Can An NFL Player Play Twice In A Week? (Find Out Here)

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During the NFL season, each of the thirty-two teams plays seventeen games throughout the season, with one “bye” off-week. For the last decade, NFL games have been scheduled in five different slots throughout the week. However, many football fans have wondered whether an NFL player can play twice a week.

As per NFL rules, players are not permitted to play twice during one calendar week. This rule is in place because players and teams need time to train for the upcoming match, study the opposition, and recover after the match. Unfortunately, this means players can only play once per week.

We’ll explain everything you must know about why NFL players aren’t allowed to play twice in one week. Once we’ve explained the reasoning behind this, we’ll discuss whether any players have managed to play twice in a week, how many games NFL players play per season, and how the NFL season schedule is created.

Can NFL Players Play Twice In A Week?

During the NFL season, football teams play once per week over 18 weeks. However, many football enthusiasts have wondered whether NFL players are permitted to play more than once a week. Unfortunately, the NFL rules prohibit players from playing twice in the same calendar week.

The reason NFL players cannot play twice in one week is the same reason that teams cannot play twice in one week. Ultimately, each NFL game requires a lot of preparation – both from the teams and the NFL team behind the scenes. After all, millions of NFL fans tune into each game throughout the season, which takes a lot of planning.

By limiting players to one game per week, teams and players can use the days around their weekly match to train, study their opposing team, and properly recover from the previous match. To accommodate this, NFL players are limited to playing one weekly game. This rule is stipulated in the NFL code of conduct!

The NFL commissioner’s office is responsible for ensuring that team and players are following the correct protocols. It may surprise some fans that the league and the NFL Players Association established the code of conduct together. In the following section, we’ll discuss whether the code of conduct allows traded NFL players to play for two teams in one calendar week.

Can Traded NFL Players Play For Two Teams In One Week?

According to NFL rules, any player can have their contract given to another NFL team via trade. While this does not apply to NFL players with no-trade clauses in their contract, they can still be traded if the player chooses to accept the trade based on the offer. However, you may wonder whether a traded player can play for two teams in one week.

In the history of the NFL, a traded player has never played for two teams in one week. Firstly, the player will not be able to prepare for the match on such short notice. As we explained earlier, players are rather busy during game week. The player would not have sufficient time to recover from the previous match and prepare for another one in the same week.

Players are also paid per week, which is another reason they are not permitted to perform in more than one game per week. If this were to happen, the player would be playing the second match for free. Furthermore, the player’s union would not allow them to play a second game in one calendar week.

How Many Games Do NFL Players Play Per Season?

Now that we’ve outlined why NFL players are not permitted to play more than one game per calendar week, you may be wondering how many games each player plays per season. For more than four decades, the NFL used a 16-game season. However, the NFL made major changes to its regular schedule during the 2021 off-season,

Currently, a regular NFL season consists of 272 games over an 18-week season. With this format, each of the NFL’s 32 teams competes in 17 games, with one week off. Due to this format, NFL players are allowed to play in a total of 17 matches throughout the season. Trading does not increase the number of games a player is allowed to play.

Breaking Down The NFL Season Schedule

Creating the annual NFL season schedule is a painstaking task. The schedule makers, as they are known, tirelessly work to craft a schedule around other events that will be hosted in or around NFL stadiums. From the league’s broadcast partners to the traffic, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration.

It may surprise you to learn that these schedulers are also responsible for determining each team’s opponents for the upcoming season, which is done using a unique rotating schedule. Ultimately, this ensures that every NFL team plays against each other at least thirty-one times every four years.

As we explained in the previous section, each NFL team plays 17 games throughout the 18-week season, with one bye week. With the updated NFL format, each team will play six matches against divisional opponents and four matches against a team in its conference. There are also four games against teams in the other conference.

Two NFL games are played against teams from the remaining divisions in the team’s own conference. The games we’ve discussed this far account for the 16-game season NFL fans were used to. The added 17^th match sees teams play against a non-conference opponent. Ultimately, this new game allows teams to play against a team that was not scheduled to play.

Conclusion

NFL rules prohibit players from playing twice in a calendar week. This rule ensures that teams and players have sufficient time to train for upcoming games, study their opposing team, and properly recover following matches. However, this means that NFL players can only play one game per week during the NFL season.