins tie break over Chicago based on head-to-head win percentage.
Jump up ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

text: Postseason[edit]

text: The 2017 playoffs will begin on the weekend of January 6–7, 2018 with the Wild Card playoff round. The four winners of these playoff games will visit the top two seeded teams in each conference in the Divisional round games, which will be played on the weekend of January 13–14, 2018. The winners of those games will advance to the Conference championship games, which will be held on January 21, 2018. The two Conference champions will advance to Super Bowl LII which will be held on February 4, 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The 2018 Pro Bowl will be held at Camping World Stadium on January 28, 2018.

text: Playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 16[edit]

text: The New England Patriots can clinch:

text:
a first-round bye with a win AND a loss by EITHER the Pittsburgh Steelers OR the Jacksonville Jaguars;
home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win and losses by the Pittsburgh Steelers AND the Jacksonville Jaguars.

text: The Pittsburgh Steelers can clinch a first-round bye with a win AND a Jacksonville Jaguars loss.

text: The Jacksonville Jaguars can clinch the AFC South division title with:

text:
a win; OR
a Tennessee Titans loss.

tag: ol

text: The Tennessee Titans can clinch a playoff berth with a win AND losses by the Baltimore Ravens AND the Buffalo Bills.

text: The Kansas City Chiefs can clinch the AFC West division title with:

text:
a win; OR
a Los Angeles Chargers loss.

text: The Philadelphia Eagles can clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:

text:
a win; OR
a Minnesota Vikings loss.

text: The Minnesota Vikings can clinch a first-round bye with a win AND a Carolina Panthers loss.

text: The New Orleans Saints can clinch:

text:
a playoff berth with a win.
the NFC South division title with a win AND a Carolina Panthers loss.

text: The Carolina Panthers can clinch a playoff berth with a win.

text: The Atlanta Falcons can clinch a playoff berth with a win.

text: The Los Angeles Rams can clinch:

text:
a playoff berth with losses by the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, AND Detroit Lions.
the NFC West division title with:

text:
a win; OR
a Seattle Seahawks loss.

text: Source for clinching scenarios

text: Clinched playoff berth[edit]

text:
Week 14: Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 15: Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots

text: Clinched division title[edit]

text:
Week 14: Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East), Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North)
Week 15: Minnesota Vikings (NFC North), New England Patriots (AFC East)

text: Clinched first round bye[edit]

text: Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles

text: Eliminated from postseason contention[edit]

text:
Week 12: Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers
Week 13: Chicago Bears
Week 14: Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins
Week 15: Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets

text: Notable events[edit]

text: Anthem protests[edit]

text: During a September 22, 2017 speech, the President of the United States, Donald Trump made controversial remarks criticizing the practice of taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem—a practice popularized by Colin Kaepernick in 2016 as part of an effort to protest racial inequality and police brutality. Trump suggested that those who partake in the practice were disrespecting the country's heritage, and asked his audience, "wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired. He's fired!'" During the subsequent weekend of games, over 200 players protested the anthem in protest of the remarks, by either kneeling or locking arms. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks chose to not go out on field at all during the anthem.[30][31][32]

text: Sale of the Carolina Panthers[edit]

text: On December 17, 2017, Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers, announced he was putting the team up for sale.[33][34] Richardson had previously indicated the team would be put up for sale after his death (since his only living son left the team in 2009),[35] but an exposé in Sports Illustrated accused Richardson of paying hush money to cover up questionable conduct, including racial slurs and sexually suggestive requests of employees, hastening Richardson's decision.[36] The Panthers' lease on Bank of America Stadium expires after the 2018 season,[37] which would allow any incoming owner to relocate the team out of the Carolinas to another market of their choice without penalty if they so desired.

text: 2017 deaths[edit]

text: The following people associated with the NFL (or AFL) have died in 2017.[38]

text: Dan Rooney[edit]

text: Dan Rooney was chairman and plurality owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and one of the sons of founding owner Art Rooney, Sr. Having been officially involved with the franchise since 1960, Rooney was a part of all six of the Steelers' Super Bowl victories. In addition to this, Rooney was considered an active and progressive owner in the league's operations, most famously by successfully pushing for the Rooney Rule, an affirmative action policy requiring all NFL franchises to interview persons of color for head coaching vacancies. Concurrently with his role with the Steelers, Rooney also served as United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2014. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, making him and his father the second father-son duo in the Hall behind Tim & Wellington Mara (to whom the Rooneys are related by marriage). Rooney died on April 13 at the age of 84.

text: Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame[edit]

text: Other notable deaths[edit]

text:
Dave Adolph
Bill Anderson
Ron Billingsley
Dave Brazil
Kevin Cadle
Bernie Casey
Bill Cox
Bill Fischer
Terry Glenn
Tom Graham
Larry Grantham
Ralph Guglielmi
James Hadnot
James Hardy III
Larry Hayes
Mitchell Henry
Aaron Hernandez
Larry Hickman
John Hilton
Claude Hipps
Michael Jackson
Derrick Jensen
Ken Kranz
Bob Lee
Tony Liscio
Eddie Macon
George Maderos
Mickey Marvin
Clay Matthews Sr.
Ron Meyer
Red Miller
Paul Mitchell
David Modell
Tom Modrak
Rod Monroe
Quentin Moses
Leonard Myers
Tommy Neck
Tommy Nobis
Babe Parilli
Benny Perrin
Hugh Pitts
Sonny Randle
Len Rohde
Max Runager
Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
John Thierry
Jimmy Thomas
Ted Topor
Rick Tuten
Wayne Walker
Clarence Williams
Ellery Williams

text: Rule changes[edit]

text: The following rule changes were approved for the 2017 NFL season at the owners' meeting on March 28, 2017:[39]

text:
Defensive players are now prohibited from running toward the line of scrimmage and leaping or hurdling over offensive linemen on field goal or PAT attempts, similar to a change made in college football for the 2017 season. Previously this action was permitted as long as the leaper or hurdler did not land on other players.
Include in the definition of a "defenseless player" receivers tracking the quarterback or looking back for the ball, including inside the legal contact (5 yards from the line of scrimmage) zone.
Egregious hits to the head (similar to the "targeting" rule in NCAA football) will now result in an automatic ejection.
The replay control center will make the final ruling on reviewed plays instead of the game referee, although the referee can still provide input on reviewable plays.
The sideline replay monitor (the "hood") will be eliminated and replaced with a tablet on the field for the referee to review with the replay control center.
Crackback blocks are now prohibited by a backfield player in motion, even if he is not more than two yards outside the tackle box when the ball is snapped.
Make permanent the rule that players who commit two certain types of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties (throwing punches/forearms/kicking, even if they do not connect, directing abusive, threatening, or insulting language toward opponents, teammates, game officials or league officials, and using baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams) in the same game will be automatically ejected.
Extend for a second season the change in the touchback spot after a kickoff or safety free kick to the 25-yard line.
Make illegal actions that would conserve time penalized by the option for a 10-second runoff inside of the two-minute warning of each half or overtime (previously this only applied in the final minute of each half or overtime).
If a team commits multiple fouls on the same down with the intent of manipulating the game clock, the team will be penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and the game clock will be reset. This change was made in response to both the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens employing this strategy by intentionally holding the defensive players to allow the game clock to run down or run out (in the case of the Ravens' game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals) during the previous season.
In response to the move of Sarah Thomas from line judge to head linesman for the 2017 season, the NFL renamed the officiating position of the head linesman to "down judge".

text: The following rule changes were approved for the 2017 NFL season at the NFL Spring League meeting on May 23, 2017:[40]

text:
Overtime has been shortened from 15 minutes to 10 minutes for preseason and regular season games. Playoff games will continue to have 15 minutes for overtime periods.
Restrictions on celebrations have been relaxed, removing penalties for group celebrations, going to the ground to celebrate, or using the ball as a prop.
Teams can bring two players back from injured reserve instead of one.
Teams can now cut their preseason rosters from 90 players to 53 on one day, removing the deadline to get the roster down to 75 players before the final preseason game.
Teams will not be required to give candidates for general manager final say over the 53-man roster.

text: The following will be "points of emphasis" for the 2017 season:[41]

text:
Blindside blocks of a defender in the head or neck area while the defender is in a defenseless position
Low hits on quarterbacks at or below the knees
"Launching" at players by leaving both feet to impact a defender anywhere on his body with the helmet
Contact downfield between receivers and defensive players, closely enforcing both offensive and defensive pass interference or illegal contact/holding

text: The ban on teams contacting potential coaching candidates until that candidate's team has been eliminated from the playoffs was tabled.

text: Records, milestones, and notable statistics[edit]

text: Kareem Hunt finished with 246 total yards and three touchdowns, setting the record for the most total yards in an NFL debut.[42][43]

text:
Antonio Gates scored his 112th career receiving touchdown, breaking a tie with Tony Gonzalez for the most career receiving touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history.[44]
Aaron Rodgers passed for his 300th touchdown, surpassing Peyton Manning as the fastest quarterback to reach that milestone both in attempts and appearances.[45]

text:
New York Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. broke the record for fastest receiver to reach 300 career receptions, doing so in 45 games.[46]
Matt Prater of the Detroit Lions broke the previous NFL record of three made field goals from more than 55 yards in a season by kicking a 57-yard field goal against the Atlanta Falcons.[47]

text: Larry Fitzgerald became the third player in NFL history to record 200 straight games with a reception, all while playing for the Arizona Cardinals.[48]

text: With his 187th regular season win, Tom Brady surpassed Peyton Manning and Brett Favre for the most regular season wins by a quarterback in NFL history.[49]

text:
Drew Brees became just the fourth player in NFL history to record 500 or more career passing touchdowns (including playoffs), joining Tom Brady, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning.[50]
Eddie Jackson became the first player in NFL history with multiple defensive touchdowns of at least 75 yards in a single game.[51]

text: The Cleveland Browns have gone 4–41 over their last 45 games dating back to 2014, tying for the worst 45-game stretch in NFL history with the 2007–10 Detroit Lions.[52]

text:
Matt Ryan threw for 313 yards giving him 39,858 career passing yards in his 150th career game. This is the most passing yards by a player in NFL history in his first 150 games surpassing Drew Brees.[53]
Eli Manning threw for 220 yards giving him 50,034 career passing yards. Manning became the seventh quarterback in NFL history with at least 50,000 passing yards.[53]
Matthew Stafford threw his 200th career regular season touchdown pass, becoming the sixth fastest player to do so, in only 117 games. He also the fourth player to accomplish this feat before the age of 30.[54]

text:
Larry Fitzgerald became the sixth player in NFL history to record 15,000 career receiving yards. He's the second-youngest player in NFL history to do it, behind Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.[55]
Matt Ryan threw for 215 yards giving him 40,073 passing yards in 151 career games, reached 40,000 career passing yards in the fewest games in NFL history, surpassing the previous record held by Drew Brees (152 games).[56]

text: With a 20-yard touchdown catch, Larry Fitzgerald passes Tony Gonzalez into fifth place all-time in receiving yards.[57]

text:
Julio Jones had 12 catches for 253 yards in the Falcons’ win over Tampa Bay. In 90 career games, Jones has 563 catches for 8,649 yards, the most by a player in his first 90 games in NFL history. He passed Anquan Boldin (558) for the most receptions and Lance Alworth (8,502) for the most receiving yards.[58]
With the win over San Francisco, Russell Wilson became the winningest quarterback in a player’s first six seasons with 63 wins, surpassing Joe Flacco.[59]

text:
With his 72nd touchdown catch, Dez Bryant broke the record for the most touchdowns by a Cowboys' wide receiver. He passed Bob Hayes, who had previously caught 71 touchdowns with the Cowboys.[60]
By defeating the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, Tom Brady broke the record for most wins by a quarterback against one team, with 27. The former record was held by Brett Favre, who had defeated the Detroit Lions 26 times.[61]
With a 12-yard catch, Larry Fitzgerald moved into fourth place all-time in receiving yards, passing Isaac Bruce.[62] With his ten catches in this game, Fitzgerald also surpassed 1,200 career receptions becoming the third player in NFL history to reach this mark (joining Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez) and the fastest player to reach this milestone in 214 games (breaking Rice's record of 221 games).[63]
With his 15-yard touchdown throw to J. D. McKissic, Russell Wilson tied Eli Manning in 2011 for the most fourth quarter touchdowns in a single season with 15.[64]
Frank Gore rushed for 61 yards surpassing Jerome Bettis and LaDainian Tomlinson for fifth place all-time in rushing yards.[65]

text:
With a 23-yard catch, Larry Fitzgerald moved into third place all-time in receiving yards, passing Randy Moss.[66]
With 506 yards passing against the Baltimore Ravens, Ben Roethlisberger became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 500 yards in three different games.[67]

text: LeSean McCoy surpassed 10,000 career yards in rushing, becoming the 30th player in league history to reach the milestone.[68]

text: Awards[edit]

text: Players of the week/month[edit]

text: The following were named the top performers during the 2017 season:

text:
Week/
Month
Offensive
Player of the Week/Month
Defensive
Player of the Week/Month
Special Teams
Player of the Week/Month

AFC
NFC
AFC
NFC
AFC
NFC

1[69]
Alex Smith
(Chiefs)
Sam Bradford
(Vikings)
Calais Campbell
(Jaguars)
Trumaine Johnson
(Rams)
Giorgio Tavecchio
(Raiders)
Matt Prater
(Lions)

2[70]
Tom Brady
(Patriots)
J. J. Nelson
(Cardinals)
Chris Jones
(Chiefs)
Desmond Trufant
(Falcons)
Cody Parkey
(Dolphins)
Jamal Agnew
(Lions)

3[71]
Tom Brady
(Patriots)
Kirk Cousins
(Redskins)
Terrence Brooks
(Jets)
DeMarcus Lawrence
(Cowboys)
Steven Hauschka
(Bills)
Jake Elliott
(Eagles)

Sept.[72]
Kareem Hunt
(Chiefs)
Todd Gurley
(Rams)
Melvin Ingram
(Chargers)
DeMarcus Lawrence
(Cowboys)
Ryan Succop
(Titans)
Matt Prater
(Lions)

4[73]
Deshaun Watson
(Texans)
Todd Gurley
(Rams)
Cameron Heyward
(Steelers)
Julius Peppers
(Panthers)
Steven Hauschka
(Bills)
Greg Zuerlein
(Rams)

5[74]
Melvin Gordon
(Chargers)
Aaron Rodgers
(Packers)
Telvin Smith
(Jaguars)
Earl Thomas
(Seahawks)
Adam Vinatieri
(Colts)
Kenjon Barner
(Eagles)

6[75]
Le'Veon Bell
(Steelers)
Adrian Peterson
(Cardinals)
Johnathan Joseph
(Texans)
Cameron Jordan
(Saints)
Ryan Succop
(Titans)
Pharoh Cooper
(Rams)

7[76]
Amari Cooper
(Raiders)
Carson Wentz
(Eagles)
Kevin Byard
(Titans)
Eddie Jackson
(Bears)
Travis Benjamin
(Chargers)
Kai Forbath
(Vikings)

8[77]
JuJu Smith-Schuster
(Steelers)
Russell Wilson
(Seahawks)
Carlos Dunlap
(Bengals)
Jalen Mills
(Eagles)
Harrison Butker
(Chiefs)
Tyrone Crawford
(Cowboys)

Oct.[78]
Deshaun Watson
(Texans)
Carson Wentz
(Eagles)
Micah Hyde
(Bills)
Everson Griffen
(Vikings)
Harrison Butker
(Chiefs)
Greg Zuerlein
(Rams)

9[79]
T. Y. Hilton
(Colts)
Jared Goff
(Rams)
Jordan Jenkins
(Jets)
Karlos Dansby
(Cardinals)
Jaydon Mickens
(Jaguars)
Justin Hardee
(Saints)

10[80]
Tom Brady
(Patriots)
Cam Newton
(Panthers)
A. J. Bouye
(Jaguars)
Adrian Clayborn
(Falcons)
Dion Lewis
(Patriots)
Greg Zuerlein
(Rams)

11[81]
Antonio Brown
(Steelers)
Mark Ingram
(Saints)
Matt Judon
(Ravens)
Landon Collins
(Giants)
Stephen Gostkowski
(Patriots)
Tyler Lockett
(Seahawks)

12[82]
Philip Rivers
(Chargers)
Julio Jones
(Falcons)
Cameron Heyward
(Steelers)
Luke Kuechly
(Panthers)
Sam Koch
(Ravens)
Phil Dawson
(Cardinals)

Nov.[83]
Tom Brady
(Patriots)
Case Keenum
(Vikings)
Casey Hayward
(Chargers)
Cameron Jordan
(Saints)
Justin Tucker
(Ravens)
Greg Zuerlein
(Rams)

13[84]
Josh McCown
(Jets)
Russell Wilson
(Seahawks)
Eric Weddle
(Ravens)
Dean Lowry
(Packers)
Chris Boswell
(Steelers)
Robbie Gould
(49ers)

14[85]
Ben Roethlisberger
(Steelers)
Jonathan Stewart
(Panthers)
Xavien Howard
(Dolphins)
Deion Jones
(Falcons)
Jaydon Mickens
(Jaguars)
Trevor Davis
(Packers)

text:
Week
FedEx Air
Player of the Week
(Quarterbacks)[86]
FedEx Ground
Player of the Week
(Running backs)[86]
Pepsi
Rookie of the Week[87]
Castrol Edge
Clutch Performer
of the Week[88]

1
Alex Smith
(Chiefs)
Kareem Hunt
(Chiefs)
Kareem Hunt
(Chiefs)
Alex Smith
(Chiefs)

2
Trevor Siemian
(Broncos)
C. J. Anderson
(Broncos)
Tyus Bowser
(Ravens)
Trevor Siemian
(Broncos)

3
Tom Brady
(Patriots)
Kareem Hunt
(Chiefs)
Jake Elliott
(Eagles)
Jake Elliott
(Eagles)

4
Deshaun Watson
(Texans)
Le'Veon Bell
(Steelers)
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Deshaun Watson
(Texans)

5
Carson Wentz
(Eagles)
Leonard Fournette
(Jaguars)
Aaron Jones
(Packers)
Aaron Rodgers
(Packers)

6
Carson Wentz
(Eagles)
Adrian Peterson
(Cardinals)
Marshon Lattimore
(Saints)
Mark Ingram
(Saints)

7
Derek Carr
(Raiders)
Aaron Jones
(Packers)
Aaron Jones
(Packers)
Carson Wentz
(Eagles)

8
Russell Wilson
(Seahawks)
LeSean McCoy
(Bills)
Marshon Lattimore
(Saints)
Russell Wilson
(Seahawks)

9
Jay Cutler
(Dolphins)
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Carson Wentz
(Eagles)

10
Case Keenum
(Vikings)
Mark Ingram
(Saints)
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Mark Ingram
(Saints)

11
Drew Brees
(Saints)
Mark Ingram
(Saints)
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Drew Brees
(Saints)

12
Philip Rivers
(Chargers)
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Antonio Brown
(Steelers)

13
Alex Smith
(Chiefs)
Jamaal Williams
(Packers)
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Aaron Jones
(Packers)

14
Ben Roethlisberger
(Steelers)
LeSean McCoy
(Bills)
Jamaal Williams
(Packers)
Davante Adams
(Packers)

Month
Rookie of the Month

Offensive
Defensive

Sept.[89]
Kareem Hunt
(Chiefs)
Tre'Davious White
(Bills)

Oct.[90]
Deshaun Watson
(Texans)
Marshon Lattimore
(Saints)

Nov.[91]
Alvin Kamara
(Saints)
Reuben Foster
(49ers)

text: Head coaching and front office personnel changes[edit]

text: Head coaches[edit]

text: Offseason[edit]

text:
Team
2016 head coach
2016 interim
2017 replacement
Reason for leaving
Story/accomplishments

Buffalo Bills
Rex Ryan
Anthony Lynn
Sean McDermott
Fired
Ryan was fired with one week remaining in the 2016 regular season and a 15–16 record with no playoff appearances in two seasons. His twin brother, assistant head coach Rob Ryan, was also dismissed.[92] Ryan signed on as a commentator for ESPN,[93] replacing Trent Dilfer.[94] Lynn began the 2016 season as running backs coach, then moved to offensive coordinator when Greg Roman was fired in week 3, then interim head coach after the Ryans' dismissal. Lynn lost his one game as interim head coach.[95] Former Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was named as the Bills' new head coach on January 11, 2017.[96] Meanwhile, Lynn was hired as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Denver Broncos
Gary Kubiak
Vance Joseph
Retired
Kubiak retired from coaching after two seasons due to health concerns, with a victory in Super Bowl 50 and a 24–10 record, including postseason games.[97] Kubiak would later return to the Broncos six months later, working for their front office as a Senior Personnel Advisor.
Vance Joseph, who spent the previous season as the Miami Dolphins' defensive coordinator, was hired on January 11, 2017.[98]

Jacksonville Jaguars
Gus Bradley
Doug Marrone
Fired
Bradley was fired with two weeks remaining in the 2016 season and a 14–48 (.226) record with no playoff appearances in four seasons.[99] He is expected to join Anthony Lynn with the Chargers, with Bradley as defensive coordinator.[100] Marrone, the Jaguars' offensive line coach, was previously head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 2013–14; he went 1–1 in his two games as interim head coach of the Jaguars.[101] On January 9, 2017, the Jaguars announced that Marrone would be named permanent head coach.[102]

Los Angeles Chargers
Mike McCoy
Anthony Lynn
McCoy was fired after four seasons, with one playoff appearance and a 27–37 record.[103] He then joined the Denver Broncos, serving as Vance Joseph's offensive coordinator.
Anthony Lynn was hired as the Chargers' new head coach on January 12, 2017.[104]

Los Angeles Rams
Jeff Fisher
John Fassel
Sean McVay
After receiving a two-year contract extension prior to the season, Fisher was fired after going 4–9 through the first 13 games of the 2016 season, and 31–45–1 (.414) in his five-year tenure in St. Louis and Los Angeles. Under his tenure, the Rams never finished better than 7–8–1 (2012) and never reached the playoffs.[105] Fassel, the son of former NFL head coach Jim Fassel, has been the Rams' special teams coach since 2012; he went 0–3 in the interim. On January 12, Washington Redskins Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay was named head coach. Sean McVay is the grandson of former San Francisco 49ers GM John McVay. At the time of his hiring, McVay was age 30, making him the youngest person to become a head coach (excluding the player-coaches of the 1920s) in NFL history.

San Francisco 49ers
Chip Kelly
Kyle Shanahan
Kelly was fired after one season with a 2–14 record.[106][107] Kelly spent the 2017 season out of football, then took the head coaching position at UCLA beginning in 2018. Kyle Shanahan, who most recently served as the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator, was named the new coach of the 49ers on February 6, 2017. Due to league anti-tampering rules, the 49ers had to wait until after the completion of the Falcons' playoff run, before formally hiring Shanahan.[108]

text: In-season[edit]

text:
Team
2017 head coach
Reason for leaving
Interim replacement
Story/accomplishments

New York Giants
Ben McAdoo
Fired
Steve Spagnuolo
McAdoo became the Giants' head coach in 2016, leading the Giants to a 13–15 (.464) record over the course of parts of two seasons. After accruing a 2–10 (.167) record and benching popular starter Eli Manning (who at the time held the longest active streak as a starting NFL quarterback) during the season, he was fired on December 4, and replaced in the interim by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was previously the St. Louis Rams' head coach from 2009–2011.[109]

text: Front office personnel[edit]

text: Offseason[edit]

text:
Team
Position
2016 office holder
Reason for leaving
2017 office holder
Notes

San Francisco 49ers
GM
Trent Baalke
Fired
John Lynch
Baalke, who spent the past twelve years with the team, informed KNBR-AM in San Francisco on January 1, 2017, that he had been fired.[107][110] On January 29, 2017, Lynch, a former player and broadcaster, was named the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers; it is his first front office position.[111][112]

Jacksonville Jaguars
EVP-FO
position created
Tom Coughlin
Coughlin, the team's inaugural head coach, was rehired as executive vice president of football operations on January 9, 2017. He had spent the 2016 season out of football after several years of coaching the New York Giants.

Indianapolis Colts
GM
Ryan Grigson
Fired
Chris Ballard
Grigson was relieved of his duties as Colts general manager on January 21, 2017.[113] On January 30, 2017, Chris Ballard, who had spent the past four seasons as director of football operations for the Kansas City Chiefs, was named the new GM of the Colts.

Washington Redskins
GM
Scot McCloughan
TBA
McCloughan was fired on March 9, 2017, after two seasons with the Redskins.[114] Doug Williams was named senior vice president of player personnel on June 13, 2017.[115]

Buffalo Bills
GM
Doug Whaley
Brandon Beane
Whaley was fired the morning of April 30, 2017, immediately following the draft. He had spent seven seasons with the Bills, four of them as general manager.[116] Brandon Beane, who had spent the previous 19 seasons with the Carolina Panthers (most recently as assistant general manager), was hired as the new general manager on May 9, 2017.[117]

Kansas City Chiefs
GM
John Dorsey
Brett Veach
Dorsey was unexpectedly fired on June 22, 2017, after four seasons.[118] Brett Veach, who had spent the past four seasons as the Chiefs co-director of player personnel, was promoted to general manager on July 10, 2017.[119]

Carolina Panthers
GM
Dave Gettleman
Marty Hurney
Gettleman was unexpectedly fired after four seasons on July 17, 2017.[120] Marty Hurney, who was the Panthers' GM from 2002 to 2012, was rehired as the interim general manager for the 2017 season. The team plans to conduct a search for a permanent general manager after the season ends.[121]

text: In-season[edit]

text:
Team
Position
2017 office holder
Reason for leaving
Interim replacement
Notes

New York Giants
GM
Jerry Reese
Fired
Kevin Abrams
Having been in the organization since 1994, Reese was the Giants GM since 2007, leading them to two Super Bowl championships and several years of success. He was fired on December 4 along with head coach Ben McAdoo.[109] He was replaced in the interim by former Detroit Lions cornerback Kevin Abrams, who has no previous front office experience.[122]

Cleveland Browns
VP/GM
Sashi Brown
John Dorsey
Brown was fired on December 7. Brown, who had served as the team's lawyer since 2013, was given the duties of general manager in 2016 despite no prior experience in football. He was considered responsible for trading away the high round draft picks that ended up being Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson. In addition, he failed to follow through on a trade for Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron, which was contributed to him simply failing to inform the league of the trade in time. Owner Jimmy Haslam said the coach Hue Jackson will stay at least through the 2018 season.[123] Later that day the Browns named former Kansas City Chiefs GM John Dorsey as their new GM. As general manager in Kansas City from 2013–16, the Chiefs recorded a 43–21 (.672) record.[124]

text: Stadiums[edit]

text: Atlanta Falcons[edit]

text: The Atlanta Falcons will play their first season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, after playing in the Georgia Dome for the previous 25 seasons.

text: Naming rights[edit]

text: Arizona Cardinals[edit]

text: The stadium in which the Arizona Cardinals play their home games is in the process of obtaining a new naming rights agreement. The University of Phoenix, which owns the naming rights to the Cardinals' home field, is planning to terminate the final nine years of a 20-year agreement, but will continue to keep its name on the stadium.[125]

text: Denver Broncos[edit]

text: The stadium in which the Denver Broncos play their home games is in the process of obtaining a new naming rights agreement. Sporting goods retailer Sports Authority, which had owned the naming rights to the Broncos' home field since 2011, filed for bankruptcy in March 2016, and liquidated all of their stores.[126] The Broncos bought out the existing naming rights contract with permission from the Delaware District United States bankruptcy court in August 2016.[127] Three months later, the Broncos selected American talent agency WME-IMG to secure a new naming rights partner for their home field,[128] which, to date, still carries the name Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

text: Relocations[edit]

text: San Diego Chargers' relocation to Los Angeles[edit]

text: On January 12, 2017, the San Diego Chargers exercised their option to relocate to Los Angeles as the Los Angeles Chargers. They will be joining the Los Angeles Rams as tenants in their new stadium, Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California when that stadium is complete in 2020. For the time being, the Chargers will play at the 30,000 seat StubHub Center in Carson, California, the smallest venue (in terms of number of seats) the league has used for a full season since 1956.[2]

text: Oakland Raiders' relocation to Las Vegas[edit]

text: On January 19, 2017, the Oakland Raiders filed paperwork to relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada. The NFL officially approved the Raiders relocation to Las Vegas on March 27. Unlike the Chargers, the Raiders will remain at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum through at least the 2018 season (with the 2019 season to be determined) while Las Vegas Stadium is built, with the team moving to Nevada in 2019 or 2020.[129]

text: Attendance[edit]

text: The Los Angeles Rams, who had capped season ticket sales at 55,000 for the 2017 season, announced to have 60,128 spectators in the first home game on week 1. However, reports estimate that spectators only filled a third of the 93,607 seats of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[130] The Los Angeles Chargers did not sell out their week 2 game at the StubHub Center, which was never expanded to 30,000 seats as originally stated and has typically had less than 26,000 fans in attendance.[131] When the StubHub Center is at capacity, the majority of the fans present are of the opposing team.[132]

text: The Los Angeles teams were not the only ones with visible attendance problems. The San Francisco 49ers reported a Week 3 attendance total that exceeded the capacity of Levi's Stadium, even as wide swaths of empty seats were visible in the stadium throughout the game.[133] This followed similar sparse attendance for the 49ers' home opener.[134] Even the Dallas Cowboys, a team whose fan base is among the largest in the United States, played their week 13 Thursday Night Football game in front of a half-empty AT&T Stadium.[135] The lifting of the league's blackout policy was cited as one factor in the decline in ticket sales, as viewers would rather watch from the comfort of their homes, especially when weather conditions were less than ideal. At a Buffalo Bills/Indianapolis Colts game held in blinding lake-effect snow on December 10, scalpers said they had not sold any tickets, an extreme rarity.[136] Indeed, a majority of television sets in all Western New York were tuned into some portion of the game, the highest viewership for a non-Super Bowl NFL game in the region since record-keeping began.[137]

text: New uniforms and patches[edit]

text:
Twenty-five teams transitioned to Nike's new uniform template.[138] While most teams have just transitioned to it without any actual changes to the uniforms themselves, the New Orleans Saints,[139] Cincinnati Bengals,[140] and Los Angeles Rams[141] uniforms are the most noticeable in it, fixing their collars in the process.
The Detroit Lions unveiled new uniforms on April 13, 2017, eliminating all black elements from the uniform and logo. They added a new alternate uniform as well as a new Color Rush uniform.[142]
The Los Angeles Rams announced they would be switching their primary helmets to white and blue, similar to their Color Rush helmets. The team had fans vote on the color of their facemask, which would be white, and the design of their pants, which would be white with a blue stripe. The Rams also announced that they would explore a full rebrand in the near future.[143]
The Cincinnati Bengals will wear a patch to commemorate their 50th season.[144]
The San Francisco 49ers have altered their sleeve striping from 3 stripes to 2 stripes.[145]
The Pittsburgh Steelers will wear a patch to honor their former chairman, the late Dan Rooney, who died in April, at the age of 84. The patch will feature a shamrock, with Rooney's initials "DMR". The last time the Steelers wore a jersey patch was when Art Rooney died in 1988. They also donned a helmet decal to honor Chuck Noll, who died in 2014.[146]
The Dallas Cowboys will wear blue jerseys at home on a more regular basis, marking the first time the team has worn blue jerseys at home outside of Thanksgiving games since the NFL allowed teams to wear white jerseys at home in 1964. Despite the team's well-documented blue jersey "jinx", player preference as well as stronger retail sales of the navy blue jerseys over the white ones have prompted the team's decision. The blue jerseys will be worn for "high-profile" games at AT&T Stadium.[147]
The New York Giants wore a #14 decal on their helmets to honor Y. A. Tittle, who died on October 8, 2017.[148] Later, they would wear a "JHT" patch from Week 10 onwards, in honor of Joan Tisch, the mother of Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, who died on November 2, 2017.[149]
The Buffalo Bills wore their all-red Color Rush uniforms when they faced the Indianapolis Colts in the aforementioned December 10 "snow game", the first team to do so on a Sunday, and the fourth team overall.[150]
All current and former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award winners will wear a patch on their jerseys in perpetuity to acknowledge to recognize their outstanding contributions to the game and to their communities. Similarly, current nominees will wear a decal on their helmets for the rest of the season.[151]

text: Media[edit]

text: Broadcast rights[edit]

text: Television[edit]

text: This is the fourth season under the current broadcast contracts with ESPN, CBS, Fox, and NBC. This includes "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday Afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season (regardless of the conference of the visiting team). NBC will continue to air Sunday Night Football, the annual Kickoff game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game. ESPN will continue to air Monday Night Football and the Pro Bowl. NBC will also serve as the broadcaster of Super Bowl LII. This will also be the second and final year of the current Thursday Night Football contract with CBS, NBC, and NFL Network. Along with ESPN's simulcasted Wild Card game on ABC, ESPN announced on May 24, 2017, that the 2018 Pro Bowl will also be simulcast on ABC, marking the return of the Pro Bowl to the network for the first time since 2003.[152] For the first 9 weeks of the regular season, ESPN2 simulcasted ESPN Deportes' Spanish-language Monday Night Football broadcasts. The simulcasts ended after Week 9 due to ESPN2's Monday-night college basketball broadcasts.[153]

text: Although never explicitly announced, the league continued the moratorium on its blackout policy, ensuring all games will be televised in the market of their home teams regardless of ticket sales.[154]

text: Because of fog and smoke obstruction, NBC was forced to televise large portions of two of their Sunday Night Football games from the skycam angle. Positive reception led NBC to experiment with increased usage of the angle as a primary view during its November 16 and December 14 Thursday Night Football telecasts. Because the angle distorts distance, the traditional sideline camera angle was used for close-yardage situations such as the red zone.[155]

text: Digital[edit]

text: In over-the-top rights, Amazon Video acquired non-exclusive streaming rights to the 10 broadcast television Thursday Night Football games for $50 million. These streams are exclusive to paid Amazon Prime subscribers, in contrast to Twitter, which held the rights to the same package in 2016 and had made those streams free to most of the world.[156][157]

text: Verizon Communications acquired international streaming rights to an NFL London Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars, in a similar arrangement to the 2015 game that was streamed by Yahoo!—which was acquired by Verizon in 2017. The game was streamed by Yahoo and other Verizon-owned platforms, including AOL, go90, and Complex.[158][159] NFL Network remains a partner with Twitter for online content, including its new streaming news program NFL Blitz Live.[160][161] The NFL also reached a deal with Facebook in September 2017 to offer video highlights following games, and streaming programs on the service's new Watch platform.[162]

text: This is the final season of the NFL's exclusive mobile streaming contract with Verizon Wireless; the league intends to no longer have a single exclusive partner going forward, citing changes to viewing habits.[163] On December 11, 2017, the NFL announced that it had agreed to a new 5-year, $2.5 billion digital rights agreement with Verizon, allowing it to stream in-market Sunday afternoon games, as well as all nationally televised games, across its mobile platforms. Unlike the previous deal, these streams will no longer be exclusive to Verizon Wireless subscribers, as Verizon plans to leverage the divisions of its digital media subsidiary Oath (including the aforementioned Yahoo and go90) as a platform to promote these streams to a larger audience, as well as other digital content and expanded highlights rights. As part of the agreement, Verizon will begin allowing access to its existing mobile streams to non-customers for the 2017-18 playoffs.[164] As the new contract is non-exclusive, the NFL's television partners may negotiate to add the mobile streaming rights that were reserved to Verizon under the previous contract; NBC was the first to do so.[165]

text: Two new international digital rights deals led to user criticism over their quality of service. In Canada, NFL Sunday Ticket shifted from distribution through television providers to the over-the-top provider DAZN, while in Europe, Deltatre took over European distribution of NFL Game Pass and launched new mobile apps. Both services faced criticism over their streaming quality, while Delatre's app faced criticism for having bugs and initially lacking features seen in the previous version of the platform. The Independent exposed that Deltatre had also issued an internal e-mail instructing its employees to give the apps 5-star reviews. DAZN subsequently announced that it would return to distributing Sunday Ticket through Canadian television providers in addition to their OTT service.[166][167]

text: Radio[edit]

text: This is the final season of the NFL's current national radio contract with Westwood One.[168]

text: Commercials[edit]

text: The league has sought to reduce the number of standard commercial breaks (media timeouts) on its telecasts from 21 to 16, four in each quarter, with each break extended by one additional 30-second commercial. One particular scenario the league sought to eliminate is the "double-up," in which a network cuts to a commercial after a scoring play, then airs the kickoff, and again goes to commercial before play from scrimmage resumes. Under the proposal, the league will allow networks to cut to commercial during instant replay reviews, which it had not been allowed to do before. Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the changes are being made in an attempt to consolidate downtime between the actual game play so that there are fewer and less noticeable interruptions; he does not expect the changes to have an appreciable impact on the real-time length of a game, which currently clocks in at slightly over three hours.[169]

text: The NFL has also, as a trial, lifted its ban on the broadcast of commercials for distilled spirits during its telecasts. However, they are subject to restrictions; a maximum of four liquor ads may be broadcast per-game, along with two per-pregame and postgame show. These ads may not contain football-related themes or target underage viewers, and must contain a "prominent social responsibility message".[170][171]

text: Personnel changes[edit]

text: Tony Romo, who announced his retirement as a player on April 4, 2017, joined CBS, where he replaced Phil Simms as lead color commentator. Simms and Nate Burleson, who comes over from NFL Network, will replace Tony Gonzalez and Bart Scott on CBS's pregame show, The NFL Today.[172][173] Jay Cutler also announced his retirement from professional football on May 5 and was slated to join Fox as a color analyst for its NFL coverage;[174] he later rescinded that announcement in August and joined the Miami Dolphins.[17] Gonzalez will move to Fox, where he will join Fox NFL Kickoff; upon his departure, Gonzalez stated that he wished to pursue opportunities closer to his home in California, rather than travel to New York weekly to appear on CBS. James Lofton, coming over from radio, will replace Solomon Wilcots as a CBS analyst.[175]

text: On May 31, 2017, it was announced that Mike Tirico would replace Al Michaels on play-by-play on NBC's portion of the Thursday Night Football package, joined by Cris Collinsworth.[176] The NFL had previously required this role to be filled by NBC's lead broadcast team of Michaels and Collinsworth; Tirico called a limited slate of games in 2016, including several NBC-broadcast games as a fill-in for Michaels (who voluntarily took several games off due to the increased number he was calling that season), and as part of a secondary team for selected games the TNF package.[177][178] He will also succeed Bob Costas as the lead studio host for NBC.[179][180] However, due to its proximity to the 2018 Winter Olympics (where he is also succeeding Bob Costas as lead host), Tirico will not participate in NBC's Super Bowl LII coverage.[181]

text: Beth Mowins became the second woman to call play-by-play for a national NFL broadcast, following Gayle Sierens in 1987, when she served as play-by-play announcer for the nightcap in ESPN's Week 1 Monday Night doubleheader, with Rex Ryan as her color commentator.[182] In an unusual case of a broadcaster working for two networks in the same season, Mowins also called a regional game for CBS in Week 3 and Week 15, with Jay Feely as her partner.[183]

text: Most watched regular season games[edit]

text: DH = doubleheader; SNF = NBC Sunday Night Football

text:
Rank
Date
Matchup
Network
Viewers (millions)
TV rating [184]
Window
Significance

1
December 17, 4:25 ET
New England Patriots
27
Pittsburgh Steelers
24
CBS
26.9
15.2
Late DH[a]
2016 AFC Championship rematch

2
November 23, 4:30 ET
Los Angeles Chargers
28
Dallas Cowboys
6
26.3
11.1
Thanksgiving

3
September 17, 4:25 ET
Dallas Cowboys
17
Denver Broncos
42
Fox
26.0
14.3
Late DH[b]

4
November 23, 12:30 ET
Minnesota Vikings
30
Detroit Lions
23
24.7
11.4
Thanksgiving
Lions–Vikings rivalry

5
September 10, 8:30 ET
New York Giants
3
Dallas Cowboys
19
NBC
24.4
13.4
SNF
Cowboys–Giants Rivalry

6
October 8, 4:25 ET
Green Bay Packers
35
Dallas Cowboys
31
Fox
23.9
13.6
Late DH[c]
Cowboys–Packers Rivalry

7
December 10, 4:25 ET
Philadelphia Eagles
43
Los Angeles Rams
35
23.8
13.7
Late DH[d]

8
September 10, 4:25 ET
Seattle Seahawks
9
Green Bay Packers
17
22.8
12.7
Late DH[e]
2014 NFC Championship rematch

9
November 12, 4:25 ET
Dallas Cowboys
7
Atlanta Falcons
27
22.0
12.8
Late DH[f]

10
October 29, 4:25 ET
Dallas Cowboys
33
Washington Redskins
19
22.0
12.7
Late DH[g]
Cowboys–Redskins Rivalry

text: *Note — Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market.

text:
^ NE/PIT was shown in 91% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.
^ DAL/DEN was shown in 81% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
^ GB/DAL was shown in 99% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage, with the Bay Area being the only market not airing the game.
^ PHI/LAR was shown in 90% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
^ SEA/GB was shown in 89% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
^ DAL/ATL was shown in 86% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
^ DAL/WSH was shown in 99% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage, with the Seattle area being the only market not airing the game.