2020 NFL season

This article is about the American football season in the United States. For the Gaelic football season in Ireland, see 2020 National Football League (Ireland).

2020 NFL season

Regular season
Duration	September 10, 2020 (2020-09-10) – January 3, 2021 (2021-01-03)
Playoffs
Start date	January 9, 2021
AFC Champions	Kansas City Chiefs
NFC Champions	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Super Bowl LV
Date	February 7, 2021
Site	Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Champions	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pro Bowl
Site	Virtual (via Madden NFL 21 )
← 2019 NFL seasons 2021 →

Patriots

Bills

Dolphins

Jets

Bengals

Ravens

Steelers

Browns

Colts

Titans

Jaguars

Texans

Broncos

Chiefs

Raiders

Chargers

class=notpageimage|

AFC teams: West, North, South, East

Cowboys

Giants

Eagles

Washington

Bears

Lions

Packers

Vikings

Falcons

Panthers

Saints

Buccaneers

Cardinals

Rams

Seahawks

49ers

class=notpageimage|

NFC teams: West, North, South, East

The 2020 NFL season was the 101st season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season started with the NFL Kickoff Game on September 10, in which defending Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City defeated Houston. The playoffs were expanded from 12 to 14 teams, adding a third wild card spot per conference. ^{[1] [2] [3]} The season concluded with Tampa Bay defeating Kansas City in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, 2021.

After a decades-long controversy, the Washington Redskins retired the use of their name and logo and adopted the temporary placeholder name Washington Football Team, up until their official name change to Washington Commanders for the 2022 season. ^{[4] [5]}

The season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; the most prominent changes were the cancellation of all preseason games ^[6] and the 2021 Pro Bowl, ^[7] the suspension of international games for the year, ^[8] an allowance for players to opt out of playing the season without violating their contracts (66 players opted out), ^[9] the playing of games with either a greatly reduced audience or no fans at all, and the postponement and/or rescheduling of multiple games due to numerous positive COVID-19 tests among players and staff. Despite these changes, all 256 regular season games were played within the original 17-week span with no cancellations. ^[10]

This was also the final season played under the 16-game schedule, as the schedule was expanded to 17 games in 2021. ^[11]

Player movement

The 2020 NFL league year and trading period began on March 18. On March 16, teams were allowed to exercise options for 2020 on players with option clauses in their contracts, submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents, and submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2019 contracts and fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit. 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 combined salary cap). On March 16, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with the agents of players who were set to become unrestricted free agents.

Positions key

C	Center		CB	Cornerback		DB	Defensive back		DE	Defensive end
DL	Defensive lineman		DT	Defensive tackle		FB	Fullback		FS	Free safety
G	Guard [lower-alpha 1]		K	Kicker [lower-alpha 2]		KR	Kickoff returner		LB	Linebacker
LS	Long snapper		MLB	Middle linebacker [lower-alpha 3]		OT	Offensive tackle		OL	Offensive lineman
OLB	Outside linebacker		NT	Nose tackle		P	Punter		PR	Punt returner
QB	Quarterback		RS	Return specialist		RB	Running back		S	Safety
SS	Strong safety		TE	Tight end		WR	Wide receiver

1. Also known as Offensive guard (OG)
2. Also known as placekicker (PK)
3. Also known as Inside linebacker (ILB)

Free agency

Free agency began on March 18. Notable players to change teams included:

• Quarterbacks Tom Brady (New England to Tampa Bay), Teddy Bridgewater (New Orleans to Carolina), Andy Dalton (Cincinnati to Dallas), Cam Newton (Carolina to New England), Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers to Indianapolis), and Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay to New Orleans)
• Running backs Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville to Tampa Bay), Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers to Denver), Frank Gore (Buffalo to New York Jets), Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams to Atlanta), Jordan Howard (Philadelphia to Miami), Dion Lewis (Tennessee to New York Giants), and Adrian Peterson (Washington to Detroit)
• Wide receivers Nelson Agholor (Philadelphia to Las Vegas), Robby Anderson (New York Jets to Carolina), Antonio Brown (New England to Tampa Bay), Dez Bryant (New Orleans to Baltimore), Randall Cobb (Dallas to Houston), Phillip Dorsett (New England to Seattle), Ted Ginn Jr. (New Orleans to Chicago), and Emmanuel Sanders (San Francisco to New Orleans)
• Tight ends Eric Ebron (Indianapolis to Pittsburgh), Tyler Eifert (Cincinnati to Jacksonville), Jimmy Graham (Green Bay to Chicago), Austin Hooper (Atlanta to Cleveland), Jordan Reed (Washington to San Francisco), and Jason Witten (Dallas to Las Vegas)
• Offensive linemen Bryan Bulaga (Green Bay to Los Angeles Chargers), Jack Conklin (Tennessee to Cleveland), Ereck Flowers (Washington to Miami), Graham Glasgow (Detroit to Denver), and Halapoulivaati Vaitai (Philadelphia to Detroit).
• Defensive linemen Adrian Clayborn (Atlanta to Cleveland), Jadeveon Clowney (Seattle to Tennessee), Everson Griffen (Minnesota to Dallas), Linval Joseph (Minnesota to Los Angeles Chargers), Gerald McCoy (Carolina to Dallas), Emmanuel Ogbah (Kansas City to Miami), Dontari Poe (Carolina to Dallas), Robert Quinn (Dallas to Chicago), and Danny Shelton (New England to Detroit), Derek Wolfe (Denver to Baltimore)
• Linebackers Vic Beasley (Atlanta to Tennessee), Jamie Collins (New England to Detroit), Leonard Floyd (Chicago to Los Angeles Rams), Dante Fowler (Los Angeles Rams to Atlanta), Bruce Irvin (Carolina to Seattle), A. J. Klein (New Orleans to Buffalo), Nick Kwiatkoski (Chicago to Las Vegas), Cory Littleton (Los Angeles Rams to Las Vegas), Blake Martinez (Green Bay to New York Giants), Joe Schobert (Cleveland to Jacksonville), Kyle Van Noy (New England to Miami), and Nick Vigil (Cincinnati to Los Angeles Chargers)
• Defensive backs Vonn Bell (New Orleans to Cincinnati), James Bradberry (Carolina to New York Giants), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Chicago to Dallas), Ronald Darby (Philadelphia to Washington), Kendall Fuller (Kansas City to Washington), Chris Harris Jr. (Denver to Los Angeles Chargers), Malcolm Jenkins (Philadelphia to New Orleans), Byron Jones (Dallas to Miami), Karl Joseph (Oakland to Cleveland), Xavier Rhodes (Minnesota to Indianapolis), Andrew Sendejo (Minnesota to Cleveland), and Desmond Trufant (Atlanta to Detroit)
• Kickers Stephen Gostkowski (New England to Tennessee) and Greg Zuerlein (Los Angeles Rams to Dallas)

Trades

The following notable trades were made during the 2020 league year:

• March 16: Baltimore traded TE Hayden Hurst and a 2020 fourth-round selection to Atlanta for 2020 second and fifth-round selections. ^[12]
• March 18: Houston traded WR DeAndre Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round selection to Arizona for RB David Johnson, a 2020 second-round selection, and a 2021 fourth-round selection. ^[13]
• March 18: Jacksonville traded DE Calais Campbell to Baltimore for a 2020 fifth-round selection. ^[14]
• March 18: Minnesota traded WR Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round selection to Buffalo for 2020 first, fifth, and sixth round selection and a 2021 fourth-round selection. ^[15]
• March 18: Tennessee traded DE Jurrell Casey to Denver for a 2020 seventh-round selection. ^[16]
• March 18: San Francisco traded DT DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis for a 2020 first-round selection. ^[17]
• March 18: Jacksonville traded QB Nick Foles to Chicago for a 2020 fourth-round selection. ^[18]
• March 18: Carolina traded G Trai Turner to the Los Angeles Chargers for T Russell Okung. ^[19]
• March 18: Jacksonville traded CB A. J. Bouye to Denver for a 2020 fourth-round selection. ^[20]
• March 19: Detroit traded CB Darius Slay to Philadelphia for a 2020 third-round selection and 2020 a fifth-round selection. ^[21]
• April 9: The Los Angeles Rams traded WR Brandin Cooks and a 2022 fourth-round selection to Houston for a 2020 second-round selection. ^[22]
• April 21: New England traded TE Rob Gronkowski and a 2020 seventh-round selection to Tampa Bay in exchange for a fourth-round selection. ^[23]
• April 25: Washington traded OT Trent Williams to San Francisco for a 2020 fifth-round selection and a 2021 third-round selection. ^[24]
• July 25: The New York Jets traded S Jamal Adams and a 2022 fourth-round selection to Seattle for S Bradley McDougald, 2021 and 2022 first-round selections, and a 2021 third-round selection. ^[25]
• August 30: Jacksonville traded DE Yannick Ngakoue to Minnesota for a 2021 second-round selection and a conditional 2021 fifth-round selection. ^[26]
• September 4: Cincinnati traded LB Austin Calitro to Denver for DT Christian Covington. ^[27]
• September 5: Las Vegas traded WR Lynn Bowden and a conditional 2021 sixth-round selection to Miami for a 2021 fourth-round selection. ^[28]
• October 22: Minnesota traded DE Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore for a 2021 third-round selection and a conditional 2022 fifth-round selection. ^[29]
• October 29: Cincinnati traded DE Carlos Dunlap to Seattle for C B. J. Finney and a 2021 seventh-round selection. ^[30]
• November 3: San Francisco traded LB Kwon Alexander to New Orleans for LB Kiko Alonso and a conditional 2021 fifth-round selection. ^[31]

Notable retirements

The following notable players retired prior to the 2020 season:

• C Travis Frederick  – Five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro (one first-team, two-second-team). Played for Dallas during his entire seven-year career. ^[32]
• TE Antonio Gates  – Eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (three first-team, two-second-team). Played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers during his entire 16-year career. ^[33]
• LB Luke Kuechly  – Seven-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro (five first-team, two-second-team), 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year, and 2013 Defensive Player of the Year. Played for Carolina during his entire eight-year career. ^[34]
• QB Eli Manning  – Four-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP (XLII and XLVI), first overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, and 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Played for the New York Giants during his entire 16-year career. ^[35]
• OT Joe Staley  – Six-time Pro Bowler and three-time second-team All-Pro. Played for San Francisco during his entire 13-year career. ^[36]
• CB Aqib Talib  – Five-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team), and Super Bowl 50 champion. Played for Tampa Bay, New England, Denver, and the Los Angeles Rams during his 12-year career. ^[37]
• FS Eric Weddle  – Six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (two first-team, three-second-team). Played for the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore, and the Los Angeles Rams during his 13-year career. ^[38] Weddle later came out of retirement in 2021 to rejoin the Rams. ^[39]
• G Marshal Yanda  – Eight-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro (two first-team, five second-team), and Super Bowl XLVII champion. Played for Baltimore during his entire 13-year career. ^[40]

Other retirements

• Mike Adams ^[41]
• Lorenzo Alexander ^[42]
• Michael Bennett ^[43]
• LeGarrette Blount ^[44]
• Jatavis Brown ^[45]
• Garrett Celek ^[46]
• Vernon Davis ^[47]
• James Develin ^[48]
• Rhett Ellison ^[49]
• Ramon Foster ^[50]
• Rodney Gunter ^[51]
• Christian Hackenberg ^[52]
• Wes Horton ^[53]
• Davon House ^[54]
• Lamarr Houston ^[55]
• Tom Johnson ^[56]
• Jermaine Kearse ^[57]
• Zach Line ^[58]
• Kyle Long ^[59]
• Spencer Long ^[60]
• Johnny Manziel ^[61]
• Ron Parker ^[62]
• Ryan Shazier ^[63]
• Dion Sims ^[64]
• Jeremiah Sirles ^[65]
• Darren Sproles ^[66]
• Benjamin Watson ^[67]
• Dustin Woodard ^[68]

Draft

Main article: 2020 NFL Draft

The Draft took place on April 23–25, via videoconferencing; it was originally scheduled to take place in Paradise, Nevada, but was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[69] On April 5, the NFL announced that the draft would be held virtually with coaches and GMs conducting it via phone and internet from home due to team facilities also being closed. ^[70] Goodell unveiled the first-round picks from his home in Bronxville, New York. ^{[71] [72]} Cincinnati, by virtue of having the worst record in 2019, held the first overall selection and selected QB Joe Burrow out of LSU. ^[73]

Opt-outs

The NFL and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) agreed on July 24 to allow players to opt out of playing the season; 66 players opted out by the August 6 deadline. Players who opted out were not paid for the 2020 season, but received a salary advance of $150,000 taken from their 2021 salary. Players who opted out due to medical conditions received a $350,000 stipend which was not taken from their 2021 salary. ^[9] The following is a list of all players who opted out: ^[74]

Players who opted out

Name	Position	Team
Geronimo Allison	WR	Detroit
John Atkins	DT	Detroit
Sam Beal	CB	New York Giants
Travis Benjamin	WR	San Francisco
Andrew Billings	DT	Cleveland
Russell Bodine	C	Detroit
Brandon Bolden	RB	New England
Caleb Brantley	DT	Washington
Chandler Brewer	OT	Los Angeles Rams
Maurice Canady	CB	Dallas
Marcus Cannon	OT	New England
Patrick Chung	S	New England
Shon Coleman	OT	San Francisco
Josh Doctson	WR	New York Jets
Drake Dorbeck	OT	Cleveland
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	G	Kansas City
Ukeme Eligwe	LB	Las Vegas
Drew Forbes	G	Cleveland
Devin Funchess	WR	Green Bay
E. J. Gaines	CB	Buffalo
Marcus Gilbert	OT	Arizona
Eddie Goldman	DT	Chicago
Marquise Goodwin	WR	Philadelphia
Colby Gossett	G	Cleveland
Stephen Guidry	WR	Dallas
Josh Harvey-Clemons	LB	Washington
Dont'a Hightower	LB	New England
Allen Hurns	WR	Miami
Ja'Wuan James	OT	Denver
D. J. Killings	CB	Las Vegas
Leo Koloamatangi	C	New York Jets
Matt LaCosse	TE	New England
Marqise Lee	WR	New England
Star Lotulelei	DT	Buffalo
Jordan Lucas	S	Chicago
Jordan Mack	LB	Carolina
Lerentee McCray	LB	Jacksonville
Anthony McKinney	OT	Tennessee
Rashaan Melvin	CB	Jacksonville
Christian Miller	LB	Carolina
Rolan Milligan	S	Indianapolis
Skai Moore	LB	Indianapolis
C. J. Mosley	LB	New York Jets
Lucas Niang	OT	Kansas City
Jamize Olawale	FB	Dallas
Kyle Peko	DT	Denver
Michael Pierce	DT	Minnesota
Malcolm Pridgeon	G	Cleveland
Isaiah Prince	OT	Cincinnati
Da'Mari Scott	WR	New York Giants
Brad Seaton	OT	Tampa Bay
Andre Smith	OT	Baltimore
Nate Solder	OT	New York Giants
Marvell Tell	CB	Indianapolis
De'Anthony Thomas	WR	Baltimore
Najee Toran	OT	New England
Josh Tupou	OT	Cincinnati
Jeremiah Valoaga	DE	Las Vegas
Eddie Vanderdoes	DT	Houston
Jason Vander Laan	TE	New Orleans
Danny Vitale	FB	New England
Larry Warford	G	Free agent
Chance Warmack	G	Seattle
Cole Wick	TE	New Orleans
Damien Williams	RB	Kansas City
Albert Wilson	WR	Miami
Al Woods	DT	Jacksonville

Officiating changes

Referee Walt Anderson was promoted to NFL senior vice president in charge of the officiating training and development program, a newly created position that works independently from the league's head of officiating, Alberto Riveron. ^[75] Land Clark was promoted to referee to replace Anderson. Clark previously served as a referee in the Pac-12 Conference before joining the NFL in 2018 as a field judge. ^[76]

Former coach Perry Fewell was named NFL senior vice president of officiating administration. This position oversees the day-to-day operations of the officiating department and is the primary contact for coaches' and general managers' officiating questions, among other duties. ^[77]

The NFL and the NFL Referees Association agreed on August 9 to allow officials to opt out of working the 2020 season. Officials who opted out received a $30,000 stipend and guaranteed job protection for 2021. ^[78] Five on-field officials – line judge Jeff Bergman, back judge Steve Freeman, field judge Greg Gautreaux, field judge Joe Larrew, and back judge Tony Steratore  – opted out for the season by the August 13 deadline. ^[79]

The following officials were hired:

• Tra Blake (Side Judge)
• Joe Blubaugh (Field Judge)
• Kevin Brown (Replay Official)
• Tyler Cerimeli (Replay Official)
• Michael Dolce (Line Judge)
• Andrew Lambert (Replay Official)
• Frank LeBlanc (Down Judge)
• Jamie Nicholson (Replay Official)
• Clay Reynard (Side Judge)
• Tab Slaughter (Umpire)
• Ross Smith (Replay Official)
• Kevin Stine (Replay Official)

The following officials retired:

• Walt Anderson (Referee)
• Byron Boston (Line Judge)
• Jeff Rice (Umpire)
• Mike Spanier (Down Judge/Line Judge)

Rule changes

Permanent changes

The following rule changes for the 2020 season were approved at the NFL Owners' Meeting in May: ^[80]

• Extend defenseless player protection to a punt/kick returner who possesses the ball but has not had time to avoid or ward off impending contact with an opponent.
• Make permanent the expansion of automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul, and any successful or unsuccessful try attempt.
• Prevent teams from committing multiple dead-ball fouls in the fourth quarter or in overtime while the clock is running in an attempt to manipulate the game clock. The clock now starts on the snap following a dead-ball foul. This has been referred to as the "Bill Belichick Rule" ^[81] for his use of this tactic.
• Teams may bring three players back from injured reserve after missing eight games, up from two players.
• The temporary rule change for 2019 allowing for the review of pass interference was not renewed.
• In November, the league passed 2020 Resolution JC-2A, which rewards teams for developing minority candidates for head coach and GM positions. ^[82] The resolution rewards teams whose minority candidates are hired away for one of those positions with a third-round pick in each of the next two drafts. These picks are at the end of the third round, after standard compensatory picks, and are in addition to the 32 compensatory picks already awarded.

Temporary rules for 2020 season

The following temporary rule changes were made on September 9 and were only in place for 2020: ^[83] The rule changes involving injured reserve and practice squad transactions remained in place for 2021. ^[84]

• A player on injured reserve could return after missing three games, down from eight.
• Teams could return an unlimited number of players from injured reserve throughout the year, instead of the normal limit of three.
• Practice squads included up to 16 players for each team, up from 12.
• After 4:00 p.m. ET on the Tuesday of a game week, a team could designate up to four practice squad players as "protected", meaning they are not allowed to sign with another team until after their current team plays its next game.
• The NFL instituted a reserve/COVID-19 list for players who either test positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who has it. There was no minimum amount of time a player must remain on this list, only until he was medically cleared to play.
• The NFL administered COVID-19 tests to all players and other essential employees every day of the regular season and postseason except game days.
• Any player who was on a team's Week 1 roster earned an accrued season toward free agency as long as he was on full-pay status for at least one regular-season game, down from the normal minimum of six.

Side Judge Jim Quirk (left) wears a mask during a December game and referee Adrian Hill (right) removes his mask to announce a penalty in the same game.

• Every person at field level had to wear a face covering except players actively involved in the game or warming up on the sideline and referees while making announcements. ^[85]
• On October 9, the league announced that coaches who approach officials with their faces uncovered could be penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. ^[85]

2020 deaths

Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Herb Adderley

Adderley, a cornerback, spent 12 years in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1972. He was inducted into the Hall in 1980 and died on October 30, age 81. ^[86]

Willie Davis

Davis, a defensive end, spent 12 years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers from 1958 to 1969. He also served as a color commentator for NBC in the early 1970s and was inducted into the Hall in 1981. He also started All-Pro Broadcasting, which owns several stations in Los Angeles and Milwaukee. Davis died on April 15, age 85. ^[87]

Fred Dean

Dean, a defensive end, spent 11 years with the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers from 1975 to 1985. He was inducted into the Hall in 2008 and died on October 14, age 68. ^[88]

Chris Doleman

Doleman, a defensive end, spent 15 years in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the Hall in 2012 and died January 28, age 58. ^[89]

Kevin Greene

Greene, a linebacker, played 15 years in the NFL, spending time with the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the Hall in 2016 and died December 21, age 58. ^[90]

Paul Hornung

Hornung, a running back and placekicker, played ten seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and was an inaugural member of the New Orleans Saints roster but never played due to injury. He was inducted into the Hall in 1986 and died November 13, age 84. ^[91]

Bobby Mitchell

Mitchell, a halfback, spent 11 years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins; he was the first black player on Washington's roster, ending owner George Preston Marshall's 30-year color barrier on the team. He served as an executive with the Redskins for decades after his playing career ended and was inducted into the Hall in 1983. Mitchell died on April 5, age 84. ^[92]

Ken Riley

Riley, a cornerback, spent his entire 15-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals, was posthumously inducted in 2023. He died June 7, aged 72. ^[93]

Gale Sayers

Sayers, a running back, spent his entire seven-year career with the Chicago Bears. He was inducted into the Hall in 1977 at the age of 34, the youngest player ever inducted. He died September 23, age 77. ^[94]

Don Shula

Shula was head coach of the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins for a combined 33 years; he holds the record for both the most regular-season wins by a head coach in NFL history (328) and the most total wins including the playoffs (347). Shula was inducted into the Hall in 1997. He died May 4, age 90. ^[95]

Willie Wood

Wood, a safety who spent his entire 12-year career with the Green Bay Packers, was inducted into the Hall in 1989. He died February 3, age 83. ^[96]

Larry Wilson

Wilson spent 13 seasons in the NFL, all with the St. Louis, Phoenix and Arizona Cardinals, between 1960 and 2002: 13 as a player in which he appeared in eight Pro Bowls as a free safety, and 30 as a front office executive. Wilson, a member of the Hall's class of 1978, died September 17, age 82. ^[97]

Others

• Joe Beauchamp
• Ed Biles
• Rodger Bird
• Matt Blair
• Sam Boghosian
• Pete Brewster
• Allen Brown
• Barry Brown
• Rush Brown
• Timmy Brown
• Walter Bryan
• Joe Bugel
• Reche Caldwell
• Chuck Crist
• Mike Curtis
• Tom Dempsey
• Larry Eisenhauer
• Jim Fraser
• Jesse Freitas Sr.
• Nesby Glasgow
• Doug Hart
• Carlton Haselrig
• Conway Hayman
• Mario Henderson
• Zac Henderson
• Paul Howard
• Tarvaris Jackson
• Les Josephson
• Jim Kiick
• Jon Kilgore
• Phil Krueger
• Lew Luce
• Benny Malone
• Orlando McDaniel
• Pellom McDaniels
• Howard Mudd
• Ron Marciniak
• Marv Marinovich
• Greg Montgomery
• Derland Moore
• Manfred Moore
• Jack Myers
• Gern Nagler
• Jerry Norton
• Markus Paul
• Ray Perkins
• Dan Radakovich
• Joe Reid
• Pete Retzlaff
• Gloster Richardson
• Tootie Robbins
• Pepper Rodgers
• John Rushing
• Jake Scott
• Goldie Sellers
• Del Shofner
• Mike Stratton
• Jerry Sturm
• Lorenzo Taliaferro
• Terry Tausch
• Roosevelt Taylor
• Max Tuerk
• Ron Widby
• Sam Wyche
• Tom Yewcic
• Mack Yoho
• Jim Youel
• Don Zimmerman
• John Zook

Preseason

Training camps were held from late July through August. By league order, all training camps were held at teams' regular practice facilities. ^[98]

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was scheduled for August 6 between Dallas and Pittsburgh, but was canceled on June 25 due to the pandemic. ^[99] On July 3, the NFLPA voted to cancel the preseason, which was agreed to by the league later that month. ^{[6] [100]}

Regular season

The NFL released its regular-season schedule on May 7. ^[101] The season was played over a 17-week schedule beginning on September 10. Each of the league's 32 teams played 16 games, with one bye week for each team. The regular season concluded with a full slate of 16 games on January 3, 2021, all of which were intra-division matchups, as it had been since 2010.

The NFL suspended its international games for the season due to travel restrictions imposed because of the pandemic; the league had previously announced that Jacksonville would host two games at Wembley Stadium in London, Atlanta and Miami would each host a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and Arizona would host a game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. These games were moved back to the teams' respective home stadiums. ^[8]

Using contingencies similar to those built into the 2011 schedule in the event that season's lockout lasted into September, the 2020 schedule allowed for the possibility that the season could be delayed and shortened in the event that conditions were unsafe to begin play as scheduled. Every game in Week 2 featured teams that share the same bye week later in the season, which would have allowed these games to be made up on the teams' original byes. Weeks 3 and 4 were set up so that there were no divisional games and that every team at home in Week 3 was away in Week 4 and vice versa. This would have allowed the NFL to cancel these two weeks without eliminating any divisional games and keeping each team's home and away games balanced. These scheduling changes, along with eliminating the week off before the Super Bowl and moving the Super Bowl back three weeks, would have allowed the NFL to play a 14-game schedule beginning October 29 while still playing the Super Bowl in February. ^{[102] [103]}

Scheduling formula

Under the NFL scheduling formula, each team played the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition, a team played against all four teams in one division from each conference. The remaining two games on a team's schedule were against the two remaining teams in the same conference that finished in the same position in their respective divisions the previous season (e.g., the team that finished fourth in its division will play all three other teams in the conference that also finished fourth). The division pairings for 2020 are as follows:

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 West AFC North vs NFC East AFC South vs NFC North AFC West vs NFC South

Highlights of the 2020 season included:

• NFL Kickoff Game : The 2020 season began with the Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 10. Defending Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City hosted and defeated Houston. ^[104]
• Thanksgiving : Two games were played on Thursday, November 26, featuring Houston at Detroit and Washington at Dallas, with Houston and Washington winning. Baltimore was scheduled to play at Pittsburgh in the primetime game, ^[105] but it was postponed to December 2, due to several Ravens players and staff testing positive for COVID-19. This postponement reduced the Thanksgiving slate to two games for the first time since 2005. ^{[106] [107]}
• Christmas : As Christmas Eve fell on a Thursday, that week's Thursday Night Football game between Minnesota and New Orleans was instead played as a 4:30 p.m. ET start on Christmas Day, with New Orleans winning. This was the NFL's first Friday game since 2009, which was also a Christmas game. ^[108]

With the final round of the 2020 Masters Tournament (whose rights are held by CBS) rescheduled from its normal April date to November 15, CBS was not given any 1:00 p.m. ET games that day, which fell during Week 10. CBS was given three games in the 4:05 p.m. ET slot, while Fox was given eight Sunday games, including three AFC-away games which generally air on CBS. ^{[109] [110]}

Scheduling changes

When the entire season schedule was released on May 7, the league announced that in Weeks 15 and 16, two or three of five designated games would be moved to Saturday. A total of four games were broadcast by the NFL Network and one was broadcast by Amazon Prime Video. ^[111] COVID-19 outbreaks among teams forced the league to reshuffle games across several weeks. ^[112]

• Week 4:
  • The Pittsburgh–Tennessee game, originally scheduled for October 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET, was postponed to October 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET due to several Tennessee players testing positive for COVID-19. ^{[113] [114]}
  • The New England–Kansas City game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, was postponed to Monday at 7:05 p.m. ET due to one positive COVID-19 test on each team, remaining on CBS.
  • The scheduled Monday Night Football game on ESPN, Atlanta–Green Bay, was postponed from 8:15 p.m. ET to 9:00 p.m. ET to accommodate the rescheduled New England–Kansas City game. ^[115]
  • The Indianapolis–Chicago game was moved from 1:00 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m., remaining on CBS, as a replacement for the New England–Kansas City game in that time slot. ^{[116] [117]}
• Week 5:
  • The Denver–New England game, which was originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was moved to 4:25 p.m. as part of the NFL's flex scheduling. ^[118] The game was later postponed to Monday at 5:00 p.m. ET after multiple New England players tested positive for COVID-19. ^[119] This game was again postponed to October 18 at 1:00 p.m. ET when another New England player tested positive. ^[120] The game remained on CBS.
  • The Buffalo–Tennessee game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET was postponed to Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET due to several positive COVID-19 tests for Tennessee, remaining on CBS. ^[119]
• Week 6:
  • The Kansas City–Buffalo game, originally scheduled for Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET was moved to Monday at 5:00 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox and NFL Network, to avoid a situation in which the Bills would play games two days apart. ^[119]
  • The New York Jets–Los Angeles Chargers game, originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET was moved to November 22 at 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Week 5 Denver–New England game.
  • The Miami–Denver game, originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET, was moved to November 22 at 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate Denver–New England. ^[120]
• Week 7:
  • The Pittsburgh–Baltimore game, originally scheduled for October 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET was rescheduled for November 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Pittsburgh–Tennessee game from Week 4. ^[114]
  • The Los Angeles Chargers–Miami game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET was moved to November 15 at 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Denver–New England game from Week 5. ^[120]
  • The Tampa Bay–Las Vegas game, originally scheduled for Sunday Night Football, was moved to 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox, due to Las Vegas having multiple positive COVID-19 tests and to ensure a SNF game was available in case this game needed to postponed to a later date. The Seattle–Arizona game, originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox, was moved to SNF. ^[121]
• Week 8:
  • The Jacksonville–Los Angeles Chargers game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET was rescheduled for October 25 at 4:25 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Denver–New England game from Week 5. ^[120]
• Week 10:
  • The New York Jets–Miami game originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET was rescheduled for October 18 at 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS, to accommodate the Denver–New England game from Week 5. This also eliminated an unusual quirk in the schedule that would have had Miami and New York play each other in consecutive games, separated by their bye week. ^[120]
  • The Cincinnati–Pittsburgh game originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET was rescheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox. ^[110]
• Week 11:
  • The Los Angeles Chargers–Denver game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET was moved to November 1 at 4:05 p.m. ET to accommodate the Denver–New England game from Week 5. ^[120]
  • The Green Bay–Indianapolis game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET, was moved to 4:25 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox. ^[122]
• Week 12:
  • The Baltimore–Pittsburgh game, originally scheduled for Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET, was postponed three times, ultimately to Wednesday at 3:40 p.m. ET, remaining on NBC, due to several Ravens players and staff testing positive for COVID-19. ^[123]
• Week 13:
  • To accommodate the postponed Week 12 Baltimore–Pittsburgh game, the Washington–Pittsburgh game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET, was postponed to Monday at 5:00 p.m. ET, and the Dallas–Baltimore game, originally scheduled for Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET, was postponed to Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. ET, with both games remaining on Fox. ^[124]
• Week 14:
  • The Green Bay–Detroit game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET, was moved to 4:25 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox. ^[125]
• Week 15: ^[126]
  • The Cleveland–New York Giants game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was moved to Sunday Night Football on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET replacing the originally scheduled San Francisco–Dallas game which was moved to 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS. ^{[127] [128]}
  • On November 24, the NFL announced that two games would be moved to Saturday, December 19: Buffalo–Denver at 4:30 p.m. ET and Carolina–Green Bay at 8:15 p.m. ET. The three other games that the NFL had the option of scheduling on Saturday (Detroit–Tennessee, Houston–Indianapolis, and New York Jets–Los Angeles Rams) remained on December 20.
• Week 16: ^[129]
  • On November 30, the NFL announced that three games would be moved to Saturday, December 26: Tampa Bay–Detroit at 1:00 p.m ET, San Francisco–Arizona at 4:30 p.m, and Miami–Las Vegas at 8:15 p.m. The San Francisco–Arizona game was assigned to Amazon. The two other games the NFL had the option of scheduling on Saturday (Cleveland–New York Jets and Denver–Los Angeles Chargers) remained on December 27.
  • The Cincinnati–Houston game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was cross-flexed to Fox, remaining at 1:00. ^[130]
  • The Chicago–Jacksonville game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was cross-flexed to CBS, remaining at 1:00. ^[130]
  • The Los Angeles Rams–Seattle game, originally scheduled at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS, was cross-flexed to 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox. ^[130]
  • The Carolina–Washington game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was moved to 4:05 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS.
• Week 17:
  • The Washington–Philadelphia game, originally scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, was selected as the final 8:20 p.m. ET NBC Sunday Night Football game of the season. ^[131]
  • The Tennessee–Houston and Jacksonville–Indianapolis games, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, were moved to 4:25 p.m. ET, remaining on CBS. ^[131]
  • The New Orleans–Carolina and Green Bay–Chicago games, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox, were moved to 4:25 p.m. ET, remaining on Fox. ^[131]
  • The Los Angeles Chargers–Kansas City game, originally scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, was cross-flexed to 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox. ^[131]
  • The Arizona–Los Angeles Rams game was cross-flexed to CBS, remaining at 4:25 p.m. ET. ^[131]

Regular season standings

Division

AFC East view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (2) Buffalo Bills 13 3 0 .813 6–0 10–2 501 375 W6 Miami Dolphins 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 404 338 L1 New England Patriots 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 326 353 W1 New York Jets 2 14 0 .125 0–6 1–11 243 457 L1 AFC North view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (3) Pittsburgh Steelers 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 416 312 L1 (5) Baltimore Ravens 11 5 0 .688 4–2 7–5 468 303 W5 (6) Cleveland Browns 11 5 0 .688 3–3 7–5 408 419 W1 Cincinnati Bengals 4 11 1 .281 1–5 4–8 311 424 L1 AFC South view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (4) Tennessee Titans 11 5 0 .688 5–1 8–4 491 439 W1 (7) Indianapolis Colts 11 5 0 .688 4–2 7–5 451 362 W1 Houston Texans 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 384 464 L5 Jacksonville Jaguars 1 15 0 .063 1–5 1–11 306 492 L15 AFC West view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (1) Kansas City Chiefs 14 2 0 .875 4–2 10–2 473 362 L1 Las Vegas Raiders 8 8 0 .500 4–2 6–6 434 478 W1 Los Angeles Chargers 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 384 426 W4 Denver Broncos 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 323 446 L3

NFC East view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (4) Washington Football Team 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 335 329 W1 New York Giants 6 10 0 .375 4–2 5–7 280 357 W1 Dallas Cowboys 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 395 473 L1 Philadelphia Eagles 4 11 1 .281 2–4 4–8 334 418 L3 NFC North view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (1) Green Bay Packers 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 509 369 W6 (7) Chicago Bears 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 372 370 L1 Minnesota Vikings 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 430 475 W1 Detroit Lions 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 377 519 L4 NFC South view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (2) New Orleans Saints 12 4 0 .750 6–0 10–2 482 337 W2 (5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 492 355 W4 Carolina Panthers 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 350 402 L1 Atlanta Falcons 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 396 414 L5 NFC West view talk edit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK (3) Seattle Seahawks 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 459 371 W4 (6) Los Angeles Rams 10 6 0 .625 3–3 9–3 372 296 W1 Arizona Cardinals 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 410 367 L2 San Francisco 49ers 6 10 0 .375 3–3 4–8 376 390 L1

Conference

AFC v t e # Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK Division leaders 1 Kansas City Chiefs West 14 2 0 .875 4–2 10–2 .465 .464 L1 2 Buffalo Bills East 13 3 0 .813 6–0 10–2 .512 .471 W6 3 Pittsburgh Steelers North 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .475 .448 L1 4 [lower-alpha 1] Tennessee Titans South 11 5 0 .688 5–1 8–4 .475 .398 W1 Wild Cards 5 [lower-alpha 2] [lower-alpha 3] Baltimore Ravens North 11 5 0 .688 4–2 7–5 .494 .401 W5 6 [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4] Cleveland Browns North 11 5 0 .688 3–3 7–5 .451 .406 W1 7 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] [lower-alpha 4] Indianapolis Colts South 11 5 0 .688 4–2 7–5 .443 .384 W1 Did not qualify for the postseason 8 Miami Dolphins East 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .467 .347 L1 9 Las Vegas Raiders West 8 8 0 .500 4–2 6–6 .539 .477 W1 10 [lower-alpha 5] New England Patriots East 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 .527 .429 W1 11 [lower-alpha 5] Los Angeles Chargers West 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 .482 .344 W4 12 Denver Broncos West 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .566 .388 L3 13 Cincinnati Bengals North 4 11 1 .281 1–5 4–8 .529 .438 L1 14 Houston Texans South 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 .541 .219 L5 15 New York Jets East 2 14 0 .125 0–6 1–11 .594 .656 L1 16 Jacksonville Jaguars South 1 15 0 .063 1–5 1–11 .549 .688 L15 Tiebreakers [lower-alpha 6] Tennessee finished ahead of Indianapolis based on division record. Baltimore finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory. Division tiebreaker used to eliminate Cleveland (see below). Baltimore finished ahead of Cleveland based on head-to-head sweep. Cleveland finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory. New England finished ahead of the LA Chargers based on head-to-head victory. 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.

NFC v t e # Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK Division leaders 1 Green Bay Packers North 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 .428 .387 W6 2 [lower-alpha 1] New Orleans Saints South 12 4 0 .750 6–0 10–2 .459 .406 W2 3 [lower-alpha 1] Seattle Seahawks West 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .447 .404 W4 4 Washington Football Team East 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 .459 .388 W1 Wild cards 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 .488 .392 W4 6 Los Angeles Rams West 10 6 0 .625 3–3 9–3 .494 .484 W1 7 [lower-alpha 2] Chicago Bears North 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 .488 .336 L1 Did not qualify for the postseason 8 [lower-alpha 2] Arizona Cardinals West 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 .475 .441 L2 9 Minnesota Vikings North 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 .504 .366 W1 10 [lower-alpha 3] San Francisco 49ers West 6 10 0 .375 3–3 4–8 .549 .448 L1 11 [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4] New York Giants East 6 10 0 .375 4–2 5–7 .502 .427 W1 12 [lower-alpha 4] Dallas Cowboys East 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 .471 .333 L1 13 [lower-alpha 5] Carolina Panthers South 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .531 .388 L1 14 [lower-alpha 5] Detroit Lions North 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .508 .350 L4 15 Philadelphia Eagles East 4 11 1 .281 2–4 4–8 .537 .469 L3 16 Atlanta Falcons South 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 .551 .391 L5 Tiebreakers [lower-alpha 6] New Orleans finished ahead of Seattle based on conference record. Chicago finished and clinched the 7th and final playoff spot ahead of Arizona based on better win percentage in common games (against Detroit, the NY Giants, Carolina, and the LA Rams, Chicago finished 3–2, while Arizona finished 1–4). San Francisco finished ahead of the NY Giants based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Dallas (see below). NY Giants won tiebreaker over Dallas based on division record. Carolina finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory. 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.

Postseason

Main article: 2020–21 NFL playoffs

The 2020 playoffs began on the weekend of January 9–10, 2021 with the wild-card round. Under the new NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the playoffs expanded to 14 teams. There were three Wild Card teams per conference and only the top seed in each conference received a first-round bye. Three games were played each day. ^[1]

In the divisional round on January 16–17, the top seed in the conference hosted the worst remaining seed, and the other two remaining teams played each other, with the better seed hosting. The winners of those games advanced to the Conference Championships on for January 24. Super Bowl LV was held February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

If a COVID-19 outbreak were to force the postponement of playoff games, contingency plans were in place to remove the bye week after the Conference Championships and/or move the Super Bowl back as far as February 28. ^[102]

The 2021 Pro Bowl was originally scheduled for January 31 at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. However, on October 14, the game was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. Pro Bowl rosters for the 2020 season were released on December 21, and the league held a virtual event to honor the players chosen. Players selected were used in a broadcast playthrough in the video game Madden NFL 21 instead. ^[132] This marked the first time since the 1949 season in which a Pro Bowl is not held. ^[7]

Bracket

	Jan 10 – Nissan Stadium					Jan 16 – Bills Stadium
	5	Baltimore	20
	4	Tennessee	13
						5	Baltimore	3
											Jan 24 – Arrowhead Stadium
	Jan 9 – Bills Stadium					2	Buffalo	17
						AFC
	7	Indianapolis	24								2	Buffalo	24
						Jan 17 – Arrowhead Stadium
	2	Buffalo	27								1	Kansas City	38
											AFC Championship
	Jan 10 – Heinz Field					6	Cleveland	17
						1	Kansas City	22
	6	Cleveland	48
						Divisional playoffs										Feb 7 – Raymond James Stadium
	3	Pittsburgh	37
	Wild Card playoffs
																A1	Kansas City	9
	Jan 9 – FedExField					Jan 17 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome										N5	Tampa Bay	31
																Super Bowl LV
	5	Tampa Bay	31
	4	Washington	23
						5	Tampa Bay	30
											Jan 24 – Lambeau Field
	Jan 10 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome					2	New Orleans	20
						NFC
	7	Chicago	9								5	Tampa Bay	31
						Jan 16 – Lambeau Field
	2	New Orleans	21								1	Green Bay	26
											NFC Championship
	Jan 9 – Lumen Field					6	LA Rams	18
						1	Green Bay	32
	6	LA Rams	30
	3	Seattle	20

This bracket:

• view
• talk
• edit

Notable events

New Collective Bargaining Agreement

In March 2020, the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to a new CBA that will run through 2030. ^[133] The previous CBA, signed in 2011, would have expired after this season. ^[134]

Major changes in the new CBA include: ^[135]

• Expanding the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams beginning this season.
• Allowing the league to expand the regular season from 16 to 17 games beginning in 2021 at the earliest, along with a corresponding reduction of the preseason from four games to three. The owners later approved this expansion for the 2021 season.
• Increasing the players' share of the league's overall revenue from 47% to 48% starting in 2021. This was increased to 48.8% following the expansion of the regular season to 17 games. ^[136]
• Increasing team rosters from 53 to 55 players and game-day rosters from 46 to 48 players, with a minimum of eight offensive linemen. Practice squads increased from 10 to 12 players in 2020 and increased to 14 players in 2022.
• Allowing players to become eligible for pensions after three accrued seasons, down from four. ^[137]
• Fully guaranteeing fifth-year options for first round picks if picked up by the team. In addition, the fifth year option salary can rise based on the player's performance in his first three seasons. Previously, it was only tied to when he was selected in the draft. ^[138]
• Shortening the drug test window from four months to two weeks at the start of training camp and eliminating automatic suspensions solely based on positive tests.
• Establishing a "neutral decision-maker" to replace the NFL Commissioner on ruling most discipline cases.
• Improving teams' training facilities and establishing a network of hospitals in teams' home cities with free healthcare for current and former players. ^[139]

Washington Redskins' name change

See also: Washington Redskins name controversy

On July 1, following renewed attention to racial justice in wake of the George Floyd protests, a letter signed by 87 shareholders and investors was sent to sponsors of the then-Washington Redskins and NFL including Nike, FedEx, and Pepsi urging them to cut ties unless the team name was changed. ^[140] Around the same time, several retail companies began to remove Redskins merchandise from their stores. ^{[141] [142]} In response, the team underwent a review of its name and logo. On July 23, the team announced that it would retire its name and logo. ^[4] The team began playing as the "Washington Football Team" pending a permanent name being chosen. ^[5]

Shooting of Jacob Blake

Main article: 2020 American athlete strikes

In response to the shooting of Jacob Blake, Detroit canceled its scheduled practice on August 25. ^[143] Nine other teams canceled their scheduled practices on August 27. ^[144] Several teams that did not cancel practice issued statements about unity. The Jacksonville Jaguars canceled their scheduled afternoon activities. ^[145]

COVID-19 outbreaks

Russell Wilson wearing a mask, as part of COVID-19 precautions.

• On September 30, it was reported that ten Tennessee players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Tennessee closed its practice facility through October 3 as the team continued testing and contact tracing. Tennessee's most recent opponent, Minnesota, also closed their facility as a precaution until they received more test results. ^[146] The league postponed Tennessee's October 4 game against Pittsburgh to October 25 ^[113] and later postponed their October 11 game against Buffalo to October 13. ^[119]
• On October 3, it was reported that New England QB Cam Newton and Kansas City practice squad QB Jordan Ta'amu tested positive for COVID-19. ^[147] The October 4 New England-Kansas City game was postponed to October 5 in order to determine if there were any additional positive tests on either team, which there were not. ^[116] New England CB Stephon Gilmore tested positive for COVID-19 after this game, resulting in New England's October 11 game against Denver to be postponed initially to October 12, to allow for additional testing and tracing of New England players and staff. ^[119] After another Patriots player tested positive, the game was postponed again to October 18. This required the league to reschedule six games across multiple weeks affecting Denver, New England, and four other teams. ^[148]
• On October 21, it was reported that Las Vegas OT Trent Brown tested positive for COVID-19. Five other players, who were close contacts of Brown, were also placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Las Vegas' game against Tampa Bay was moved out of that week's Sunday Night Football game to ensure another game could be played in this timeslot. ^[149]
• On October 24, Buffalo tight end Dawson Knox tested positive for the virus. He and three other players, including all of the team's tight ends except Tyler Kroft, were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Buffalo played its game against the New York Jets as scheduled, with fullback Reggie Gilliam serving as a backup tight end. ^[150]
• On November 23, Baltimore running backs Mark Ingram II and J. K. Dobbins both tested positive for COVID-19. Through the rest of the week and into the next week, a total of 18 players either tested positive or had COVID exposures, making them ineligible to play. The Ravens' Thanksgiving night game was delayed three times, to Wednesday afternoon December 2. Others to test positive were QB Lamar Jackson, OL Patrick Mekari, C Matt Skura, FB Patrick Ricard, LS Morgan Cox, TE Mark Andrews, WR Willie Snead, DE Calais Campbell, and NT Brandon Williams. ^{[151] [152]}
• On November 28, Denver quarterbacks Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles were ruled ineligible to play for Denver's Week 12 game against New Orleans after coming into close contact with Jeff Driskel who had tested positive for the virus; the team was also unable to sign a replacement free agent quarterback due to inability to clear testing protocols in time. This led to the Broncos elevating wide receiver Kendall Hinton from the practice squad to play quarterback. ^{[153] [154]} Hinton went 1/9 with 13 passing yards and two interceptions as the Broncos suffered a blowout loss to the Saints. ^[155]

Records, milestones, and notable statistics

Week 1

• Drew Brees broke the career record for pass attempts with his 10,170th attempt. The previous record of 10,169 attempts was held by Brett Favre. ^[156]
• Tom Brady became the third player to attempt 10,000 passes, joining Brees and Favre.
• Frank Gore broke the NFL record for the most regular-season games played by a running back, with 227. The previous record of 226 was held by Emmitt Smith. ^[157]
• Russell Wilson became the second player to pass for at least 30,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in his career, joining Steve Young. ^[158]
• The Baltimore Ravens set an NFL record by winning their third consecutive season-opener by 30+ points. ^[159]

Week 2

• Joe Burrow broke the record for most completions in a game by a rookie with 37. The previous record of 36 was shared by Marc Bulger, Chris Weinke, and Carson Wentz. ^[160]
• Drew Brees became the first player to record 550 career passing touchdowns.
• Tom Brady became the second player to pass for over 75,000 career yards, joining Brees.
• Dak Prescott became the first quarterback to pass for 400 yards and rush for three touchdowns in a game. ^[161]

Week 3

• Ryan Fitzpatrick became the first quarterback to defeat the same opponent as a member of six different teams after leading Miami to a win over Jacksonville. Fitzpatrick also defeated Jacksonville as a starting quarterback for Cincinnati, Buffalo, Tennessee, Houston, and the New York Jets. ^[162]
• Philip Rivers became the sixth player to pass for 60,000 career yards. ^[163]
• Rivers also became the sixth player to record 400 career passing touchdowns. ^[163]
• Russell Wilson set a record for the most touchdown passes in his team's first three games with 14. The previous record of 13 was held by Patrick Mahomes. ^[164]
• Wilson also became the fifth player in NFL history to throw for at least five touchdown passes in consecutive games. ^[164]
• Patrick Mahomes became the fastest player to reach 10,000 career passing yards, doing so in 34 games. The previous record of 36 games was held by Kurt Warner. ^[165]
• The Atlanta Falcons became the first NFL team to lose two games in a season after leading by at least 15 points entering the fourth quarter. ^[166]
• The Chicago Bears became the first NFL team to win two games in the same season after trailing by at least 16 points in the fourth quarter. ^[167]

Week 4

• Tom Brady became the second player to pass for 550 career touchdowns, joining Drew Brees.
• Brady also became the oldest player to throw five touchdown passes in a game at 43 years, 62 days. The record was previously held by Warren Moon who did so at 40 years, 342 days of age. ^[168]
• Dak Prescott became the first player to record 450+ passing yards in three consecutive games. ^[169]
• Prescott also set the record for the most passing yards in a two- and three-game stretch, with 974 and 1,424, respectively. ^[169]
• Lamar Jackson became the fastest quarterback to reach 5,000 career passing yards and 2,000 career rushing yards, doing so in 35 games. The previous record of 39 was held by Michael Vick. ^[170]
• Joe Burrow became the first rookie to record 300+ passing yards in three consecutive games. ^[171]
• Aaron Rodgers became the 11th player to complete 4,000 career passes. ^[172]
• Russell Wilson tied the record for the most touchdown passes in his team's first four games with 16. The record was previously set by Peyton Manning. ^[173]

Week 5

• Tom Brady became the second player to complete 6,500 career passes, joining Drew Brees.
• Philip Rivers became the fifth player to complete 5,000 career passes.
• Romeo Crennel became the oldest head coach in NFL history at 73 years, 113 days of age. The previous record of 72 years, 318 days was held by George Halas and had stood since 1967. ^[174]

Week 6

• Ben Roethlisberger passed John Elway for fifth place for wins by a starting quarterback, with 149. ^[175]

Week 7

• Drew Brees became the first player to complete 7,000 career passes. ^[176]
• Ben Roethlisberger became the fifth quarterback to win 150 career starts. ^[177]
• Russell Wilson tied the record for the most touchdown passes in his team's first six games with 22. The record was previously set by Peyton Manning. ^[178]
• Wilson and Kyler Murray became the first opposing quarterbacks to each record 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in the same game. ^[179]
• The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals combined for an NFL record five go-ahead touchdown passes in the fourth quarter of their game. ^[180]

Week 9

• Patrick Mahomes became the fastest player to reach 100 passing touchdowns, doing so in 40 games. The record was previously held by Dan Marino who did so in 44 games. ^[181]
• Lamar Jackson tied the record for quarterback win–loss record through 30 games started, at 25–5 (.833). The record was previously set by Marino. ^[182]
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers broke the NFL record for the fewest rushing attempts in a game, with five. The previous record of six was shared by four teams. ^[183]
• The Baltimore Ravens broke the record for most consecutive games scoring 20 or more points, with 31, dating back to 2018. The previous record of 30 was held by the 2012–14 Denver Broncos. ^[184]

Week 10

• Philip Rivers passed Dan Marino for fifth place on the NFL's career passing yards list. ^[185]
• Kyler Murray became the first player to record a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games. ^[186]
• Cordarrelle Patterson tied the NFL record with career kickoff return for a touchdown, with eight. The record was previously set by Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington. ^[187]

Week 12

• Callie Brownson, the Cleveland Browns chief of staff, became the first woman to serve as a position coach in NFL history when she served as interim tight ends coach in the Browns' game. ^[188]
• Aaron Rodgers became the 11th player to pass for 50,000 career yards.

Week 13

• Philip Rivers became the seventh player to attempt 8,000 passes.
• Aaron Rodgers became the seventh player to pass for 400 touchdowns. He also became the fastest player to reach this mark, doing so in 193 games. The previous record of 205 games was set by Drew Brees. ^[189]
• Justin Houston tied the NFL record for most forced safeties, with four. This record was previously set by Jared Allen, Doug English, and Ted Hendricks. ^[190]
• Cole Beasley set the record for most touchdown receptions by a person shorter than 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) for whom statistics are available with 33. The previous record of 32 was set by Darren Sproles. ^[191]

Week 14

• Jamal Adams set the single season record for most sacks by a defensive back with 8.5. The previous record of 8 was set by Adrian Wilson. ^[192] Adams would end the season with 9.5 sacks.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers broke the record for most consecutive games with at least one sack, with 70, dating back to 2016. The previous record of 69 was held by the 1999–2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ^[193]
• The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns tied the NFL record for most combined rushing touchdowns in a game with nine. The record was previously set by two games played in 1922 (Rock Island Independents vs. Evansville Crimson Giants and Racine Legion vs. Louisville Brecks). ^{[194] [195]}
• Baker Mayfield became the first quarterback in NFL history to lose two games despite his team scoring 42 points. ^[196]
• Derrick Henry broke the record for most career games with at least 200 rushing yards and at least two touchdowns, with four. The previous record of three was shared by Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and LaDainian Tomlinson. ^[197]

Week 15

• Aaron Rodgers became the first player to throw at least 40 touchdown passes in three separate seasons. ^[198]
• Matt Ryan passed Fran Tarkenton for 10th place on the all-time career passing touchdowns list.
• Drew Brees passed Anthony Calvillo for most career passing yards in any professional football league, with 79,846. Calvillo passed for 79,816 yards in the Canadian Football League.
• Ben Roethlisberger became the seventh player to pass for 60,000 career yards.
• Roethlisberger also became the sixth player to complete 5,000 career passes.

Week 16

• Drew Brees became the first player to pass for 80,000 career yards. ^[199]
• Alvin Kamara tied the record for most individual rushing touchdowns in a game, with six. The record was previously set by Ernie Nevers in 1929. ^[200]
• The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints tied the NFL record for most combined rushing touchdowns in a game with nine. The record was previously set by two games played in 1922 (Rock Island Independents vs. Evansville Crimson Giants and Racine Legion vs. Louisville Brecks) and a 2020 contest between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.
• Tom Brady became the third quarterback to play in 300 games, joining George Blanda and Brett Favre.
• Justin Herbert broke the record for most touchdown passes by a rookie, with 28. The previous record of 27 was held by Baker Mayfield.
• Travis Kelce set the single-season record for most receiving yards by a tight end, finishing the season with 1,416. The previous record of 1,377 was held by George Kittle. ^[201]
• Frank Gore became the third player to rush for 16,000 career yards, joining Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith.

Week 17

• Tom Brady set the record for most regular-season starts by a quarterback, with 299. The previous record of 298 was held by Brett Favre.
• Philip Rivers passed Dan Marino for fifth place on the all-time passing touchdowns list.
• Lamar Jackson became the first quarterback to have 1,000 rushing yards in consecutive seasons.
• Derrick Henry became the eighth player to have 2,000 rushing yards in a season.
• Mike Evans became the first player to reach 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons. ^[202]
• Matt Prater set the record for most career field goals of at least 50 yards, with 59. The previous record of 58 was held by Sebastian Janikowski. ^[203]
• The Washington Football Team tied the 2010 Seattle Seahawks' record for the worst winning percentage by a playoff-qualifying team (7–9 (.438)) and became the first team to reach the playoffs after starting the season with a 2–7 record. None of the 262 previous teams to start a season with a 2–7 record qualified for the playoffs. ^[204]
• For the first time in NFL history, home teams had a losing record, finishing the year with a record of 127–128–1 (.498). ^[205]
• The Cleveland Browns qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2002, ending the NFL's longest active postseason drought at 17 seasons.
• A record 12,692 points were scored across the league during the regular season, with games averaging 49.6 points. The previous record of 11,985 points (46.8 per game) was set in 2013. ^[206]
• A record 1,473 total touchdowns were scored across the league during the regular season. The previous record of 1,371 was set in 2018. ^[206]

Wild Card Round

• The Cleveland Browns tied the record for the most points in the first quarter of a playoff game, with 28. The record was previously set by the 1969 Oakland Raiders. ^[207]
• Mike Priefer became the first acting head coach to win a playoff game in NFL history when the Cleveland Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. Priefer filled in for head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was out due to COVID-19 protocols. ^[208]
• Ben Roethlisberger recorded his fourth career 500-yard passing game, extending his own record. ^[209] He also became the second player with 500 passing yards in a postseason game, joining Tom Brady. ^[210]
• Roethlisberger also set the record for most completions in a game (regular season or postseason), with 47. The previous record of 45 was shared by Drew Bledsoe and Jared Goff. ^[210]
• Tom Brady became the oldest player to throw a touchdown pass in a postseason game, at 43 years, 159 days old. The record was previously held by George Blanda, who was 43 years, 108 days old. ^[211]

Divisional Round

• Tom Brady became the oldest player to score a rushing touchdown in a postseason game, at 43 years, 167 days old. The record was previously held by John Elway, who was 38 years, 166 days old. ^[212]

Super Bowl LV

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team to play, and win, a Super Bowl in its home stadium. ^[213]
• Tom Brady became the first player in NFL history to have 10 Super Bowl appearances. ^[213]
• Brady became the second quarterback to start a Super Bowl with a team from each conference, joining Craig Morton, and also the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl with a team from each conference. ^[213]
• Brady became the oldest player to play in a Super Bowl at 43 years, 188 days old. The record was previously held by Matt Stover, who was 42 years, 11 days old in Super Bowl XLIV. ^[214]
• Brady and Rob Gronkowski set a record for the most playoff touchdowns by passer-receiver tandem with 13. The previous record of 12 was held by Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. ^[215]
• Bruce Arians became the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl at 68 years, 127 days old. ^[216]

Regular-season statistical leaders

Individual [217]
Scoring leader	Younghoe Koo	Atlanta	144
	Daniel Carlson	Las Vegas
	Jason Sanders	Miami
Most field goals made	Younghoe Koo	Atlanta	37
Touchdowns	Alvin Kamara	New Orleans	21
Rushing	Derrick Henry	Tennessee	2,027
Passing yards	Deshaun Watson	Houston	4,823
Passing touchdowns	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay	48
Passer rating			121.5
Pass receptions	Stefon Diggs	Buffalo	127
Pass receiving yards			1,535
Combined tackles	Zach Cunningham	Houston	164
Interceptions	Xavien Howard	Miami	10
Punting	Braden Mann	New York Jets	3,598; avg 43.9
Sacks	T. J. Watt	Pittsburgh	15

Awards

Individual season awards

Further information: 10th Annual NFL Honors

The 10th Annual NFL Honors, honoring the best players and plays from the 2020 season, was held on February 6, 2021, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Award	Winner	Position	Team
AP Most Valuable Player	Aaron Rodgers	QB	Green Bay
AP Offensive Player of the Year	Derrick Henry	RB	Tennessee
AP Defensive Player of the Year	Aaron Donald	DT	Los Angeles Rams
AP Coach of the Year	Kevin Stefanski	HC	Cleveland
AP Assistant Coach of the Year	Brian Daboll	OC	Buffalo
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year	Justin Herbert	QB	Los Angeles Chargers
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year	Chase Young	DE	Washington
AP Comeback Player of the Year	Alex Smith	QB	Washington
Pepsi Rookie of the Year	Justin Herbert	QB	Los Angeles Chargers
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year	Russell Wilson	QB	Seattle
PFWA NFL Executive of the Year	Brandon Beane	GM	Buffalo
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player	Tom Brady	QB	Tampa Bay

All-Pro team

Further information: 2020 All-Pro Team

The following players were named First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press:

Offense QB Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) RB Derrick Henry (Tennessee) WR Davante Adams (Green Bay) Stefon Diggs (Buffalo) Tyreek Hill (Kansas City) TE Travis Kelce (Kansas City) LT David Bakhtiari (Green Bay) LG Quenton Nelson (Indianapolis) C Corey Linsley (Green Bay) RG Brandon Scherff (Washington) RT Jack Conklin (Cleveland)

Defense DE T. J. Watt (Pittsburgh) Myles Garrett (Cleveland) DT Aaron Donald (Los Angeles Rams) DeForest Buckner (Indianapolis) LB Fred Warner (San Francisco) Bobby Wagner (Seattle) Shaquille Leonard (Indianapolis) CB Xavien Howard (Miami) Jalen Ramsey (Los Angeles Rams) S Tyrann Mathieu (Kansas City) Minkah Fitzpatrick (Pittsburgh) Budda Baker (Arizona)

Special teams
K	Jason Sanders (Miami)
P	Jake Bailey (New England)
KR	Cordarrelle Patterson (Chicago)
PR	Gunner Olszewski (New England)
ST	George Odum (Indianapolis)
LS	Morgan Cox (Baltimore)

Players of the week/month

The following were named the top performers during the 2020 season:

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 [218]	Lamar Jackson QB (Baltimore)	Russell Wilson QB (Seattle)	Casey Hayward CB (Los Angeles Chargers)	Ryan Kerrigan DE (Washington)	Daniel Carlson K (Las Vegas)	Thomas Morstead P (New Orleans)
2 [219]	Josh Allen QB (Buffalo)	Dak Prescott QB (Dallas)	T. J. Watt LB (Pittsburgh)	Micah Kiser LB (Los Angeles Rams)	Harrison Butker K (Kansas City)	Michael Dickson P (Seattle)
3 [220]	Patrick Mahomes QB (Kansas City)	Russell Wilson QB (Seattle)	Xavier Rhodes CB (Indianapolis)	Shaquil Barrett LB (Tampa Bay)	Stephen Gostkowski K (Tennessee)	Matt Prater K (Detroit)
Sept. [221]	Josh Allen QB (Buffalo)	Russell Wilson QB (Seattle)	T. J. Watt LB (Pittsburgh)	Lavonte David LB (Tampa Bay)	Stephen Gostkowski K (Tennessee)	Jack Fox P (Detroit)
4 [222]	Joe Mixon RB (Cincinnati)	Tom Brady QB (Tampa Bay)	Myles Garrett DE (Cleveland)	Za'Darius Smith LB (Green Bay)	Brandon McManus K (Denver)	Mike Boone RB (Minnesota)
5 [223]	Chase Claypool WR (Pittsburgh)	Kyler Murray QB (Arizona)	Patrick Queen LB (Baltimore)	Aaron Donald DT (Los Angeles Rams)	Jason Sanders K (Miami)	Wil Lutz K (New Orleans)
6 [224]	Derrick Henry RB (Tennessee)	Matt Ryan QB (Atlanta)	Calais Campbell DE (Baltimore)	Budda Baker S (Arizona)	Brandon McManus K (Denver)	Cairo Santos K (Chicago)
7 [225]	Baker Mayfield QB (Cleveland)	Kyler Murray QB (Arizona)	Jerry Hughes DE (Buffalo)	Devin White LB (Tampa Bay)	Byron Pringle WR/KR (Kansas City)	Johnny Hekker P (Los Angeles Rams)
Oct. [226]	Derrick Henry RB (Tennessee)	Tom Brady QB (Tampa Bay)	Myles Garrett DE (Cleveland)	Budda Baker S (Arizona)	Jason Sanders K (Miami)	Johnny Hekker P (Los Angeles Rams)
8 [227]	Patrick Mahomes QB (Kansas City)	Dalvin Cook RB (Minnesota)	Stephon Tuitt DE (Pittsburgh)	Bobby Wagner LB (Seattle)	Jakeem Grant WR/KR (Miami)	Ryan Succop K (Tampa Bay)
9 [228]	Josh Allen QB (Buffalo)	Dalvin Cook RB (Minnesota)	Jeffery Simmons DE (Tennessee)	Foyesade Oluokun LB (Atlanta)	Nick Folk K (New England)	Graham Gano K (New York Giants)
10 [229]	Ben Roethlisberger QB (Pittsburgh)	DeAndre Hopkins WR (Arizona)	Jeff Heath S (Las Vegas)	Leonard Floyd LB (Los Angeles Rams)	E. J. Speed LB (Indianapolis)	Matt Prater K (Detroit)
11 [230]	Deshaun Watson QB (Houston)	Robert Woods WR (Los Angeles Rams)	Olivier Vernon DE (Cleveland)	Brian Burns DE (Carolina)	Rodrigo Blankenship K (Indianapolis)	Tress Way P (Washington)
12 [231]	Tyreek Hill WR (Kansas City)	Kirk Cousins QB (Minnesota)	A. J. Klein LB (Buffalo)	Jacob Tuioti-Mariner DT (Atlanta)	Nick Folk K (New England)	Robbie Gould K (San Francisco)
Nov. [232]	Patrick Mahomes QB (Kansas City)	Dalvin Cook RB (Minnesota)	T. J. Watt LB (Pittsburgh)	Cameron Jordan DE (New Orleans)	Jason Sanders K (Miami)	Younghoe Koo K (Atlanta)
13 [233]	Josh Allen QB (Buffalo)	Aaron Rodgers QB (Green Bay)	Kyle Van Noy LB (Miami)	Leonard Williams DE (New York Giants)	Gunner Olszewski WR/PR (New England)	Dustin Hopkins K (Washington)
14 [234]	Lamar Jackson QB (Baltimore)	Cam Akers RB (Los Angeles Rams)	Kenny Moore II CB (Indianapolis)	Haason Reddick LB (Arizona)	Diontae Spencer WR/PR (Denver)	Tress Way P (Washington)
15 [235]	Josh Allen QB (Buffalo)	Kyler Murray QB (Arizona)	DeForest Buckner DT (Indianapolis)	Devin White LB (Tampa Bay)	Tommy Townsend P (Kansas City)	Michael Dickson P (Seattle)
16 [236]	Stefon Diggs WR (Buffalo)	Alvin Kamara RB (New Orleans)	Mike Hilton CB (Pittsburgh)	Fred Warner LB (San Francisco)	Jason Sanders K (Miami)	Joseph Charlton P (Carolina)
17 [237]	Derrick Henry RB (Tennessee)	Kirk Cousins QB (Minnesota)	Shaquille Leonard LB (Indianapolis)	Leonard Williams DE (New York Giants)	Maxx Crosby DE (Las Vegas)	Ryan Succop K (Tampa Bay)
Dec./Jan. [238]	Josh Allen QB (Buffalo)	Aaron Rodgers QB (Green Bay)	DeForest Buckner DT (Indianapolis)	Chase Young DE (Washington)	Daniel Carlson K (Las Vegas)	Cairo Santos K (Chicago)

Week Player of the Week (Quarterbacks) [239] Player of the Week (Running backs) [239] Rookie of the Week [240] 1 Russell Wilson (Seattle) Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Kansas City) C. J. Henderson CB (Jacksonville) 2 Josh Allen (Buffalo) Aaron Jones (Green Bay) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers) 3 Russell Wilson (Seattle) Dalvin Cook (Minnesota) Brandon Aiyuk WR (San Francisco) 4 Tom Brady (Tampa Bay) Joe Mixon (Cincinnati) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers) 5 Derek Carr (Las Vegas) Todd Gurley (Atlanta) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers) 6 Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee) Derrick Henry (Tennessee) Justin Jefferson WR (Minnesota) 7 Joe Burrow (Cincinnati) Jeff Wilson (San Francisco) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers) 8 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City) Dalvin Cook (Minnesota) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers) 9 Josh Allen (Buffalo) Dalvin Cook (Minnesota) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers) 10 Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) Ronald Jones II (Tampa Bay) Jedrick Wills OT (Cleveland) 11 Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers) Derrick Henry (Tennessee) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers) 12 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City) Derrick Henry (Tennessee) Antonio Gibson RB (Washington) 13 Baker Mayfield (Cleveland) Aaron Jones (Green Bay) Tua Tagovailoa QB (Miami) 14 Drew Lock (Denver) Derrick Henry (Tennessee) Tua Tagovailoa QB (Miami) 15 Josh Allen (Buffalo) Derrick Henry (Tennessee) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers) 16 Brandon Allen (Cincinnati) Alvin Kamara (New Orleans) A. J. Dillon RB (Green Bay) 17 Tom Brady (Tampa Bay) Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis) Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers)

Month	Rookie of the Month
	Offensive	Defensive
Sept. [221]	James Robinson RB (Jacksonville)	Antoine Winfield Jr. S (Tampa Bay)
Oct. [226]	Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers)	Jeremy Chinn S (Carolina)
Nov. [232]	Justin Herbert QB (Los Angeles Chargers)	Jeremy Chinn S (Carolina)
Dec. [238]	Jonathan Taylor RB (Indianapolis)	Chase Young DE (Washington)

Head coaching and front office personnel changes

Head coaches

Off-season

Team	Departing coach	Interim coach	Incoming coach	Reason for leaving	Notes
Carolina Panthers	Ron Rivera	Perry Fewell	Matt Rhule	Fired	Rivera was fired on December 3, 2019, after going 5–7 (.417) in the first 12 games of the season. In 8+ seasons as the Panthers head coach, he went 79–67–1 (.541), with four playoff appearances including three NFC South division titles and one Super Bowl appearance. Fewell, the defensive backs coach, took over on an interim basis and went 0–4 the rest of the season. [241] Rhule, who spent the previous seven seasons as college football head coach of Temple and Baylor with a 47–43 (.522) record, was hired on January 7. [242] [243]
Cleveland Browns	Freddie Kitchens		Kevin Stefanski		Kitchens was fired on December 29, 2019, after going 6–10 (.375) in one season as head coach. [244] Stefanski, who previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, was hired on January 13. He was on the Vikings staff for 14 years. [245] This was his first head coaching position at any level.
Dallas Cowboys	Jason Garrett		Mike McCarthy	Contract expired	On January 5, the Cowboys announced they would not renew Garrett's contract, which expired January 14. The Cowboys were 85–67 (.559) in 91⁄2 seasons under Garrett, making the playoffs 3 times but never advancing past the divisional round. [246] McCarthy was hired as the Cowboys' new coach on January 6. In 12+ seasons as the Green Bay Packers head coach, he had a record of 135–85–2 (.613) with nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title. [247] [248]
New York Giants	Pat Shurmur		Joe Judge	Fired	Shurmur was fired on December 30, 2019, after going 9–23 (.281) in two seasons as the Giants' head coach, with no playoff appearances. [249] Judge was hired on January 8, after serving as the special teams coordinator for the New England Patriots from 2015 to 2019, as well as the wide receivers coach in 2019. This is his first head coaching position at any level. [250] [251]
Washington Football Team	Jay Gruden	Bill Callahan	Ron Rivera		After an 0–5 start, Gruden was fired on October 7, 2019. He had a 35–49–1 (.418) record for his 5+ season tenure with the organization, with one playoff appearance. [252] Callahan, the team's assistant head coach/offensive line coach, was previously the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2002 and 2003, with a record of 15–17 (.469) and one Super Bowl appearance; he finished out the 2019 season with a 3–8 (.273) record. [253] Rivera, who had spent most of the previous nine seasons as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, was hired on January 1, 2020. [254]

In-season

Team	Departing coach	Reason for leaving	Interim replacement	Notes
Houston Texans	Bill O'Brien	Fired	Romeo Crennel	After an 0–4 start, O'Brien was fired on October 5. He had a 52–48 (.520) record during his 6+ season tenure with the Texans, with four AFC South titles. [255] Crennel, the team's associate head coach, was previously the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, with a combined record of 28–55 (.337) and no playoff appearances. At age 73, he is the oldest head coach in NFL history. [174]
Atlanta Falcons	Dan Quinn		Raheem Morris	After an 0–5 start, Quinn was fired on October 11. He had a 43–42 (.506) record during his 5+ season tenure with the Falcons, with two playoff appearances and one Super Bowl appearance. [256] Morris, the team's defensive coordinator, was previously the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a record of 17–31 (.354) and no playoff appearances. [257]
Detroit Lions	Matt Patricia		Darrell Bevell	Patricia was fired on November 28. He had a 13–29–1 (.314) record during his 2+ season tenure with the Lions, with no playoff appearances. [258] Bevell, the team's offensive coordinator, was promoted to interim head coach. This is his first head coaching position. [258]

Front office personnel

Off-season

Team	Position	Departing office holder	Incoming office holder	Reason for leaving	Notes
Cleveland Browns	GM	John Dorsey	Andrew Berry	Mutual decision	Dorsey and the Browns parted ways on December 31, 2019, after three seasons. [259] Berry was hired on January 28, 2020, as general manager and executive vice president of football operations. He served as the Philadelphia Eagles' vice president of football operations in 2019, and had worked for the Browns from 2016 to 2018 as vice president of player personnel. At age 32, he is the youngest general manager in NFL history. [260]
Jacksonville Jaguars	EVP-FO	Tom Coughlin	Position eliminated	Fired	Coughlin was fired on December 18, 2019, after three seasons with the Jaguars. [261] The team announced after the season that Coughlin's position will not be filled. [262]
Washington Football Team	President	Bruce Allen	Jason Wright		Allen was fired on December 30, 2019, after ten years with the team. [263] Wright, a former NFL running back who later served as a partner at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, was hired on August 17, 2020. He is the first black team president in NFL history. [264]

In-season

Team	Position	2020 office holder	Reason for leaving	Interim replacement	Notes
Houston Texans	GM	Bill O'Brien	Fired	Jack Easterby	O'Brien was named general manager of the team during the 2020 offseason, after splitting general manager duties with Easterby, the executive vice president of football operations, and other team executives in 2019. His tenure was lowlighted by trading away star WR DeAndre Hopkins. [255] Easterby took over GM duties for the rest of the season. [265]
Atlanta Falcons		Thomas Dimitroff		None	After an 0–5 start, Dimitroff was fired on October 11 after 12 seasons. [256]
Detroit Lions		Bob Quinn			Quinn was fired on November 28 after 5 seasons. [258] A combination of front office personnel handled GM duties for the remainder of the season.[ citation needed ]
Jacksonville Jaguars		David Caldwell		Trent Baalke	Caldwell was fired on November 29 after 8 seasons. [266] Baalke, the team's director of player personnel, would serve as interim GM through the end of the season. [266]
Carolina Panthers		Marty Hurney		None	Hurney was fired on December 21 after 14+ seasons in two stints (2002–12, 2017–20). In his time with the Panthers he was responsible for drafting star players such as Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, and Thomas Davis. [267]

Stadiums

Stadium changes

• This was the first season that the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams shared SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Rams had played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2016 to 2019 and the Chargers had played at Dignity Health Sports Park from 2017 to 2019. SoFi Stadium became the fourth stadium since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger to be shared by two teams (Shea Stadium, Giants Stadium and MetLife Stadium, all of which have been shared by the New York Jets and New York Giants, are the other three). It was also the first stadium in the Rams' long history specifically designed and built for the team.
• The Las Vegas Raiders relocated from Oakland to the Las Vegas area and began playing their home games at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
• Prior to this season, the Buffalo Bills had a buyout window in their lease with their home stadium. ^[268] On January 31, the team formally declined the buyout option. ^[269] Since the Bills chose not to opt out, the team cannot exit the lease until it expires at the end of the 2022 season. ^[268]
  • On July 15, New Era Cap Company canceled its naming rights agreement on the Bills' stadium due to overall financial struggles. The stadium was renamed "Bills Stadium" for the 2020 season and will retain that name until a new sponsor is found. ^[270]
• This was the last season in which Mercedes-Benz owned the naming rights sponsor for the New Orleans Saints's Louisiana Superdome. ^[271]
• On November 19, the Seattle Seahawks' CenturyLink Field was renamed Lumen Field after CenturyLink rebranded to Lumen Technologies. ^[272]

COVID-19 restrictions

Washington fans in November 2020

MetLife Stadium without fans in October 2020

The NFL allowed teams to admit spectators to games if allowed under local health orders. A total of 19 teams admitted spectators at a reduced capacity for at least one regular season home game. Two additional teams which did not admit spectators during the regular season admitted spectators for postseason games. Six teams allowed spectators for all home games. The majority of teams played without spectators through September and into October while admitting spectators later in the season. ^{[273] [274]} Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's competition committee assessed that having spectators did not create a competitive advantage despite some coaches and executives disagreeing. ^[275]

If spectators were admitted, they had to wear face masks and, in some stadiums, were required to sign a liability waiver. ^[276] On-field entertainment was prohibited, including cheerleaders, mascots, marching bands, flag wavers, and end zone-to-end zone American flag displays. ^[277] To reduce the proximity of spectators to the field, the league required the first six to eight rows of seats to be blocked with tarps. ^[278] Halftime shows could be held, but only off-site, or as done on Thanksgiving, pre-recorded before the game. ^[279]

On May 13, California officials indicated that they might not allow the Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers to play at their home stadiums. Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium and Arizona's State Farm Stadium were listed as possible relocation sites for these teams. ^{[280] [281]} All three teams were ultimately allowed to begin the season at their home stadiums without spectators; however, the 49ers were forced to move their final three home games to State Farm Stadium after Santa Clara County, where the 49ers' home stadium is located, banned all contact sports in response to a local rise of COVID-19 cases. ^{[282] [283]}

The NFL initially mandated the use of artificial crowd noise inside all stadiums with attendance below 10,000, consisting of non-dynamic ambience played at 70 decibels. ^[284] The audio was monitored by the league and teams were subject to sanctions if they were found to have manipulated it (such as by changing its volume). ^{[285] [286] [287]} On September 25, these rules were adjusted, allowing the ambiance to be played at up to 80 decibels. The volume must be determined before the game and remain consistent through the entire game. The minimum attendance required to turn off the crowd noise was reduced to 2,500. ^[288] As part of Microsoft's sponsorship of the NFL, a "Fan Mosaic" feature powered by Microsoft Teams was featured on stadium video boards during select games. ^[289]

Team	Home games with spectators allowed	Limitations	Source
Arizona	2	Played its first three home games behind closed doors; admitted up to 1,200 fans for next two games; played its last three regular season home games behind closed doors.	[290] [273] [291] [292]
Atlanta	6	Played its Week 1 home opener behind closed doors and hosted 500 family members and associates in Week 3 in order to determine the capacity limit for the team's remaining games. Allowed up to 10,000 spectators for each additional home game.	[293]
Baltimore	1	Played its first three home games behind closed doors; allowed up to 3,000 spectators during Week 8. Spectators were again prohibited from attending games starting Week 11.	[294] [295]
Buffalo	0*	New York state health orders prohibited spectators at sporting events during the regular season. Local officials recommended a 10% capacity, up to 7,000 fans; Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo indicated initial willingness to approve the plan if social distancing is upheld but eventually ruled out spectators after a rise in cases. After Buffalo clinched a home playoff game and cases began to subside, Cuomo gave approval for Buffalo to host 6,772 fans in its two home playoff games, with social distancing measures in place, pre-game rapid antigen testing mandatory at spectator expense, and no repeat attendees.	[296] [297] [298] [299]
Carolina	7	Played behind closed doors for its home opener; admitted up to 5,240 spectators (7% capacity) for the remainder of the season.	[300]
Chicago	0		[276] [301]
Cincinnati	7	Played without spectators in its home opener, then admitted up to 6,000 spectators for its next home game and 12,000 for each remaining home game.	[302]
Cleveland	8	Admitted 6,000 spectators for its first two home games and 12,000 for each remaining home game.	[302]
Dallas	8	Allowed up to 20,000 fans—25% of AT&T Stadium's seating capacity.	[303]
Denver	4	Played with a limited crowd of 500 family members and associates during its home opener. The team allowed up to 5,700 spectators (7.5% of Empower Field at Mile High's seating capacity) for the next four home games, but reverted to playing without spectators for the final three home games due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Colorado.	[304] [305] [306]
Detroit	0		[276] [274]
Green Bay	0*	Played behind closed doors the entire regular season. Allowed 9,000 spectators for its two home playoff games.	[307] [308]
Houston	7	Played behind closed doors for its Week 2 home opener; allowed up to 13,300 spectators (20% capacity) for remaining home games.	[309]
Indianapolis	8	Allowed 2,500 spectators for its home opener. Allowed spectators at 15% capacity for remaining home games.	[276] [310] [311]
Jacksonville	8	Allowed spectators at 25% capacity.	[276] [273]
Kansas City	8*	Allowed spectators at 22% capacity.	[312] [273]
Las Vegas	0	Las Vegas was the only team to rule out spectators for the entire season before the season started.	[313]
Los Angeles Chargers	0		[314]
Los Angeles Rams
Miami	8	The team admitted 13,000 spectators for each home game. On October 7, Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis gave clearance to allow full attendance in stadiums; however, the Dolphins chose to maintain the 13,000 fan limit.	[276] [315] [316]
Minnesota	0	Played behind closed doors for the entire season, though the team admitted a limited number of family members and team staff beginning in Week 3.	[317] [318]
New England	0		[319] [320]
New Orleans	5*	Played behind closed doors for its first three home games. Louisiana gave approval for the Saints to have fans in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome starting with Week 3; however, the city denied the Saints permission to have fans for its next two games. The Saints were allowed to have up to 3,000 fans beginning in Week 7. This was increased to 6,000 for Weeks 10 and 11 but reverted to 3,000 for the rest of the season.	[276] [321] [322]
New York Giants	0	MetLife Stadium prohibited spectators at sporting events per an executive order from Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy.	[276] [274]
New York Jets
Philadelphia	3	Played its first two home games behind closed doors. The team allowed 7,500 fans beginning with Week 6 for the following three home games. Beginning in Week 12, games were played without spectators again after the city of Philadelphia imposed restrictions on crowd sizes on November 16.	[276] [323] [324]
Pittsburgh	3	Played its first two home games behind closed doors; Allowed up to 5,500 fans from Weeks 5–10. Beginning in Week 12 (originally Week 13), games were played without spectators again as the state of Pennsylvania passed new restrictions on large gatherings. The state authorized up to 2,500 people (including players, in-game staff, and spectators) for playoff games, but due to this limitation the team announced on January 7 that attendance would be limited to family and associates only.	[274] [325] [326] [327] [328]
San Francisco	0	Played behind closed doors for the entire season. On November 28, Santa Clara County banned all contact sports, including 49ers practices and games, in the county, forcing the relocation of the team's final three home games to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, which were also played without spectators.	[274] [329]
Seattle	0		[330]
Tampa Bay	7*	Played its Week 2 home opener behind closed doors. For Week 4, only season-ticket holders who had season tickets since 1998 or earlier were allowed to attend. Beginning in Week 6, spectator capacity was limited to 25%. For Super Bowl LV, the stadium had a 34% capacity (25,000 spectators), with 7,500 tickets reserved for vaccinated health care workers.	[331] [274] [332]
Tennessee	7*	Played behind closed doors for its home opener, then allowed a limited amount of spectators – between 10 and 15% capacity – for its remaining home games.	[333]
Washington	1	Played the first four home games behind closed doors, then allowed up to 3,000 season ticket holders to attend its Week 9 game. Spectators were again prohibited from attending games starting Week 11.	[334] [274] [335]
* The team admitted spectators to its home playoff game(s).

Uniforms

Uniform changes

Eight teams unveiled uniform changes, ranging from minor adjustments to full rebrands.

• Atlanta: On April 8, the Falcons unveiled new uniforms, featuring a matte shell helmet, a larger helmet logo, silver facemasks, new fonts for the numbers, and a prominent "ATL" placed above the numbers. The team returned to black as the primary jersey color. A new alternate jersey features a red gradient. ^[336]
• Cleveland: On April 15, the Browns revealed new uniforms that reverted to the design used prior to 2015, albeit with an updated nameplate font and number design. Some elements of the 2015 style were retained, including the brighter shade of orange, the modernized version of block numbers, and brown facemasks. ^[337]
• Indianapolis: On April 13, the Colts announced that serifs were added to their jersey numbers similar to the design used in the 1950s and 1960s and revealed a new modernized wordmark and secondary logo that features the outline of Indiana carved out of a "C". They also introduced a new color, anvil black. ^[338]
• Los Angeles Chargers: On March 24, the Chargers announced that they would eliminate navy blue from their official branding, building on their 2019 change of the primary jersey color to powder blue. They also debuted a modified logo and a new wordmark to reflect this. ^[339] On April 21, the Chargers revealed new uniforms, which use elements from previous sets, including numbers on the helmets and the addition of a navy blue alternate set. ^[340]
• Los Angeles Rams: On March 23, the Rams unveiled new logos and color scheme. The new colors are brighter shades of the royal blue and gold used on their 1999 throwback jerseys, dubbed "Rams Royal" and "Sol" by the team, respectively. The team's new logo features a stylized "LA" with a ram's horn spiraling out from the top of the "A". ^[341] The team unveiled new uniforms on May 13. Notable features include the addition of an off-white "Bone" away jersey, team wordmark logo patches on the right side of the chest and a unique fabric for the numbers. The helmet also has a metallic "Rams Royal" colored shell and a new ram horn design to match the logos.
• New England: The Patriots former all-blue alternate design became the primary home uniform set, with updated block letters and numbers and blue/red/white socks. A corresponding white jersey was also unveiled and will also be paired with the blue pants. Both uniforms feature truncated shoulder striping as a nod to the "Pat Patriot" uniforms. ^[342]
• Tampa Bay: On April 7, the Buccaneers unveiled new uniforms resembling the ones used from 1997 to 2013, including that design's block numbers, black masks, pewter pants, and all-white road set. Some elements of the previous design remain, including the enlarged flag-and-crossed-swords logo and the secondary ship logo on the sleeves. The team also unveiled an all-pewter alternate uniform. ^[343]
• Washington: On July 23, the franchise announced it would play the season as the "Washington Football Team" and dropped the Redskins logo while retaining the color scheme. The team's uniforms essentially remained the same, but without the helmet stripe and with the logo being replaced by the player's jersey number in gold, as well as a "Washington" wordmark on the chest replacing "Redskins". ^[344] In December the team began wearing white jerseys over white pants on the road for the first time since 2009. ^[345]

Patches

• Arizona: A patch to commemorate the death of Hall of Famer Larry Wilson, with his number 8 enclosed in either a black circle (red and white jersey) or white circle (black jersey). ^[346]
• Dallas: An "Established in 1960" patch to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the team's inception. ^[347]
• Las Vegas: A patch to commemorate the team's first season in Las Vegas. ^[348]
• Miami: A patch to commemorate the death of Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula, featuring his name and the number 347 to signify his NFL record career wins. ^[349]
• New York Jets: A patch to commemorate the death of philanthropist Betty Wold Johnson, the mother of Jets CEO Christopher Johnson. ^{[350] [351]}
• Washington: A patch to commemorate the death of Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell, with his number 49 enclosed in a black circle. ^[352]

Media

Broadcast rights

Television

This was the seventh year under the current broadcast contracts with CBS, ESPN/ABC, 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 continues to air Sunday Night Football and the Kickoff Game. ESPN continued to air Monday Night Football and a Wild Card Game, with 3 MNF and the Wild Card games being simulcast on ABC. ESPN and ABC were also scheduled to air the 2021 Pro Bowl, but the game was canceled. Fox continues to air Thursday Night Football alongside NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video and Twitch. ^[353]

CBS and NBC acquired rights to the two new Wild Card Round games, with each paying around $70 million for the additional game. ^{[354] [355]}

CBS televised Super Bowl LV in English with ESPN Deportes aired the game in Spanish. NBC was originally scheduled to broadcast the game under the current rotation. However, NBC traded the game to CBS in exchange for Super Bowl LVI, which will fall during the 2022 Winter Olympics, the first to be scheduled during an ongoing Olympic Games (NBC also holds the U.S. broadcast rights to the Olympics). ^[356]

To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Monday Night Football, ESPN simulcast the Week 2 New Orleans–Las Vegas game as an ESPN Megacast on ABC, marking ABC's first regular season broadcast since 2005. ESPN2 aired an alternate broadcast with various guests joining throughout the game. ^{[357] [358]} Two more MNF games were simulcast on ABC on December 7 and 28. ^[359]

As of the 2019 season, local stations in markets with NFL teams have been allowed on to air another NFL game opposite the game involving that city's home team on a limited basis. Cities were initially limited to two such games per season. This was expanded to four in 2020. ^[360]

Prior to this season, the league had the option to cancel DirecTV's exclusive contract to air NFL Sunday Ticket, the league's out-of-market sports package. ^[361] However, the NFL did not opt out. ^[362]

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports renewed its broadcast rights to the NFL under a five-year deal, marking its 25th season of coverage. It also announced that it would devote its multiplex channel Sky Sports Action exclusively to NFL programming and coverage during the season, temporarily rebranding it as Sky Sports NFL. It marks the first time that the NFL has partnered on a league-oriented channel in an international market. ^{[363] [364]} ViacomCBS-owned free-to-air channel Channel 5 also acquired rights to air Monday Night Football, marking the league's return to the network for the first time since 2009. Channel 5 aired a Los Angeles-based studio show featuring Maurice Jones-Drew, and a weekly magazine show, NFL End Zone, hosted by Cori Yarckin; both programs were produced by ViacomCBS's branded content studio Velocity. ^[365]

Digital

On April 29, Amazon renewed its digital rights to Thursday Night Football through the 2022 season, maintaining the existing arrangement to simulcast the 11 games aired by Fox on Amazon Prime Video and for free on Twitch, and offer alternative broadcasts of the games on the two services. It also added exclusive worldwide rights to one late-season game for this season, which was produced by CBS and simulcast on over-the-air stations in the two teams' home markets. ^[353] Amazon also acquired rights to simulcast one of the Wild Card games assigned to CBS. ^[366]

This season, the TNF games included a new "Scout's Feed" broadcast featuring extended play analysis by Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah, and a new "NFL Next Live" feed on Twitch hosted by Cari Champion and Andrew Hawkins which featured viewer interactivity. The British English broadcasts were dropped this season. For supplemental content, Amazon is expanding its Tuesday-night studio program NFL Next, and introducing two new interactive programs on Twitch – the Hawkins and Kyle Long-hosted NFL Comment Box, and the Chad Johnson and Kyle Long-hosted The NFL Machine, which features presentations of content from the NFL Films archives. ^[367]

Personnel

Tony Romo, CBS' lead color commentator, renewed his contract in a long-term, $17 million per-year deal, the most lucrative contract for a commentator in NFL history. ^[368]

CBS parted ways with #2 commentator Dan Fouts and replaced him with Fox's #2 commentator Charles Davis. ^[369] Fox utilized Daryl Johnston in this spot. ^[370]

To reduce his workload and travel, NBC Sunday Night Football lead commentator Al Michaels took several games off in favor of Mike Tirico. ^{[287] [371]}

ESPN replaced its former Monday Night Football commentator team of Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland with Steve Levy, Brian Griese, and Louis Riddick. ^{[372] [373]} Levy and Griese had been a broadcast team for ESPN's college football coverage prior to their Monday Night Football assignment, Levy also served as ESPN's lead XFL play-by-play voice. Fellow college football announcing duo Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit called the first game of the Week 1 MNF doubleheader. ^[373] Herbstreit also worked the ESPN2 Monday Night Megacast broadcast with Rece Davis during the Week 2 MNF game.

After using a homophobic slur during a Cincinnati Reds game, Thom Brennaman was removed from Fox's NFL broadcasts for 2020. ^[374] Brennaman, who also worked for the Reds, was suspended from doing games "until further notice". He later resigned from that role. ^[375] Kevin Kugler replaced Brennaman. ^[376]

This was the final season for Chris Spielman at Fox. Before Week 14, he left Fox to take a front office position with the Detroit Lions, effective immediately. #6 Brock Huard, who was a new addition to Fox's Sunday commentator roster, would move up to the #5 slot with Kevin Kugler to replace Spielman.

This was also the final season for long-time announcer Dick Stockton, who announced his retirement on March 25, 2021. Stockton, whose broadcasting resume spanned over five decades, called NFL games for CBS and Fox during his career. ^[377]

Impact of COVID-19 on production

Broadcasters were limited to 46 staff members at each game. Sideline reporters were not allowed on the field. ^[277] CBS, ^[378] Fox, and NBC had commentators on-site, ^[287] but some production was conducted remotely from the networks' headquarters. ^{[287] [378]} The NFL required personnel returning from outside of the United States to quarantine for 14 days before returning to work.

The league provided an enhanced artificial crowd noise track to be used by its broadcasters, separate from the crowd noise that is used at stadiums below 2,500 in attendance. The soundtrack uses crowd audio collected by NFL Films from past games involving the home team, including general ambience, team-specific chants, and contextual reactions. It is mixed by a local sound engineer at the stadium in synchronization with the game. ^[284] Fox had explored the possibility of masking empty stands with CGI crowds. ^[379] Fox introduced such a system on-air for its Major League Baseball broadcasts, ^[380] and later announced that it would use the technology for selected NFL games. ^[381] NBC ruled out virtual fans, citing the large number of camera angles that would have to be configured. NBC added a 180-degree 8K resolution camera to the Skycam unit for "intimate" overhead views, supplanting wide-angle shots that would expose stands with little to no spectators. ^{[382] [383]} At games played with no spectators, CBS allowed its Skycam to be in positions over the stands that are not generally allowed in order to provide new angles. ^[378]

The pandemic also affected pre-game shows: ESPN's Monday Night Countdown and NFL Network's NFL GameDay were broadcast from their respective networks' studios, rather than traveling to game sites. ^[384] Fox NFL Sunday panelist Jimmy Johnson contributed from his home in Florida, rather than join the rest of the panel at the Fox studio in Los Angeles. ^[385] As a precautionary measure, the normal panelists for Fox NFL Kickoff and Fox NFL Sunday did not appear in-studio for Week 11, with Chris Myers, Reggie Bush, and Charles Woodson replacing them, and the regular personnel appearing remotely. ^{[386] [387]}

Two commentators were unable to pass their network's COVID-19 protocols and each had to miss one game: Al Michaels for NBC in Week 15 and Tony Romo for CBS in Week 17. ^[388]

Most watched regular season games

• DH = doubleheader; SNF = Sunday Night Football; MNF = Monday Night Football; TNF = Thursday Night Football

Rank	Date	Matchup			Network	Viewers (millions)	TV rating [389]	Window	Significance
1	November 26, 4:30 ET	Washington Football Team	41–16	Dallas Cowboys	Fox	30.3	12.0	Thanksgiving	Cowboys–Washington rivalry
2	September 13, 4:25 ET	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	23–34	New Orleans Saints		25.9	13.1	Late DH [a]	Buccaneers–Saints rivalry, Tom Brady's Buccaneers debut
3	November 22, 4:25 ET	Green Bay Packers	31–34	Indianapolis Colts		23.9	12.7	Late DH [b]
4	November 26, 12:30 ET	Houston Texans	41–25	Detroit Lions	CBS	23.4	10.6	Thanksgiving
5	November 29, 4:25 ET	Kansas City Chiefs	27–24	Tampa Bay Buccaneers		23.1	12.8	Late DH [c]
6	January 3, 2021, 4:25 ET	Green Bay Packers	35–16	Chicago Bears	Fox	23.0	12.2	Late DH [d]	Bears–Packers rivalry
7	December 20, 4:25 ET	Kansas City Chiefs	32–29	New Orleans Saints	CBS	22.9	12.7	Late DH [e]
8	October 25, 4:25 ET	San Francisco 49ers	33–6	New England Patriots		22.9	12.4	Late DH [f]	Jimmy Garoppolo's return to New England
9	October 11, 4:25 ET	New York Giants	34–37	Dallas Cowboys		22.8	12.2	Late DH [g]	Cowboys–Giants rivalry
10	September 27, 4:25 ET	Dallas Cowboys	31–38	Seattle Seahawks	Fox	22.8	11.8	Late DH [h]	2018 NFC Wild Card rematch

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

1. ^{^} TB/NO was shown in 91% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
2. ^{^} GB/IND was shown in 83% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
3. ^{^} KC/TB was shown in 100% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.
4. ^{^} GB/CHI was shown in 76% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.
5. ^{^} KC/NO was shown in 100% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.
6. ^{^} SF/NE was shown in 50% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.
7. ^{^} NYG/DAL was shown in 86% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of CBS coverage.
8. ^{^} DAL/SEA was shown in 72% of the markets during the late doubleheader time slot of Fox coverage.

References

1. Seifert, Kevin (March 31, 2020). "NFL owners vote to approve expanded 14-team playoff format". ESPN. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
2. Seifert, Kevin (March 31, 2020). "How will expanded NFL playoffs work? Here's what you need to know". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
3. Patra, Kevin (March 31, 2020). "Owners approve expanding postseason to 14 teams". NFL.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
4. Patra, Kevin. "Washington retiring nickname, logo; new nickname TBD". National Football League. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
5. Patra, Kevin. "Ron Rivera: Washington rebrand could take up to 18 months". National Football League. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
6. Shook, Nick (July 3, 2020). "NFLPA board votes to recommend playing no preseason games". National Football League. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
7. "NFL cancels 2021 Pro Bowl due to COVID-19 pandemic, awards 2022 game to Las Vegas". USA Today. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
8. "2020 NFL schedule: League cancels all international games in London, Mexico City for the 2020 NFL season". CBSSports.com. May 5, 2020. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
9. Breer, Albert (July 29, 2020). "Mailbag: The Patriots' Success Makes it Easier for Their Players to Opt Out". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
10. Kilgore, Adam. "After 256 games and a few close calls, the NFL's pandemic regular season comes to an end". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved January 5, 2021.
11. "NFL owners approve 17-game season, starting in 2021". ESPN.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
12. McFadden, Will (March 18, 2020). "Falcons trade for tight end Hayden Hurst". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
13. "Sources: Cards get DeAndre Hopkins, ship RB David Johnson to Texans". ESPN. March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
14. "Calais Campbell Is Officially a Raven, And Got a One-Year Extension". baltimoreravens.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
15. Bergman, Jeremy (March 16, 2020). "Bills acquire WR Stefon Diggs from Vikings in trade". National Football League. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
16. Legwold, Jeff (March 18, 2020). "Sources: Titans trade star DE Jurrell Casey to Broncos for draft pick". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
17. Walker, Andrew (March 18, 2020). "Colts Acquire All-Pro Defensive Tackle DeForest Buckner From 49ers". Colts.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
18. DiRocco, Michael (March 18, 2020). "Sources: Jaguars trading QB Nick Foles to Bears for pick". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
19. Reineking, Jim (March 4, 2020). "Sources: LA Chargers trade Russell Okung to Carolina Panthers in exchange for Trai Turner". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
20. Shook, Nick (March 4, 2020). "Jaguars agree to trade CB A. J. Bouye to Broncos". National Football League. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
21. Rothstein, Michael (March 19, 2020). "Source: Lions trade CB Darius Slay to Eagles for two draft picks". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
22. Thiry, Lindsey (April 9, 2020). "Rams trading Brandin Cooks to Texans". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
23. "Patriots trade Rob Gronkowski to Buccaneers for 4th-round pick". ESPN. April 21, 2020. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
24. Shook, Nick (April 25, 2020). "Niners acquire Redskins tackle Trent Williams in trade". National Football League. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
25. Cimini, Rich (July 25, 2020). "New York Jets trade Jamal Adams to Seattle Seahawks, get two first-round picks". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
26. Baca, Michael (August 30, 2020). "Vikings acquire Yannick Ngakoue in trade with Jaguars". National Football League. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
27. "Bengals Trade for DE Christian Covington". Bengals.com. September 4, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
28. Shook, Nick (September 5, 2020). "Dolphins acquire rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. in trade with Raiders". NFL.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
29. Shook, Nick (October 22, 2020). "Minnesota Vikings trade DE Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore Ravens". NFL.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
30. Patra, Kevin (October 28, 2020). "Cincinnati Bengals trade DE Carlos Dunlap to Seattle Seahawks". NFL.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
31. Patra, Kevin (November 2, 2020). "49ers trade LB Kwon Alexander to Saints for LB Kiko Alonso". NFL.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
32. "Travis Frederick Announces Sudden Retirement". March 23, 2020. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021.
33. "Chargers TE Antonio Gates announces retirement". NFL.com .
34. "Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers star linebacker, announces retirement". CNN . January 15, 2020.
35. "Eli Manning retiring after 16 seasons in NFL". January 22, 2020.
36. "49ers veteran Staley retires after 13 seasons". April 25, 2020.
37. "Veteran cornerback Aqib Talib announces retirement from NFL". ESPN. September 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
38. Scott, Jason. "Veteran DB Eric Weddle retires after 13 seasons". National Football League. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
39. Patra, Kevin (January 12, 2022). "Rams signing former All-Pro safety Eric Weddle out of retirement". NFL.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
40. Hensley, Jameson (March 10, 2020). "Ravens guard Marshal Yanda decides to retire". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
41. "Two-time Pro Bowl S Adams ends 16-year career". ESPN. March 4, 2020. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
42. "Bills' linebacker Lorenzo Alexander confirms retirement but keeps focus on team, playoffs". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle . Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
43. "Why Michael Bennett is Retiring from the N.F.L." The New Yorker . July 21, 2020.
44. Smith, Michael David (December 5, 2020). "LeGarrette Blount announces his retirement". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
45. "Inside why Eagles linebacker Jatavis Brown decided to retire at age 26".
46. "Niners tight end Garrett Celek announces his retirement". February 8, 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
47. "Redskins' Vernon Davis announces NFL retirement during skit with Rob Gronkowski". February 2, 2020. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
48. "James Develin announces his retirement". NBCSports.com. April 27, 2020. Archived from the original on May 10, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
49. "Giants TE Rhett Ellison announces retirement". National Football League. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
50. Varley, Teresa (March 16, 2020). "Foster announces his retirement". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
51. "Jaguars DL Rodney Gunter announces retirement because of heart condition". NFL.com .
52. Cimini, Rich (June 13, 2020). "Former Jets QB Christian Hackenberg attempting comeback as pitcher". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
53. "Wes Horton announces retirement". panthers.com. February 4, 2020. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
54. "CB Davon House retires as a Packer". packers.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
55. Bergman, Jeremy (February 12, 2020). "Lamarr Houston retiring after eight seasons in NFL". National Football League. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
56. Gantt, Darin (April 10, 2020). "Longtime defensive tackle Tom Johnson retires". NBCSports.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
57. "Former Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse Announces Retirement". September 29, 2020.
58. Williams, Charean (January 15, 2020). "Saints fullback Zach Line announces retirement". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
59. "Bears guard Kyle Long announces his retirement and says goodbye to Chicago". Chicago Tribune. January 5, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
60. "Spencer Long retires, three days after signing with 49ers". August 16, 2020.
61. "Johnny Manziel weighs in on the XFL and "The Rock" - XFL News @ XFLBoard.com". September 5, 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
62. "Ron Parker retires, thanks Chiefs for 'believing in me'". ESPN. January 6, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
63. Smith, Michael David (September 9, 2020). "Ryan Shazier 'retiring from the game I love'". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
64. "Dion Sims: Announces retirement". May 5, 2020.
65. "Ex-Vikings OL Jeremiah Sirles announces retirement". National Football League. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
66. "Darren Sproles: Eagles fans, I gave you all I had". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. December 21, 2019. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
67. "Ben Watson announces retirement". March 16, 2020.
68. "Patriots' 2020 draft pick Dustin Woodard retires before rookie season".
69. "NFL draft headed to Las Vegas in 2020". National Football League. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
70. "2020 NFL Draft will proceed in fully virtual format". National Football League. April 5, 2020. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
71. Steinberg, Brian (April 13, 2020). "NFL Draft Will Get April Showcase on ESPN, ABC, NFL Network". Variety. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
72. Alper, Josh (April 12, 2020). "Roger Goodell to announce first, second and third—round picks from his basement". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
73. Shook, Nick (April 23, 2020). "Cincinnati Bengals pick Joe Burrow No. 1 in 2020 draft". National Football League. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
74. "Players opting out of 2020 NFL season because of coronavirus concerns: Tracking the full list". ESPN. August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
75. "Referee Walt Anderson promoted to senior V.P." Pro Football Talk. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
76. "NFL promotes Land Clark to referee". Pro Football Talk. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
77. "Perry Fewell joining NFL office to help with officiating supervision". ESPN. April 17, 2020. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
78. "Officials have until August 13 to opt out". Pro Football Talk. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
79. Parta, Kevin (August 14, 2020). "Five on-field, two replay-officials opt out of 2020 season". National Football League. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
80. Tadd Haislop (May 29, 2020). "Here are the new NFL rules for 2020, as approved by team owners". Sporting News. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
81. "NFL competition committee adds two rule change proposals, including one to address a Bill Belichick strategy". CBSSports.com. April 10, 2020. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
82. Bell, Jarrett. "NFL approves plan to reward teams with draft picks for developing minority coaches, GMs". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
83. "Inside new NFL roster rules for 2020: Expanded rosters, practice squad and injured reserve". ESPN. September 9, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
84. Seifert, Kevin (July 23, 2021). "NFL to carry over flexible roster rules for 2021 season". ESPN. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
85. "NFL to penalize talking to refs without a mask". Reuters . October 10, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
86. "Three-time Super Bowl winner Herb Adderley dies at 81". ESPN.com. October 30, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
87. Shook, Nick (April 15, 2020). "Hall of Famer, Packers legend Willie Davis dies at 85". NFL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
88. "Fred Dean, Hall of Fame defensive end, dies at age of 68". NFL.com. October 15, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
89. Bergman, Jeremy (January 28, 2020). "Hall of Fame DE Chris Doleman dies at age of 58". NFL.com . Retrieved February 14, 2023.
90. Gordon, Grant (December 21, 2020). "Pass-rushing great, Hall of Famer Kevin Greene dead at 58". NFL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
91. Christl, Cliff (November 13, 2020). "Paul Hornung, star of the 1960s Packers, dies at 84". Packers.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
92. "Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell dies at 84". NFL.com. April 5, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
93. Gordon, Grant (June 7, 2020). "Former Bengals CB Ken Riley, who had 65 INTs, dies at 72". NFL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
94. Patra, Kevin (September 23, 2020). "Gale Sayers, Bears legend and Hall of Fame RB, dies at 77". NFL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
95. Battista, Judy (May 4, 2020). "Don Shula dies at age 90: Iconic coach left indelible mark on NFL". NFL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
96. Bergman, Jeremy (February 3, 2020). "Hall of Fame safety, Packers legend Willie Wood dies at 83". NFL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
97. Urban, Darren (September 17, 2020). "Cardinals Hall Of Famer Larry Wilson Passes Away". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
98. Schwab, Frank (June 2, 2020). "No California camp for Dallas Cowboys: NFL says training camps will be held at team facilities due to coronavirus". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
99. Bumbaca, Chris (June 25, 2020). "NFL cancels Hall of Fame Game, Class of '20 enshrinement postponed due to coronavirus". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
100. Shook, Nick (July 27, 2020). "Roger Goodell writes letter to NFL fans as training camps start across U.S." National Football League. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
101. "2020 NFL schedule set for release Thursday night". National Football League. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
102. Fraser, Sam (May 7, 2020). "NFL is ready to call an audible or two if coronavirus forces schedule changes". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
103. Beaton, Andrew (May 1, 2020). "The 2011 NFL Lockout Holds Lessons for the Coronavirus Season". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
104. Parta, Kevin (March 5, 2020). "K.C. Royals alter schedule for possible Chiefs opener". National Football League. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
105. Wagner-McGough, Sean (May 7, 2020). "2020 NFL Thanksgiving schedule: Cowboys to host Redskins, Ravens-Steelers to battle for supremacy in AFC North". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
106. "Ravens-Steelers game moved from Thanksgiving to Sunday at 1:15 p.m. ET on NBC". NFL.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
107. Smith, Michael David (November 25, 2020). "Ravens-Steelers stays on NBC, moves to Sunday afternoon at 1:15". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
108. Middlehurst-Schwartz, Michael (May 7, 2020). "NFL to hold Christmas game in rare Friday matchup between Vikings, Saints". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
109. "Brady's move to Tampa Bay posed late challenges for networks". USA Today. Associated Press. May 8, 2020. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020. CBS will have the final round of The Masters on Nov. 15 (Week 10), but its three games will all begin after 4 pm. EST.
110. "NFL moves Bengals-Steelers game in Week 10 to 4:25 p.m. ET". Pro Football Talk. October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
111. "NFL beefs up 2020 schedule by adding two Saturday triple-headers with flex game options". CBSSports.com. May 8, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
112. Kilgore, Adam (January 5, 2021). "After 256 games and a few close calls, the NFL's pandemic regular season comes to an end". Washington Post.
113. "Steelers-Titans game postponed until later this season after two more positive COVID-19 tests". Yahoo!. October 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
114. "Steelers vs. Titans Moved to Week 7 After COVID Outbreak; PIT vs. Ravens Week 8". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
115. "Packers game time moved again, kickoff now scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday". WMTV. September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
116. "NFL moves Colts-Bears kickoff to 4:25 p.m. ET". Pro Football Talk. September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
117. "Patriots-Chiefs postponement driven by outbreak concerns only". Pro Football Talk. September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
118. "Week 5 Schedule Change". NFL Communications (Press release). September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
119. "Two Week 5 games pushed back after positive COVID-19 tests". Reuters. October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
120. Bergman, Jeremy (October 11, 2020). "NFL announces multiple schedule changes, moves Broncos-Patriots to Week 6". NFL.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
121. "NFL Week 7 schedule changes: Buccaneers-Raiders bumped from Sunday Night Football for Seahawks-Cardinals". CBS Sports. October 22, 2020.
122. "Week 11 Packers-Colts game moves to 4:25 p.m. ET". November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
123. "Ravens-Steelers will kickoff at 3:40 p.m. ET Wednesday". November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
124. "Cowboys-Ravens moves to Tuesday, Dec. 8, with Steelers-Washington a day earlier". November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
125. "NFL moves Week 14 Packers-Lions game to 4:25 p.m. ET". November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
126. "NFL.com: 2020 Week 15". NFL.com . Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
127. "NFL schedule change: Cowboys vs. 49ers moved out of primetime in Week 15, replaced by Giants vs. Browns". CBSSports.com. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
128. "Browns-Giants Week 15 matchup moved to prime time". NFL.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
129. "NFL.com: 2020 Week 16". NFL.com . Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
130. "NFL announces schedule changes for Week 15 (December 20) & Week 16 (December 27)". nflcommunications.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
131. "NFL Week 17 Schedule". nflcommunications.com. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
132. "Pro Bowl goes virtual, as innovative game will play out on Madden NFL 21 this season". ESPN . November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
133. "NFL players approve collective bargaining agreement, ushering in new era of 17-game regular season". USA Today. March 15, 2020. Archived from the original on March 15, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
134. Maske, Mark (November 13, 2019). "A 17-game NFL season is becoming more likely, as league, players make progress on labor deal". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
135. Schad, Tom (March 15, 2020). "Here are the six biggest changes in the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
136. "New NFL CBA Ensures Labor Peace—And Has Team Values Set Up To Spike". Forbes . Archived from the original on June 23, 2020.
137. "The NFL has a new CBA. Here are its biggest changes". The Boston Globe . Archived from the original on June 21, 2020.
138. "Fifth-year options to be guaranteed in proposed CBA, no longer tied to draft slot – ProFootballTalk". February 21, 2020. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020.
139. "Full term sheet of proposed collective bargaining agreement". NFL.com . Archived from the original on June 22, 2020.
140. Keim, John (July 14, 2020). "How the events of 2020 have changed the Washington Football Team". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
141. "Amazon to pull Redskins merchandise while team mulls nickname change". ESPN.com. July 8, 2020. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
142. Tyko, Kelly (July 6, 2020). "Walmart, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods pull Washington Redskins items as team evaluates name". USA Today . Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
143. Birkett, Dave (August 25, 2020). "Detroit Lions cancel practice, demand change after Jacob Blake shooting: 'We won't be silent'". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved August 31, 2020.
144. "Some NFL teams cancel practices in response to Jacob Blake shooting". ESPN. August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
145. Waszak, Dennis Jr. (August 27, 2020). "9 NFL teams cancel practice in response to Jacob Blake shooting". CTV News. Associated Press . Retrieved August 28, 2020.
146. Seifert, Kevin (September 30, 2020). "Tennessee Titans' COVID-19 outbreak: What we know about the positive coronavirus tests". ESPN . Retrieved September 30, 2020.
147. "Chiefs quarterback Jordan Ta'amu tests positive, too". Pro Football Talk. September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
148. "NFL reschedules eight games affecting Patriots, Broncos, Chiefs, Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Chargers, Jaguars". CBS Sports. October 11, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
149. "Raiders place 5 more players on COVID-19 list". Associated Press . Retrieved October 23, 2020.
150. Louis-Jacques, Marcel (October 24, 2020). "Buffalo Bills place four, including tight end Dawson Knox, on reserve/COVID-19 list". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
151. "TIMELINE: Here's Who Is On Baltimore Ravens' COVID-19/Reserve List". November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
152. "Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers game postponed again, to Wednesday at 3:40 p.m. ET". ESPN.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
153. "Broncos to face Saints without QB Drew Lock, both backups after all were deemed high-risk contacts". NFL.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
154. Smith, Michael David (November 29, 2020). "Broncos practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton to start at quarterback". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
155. "New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos REG12 Game Center". NFL.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
156. "Drew Brees sets a new NFL record in Saints win". WAPT-TV. September 15, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
157. Aber, Spencer (September 13, 2020). "Frank Gore makes history: No running back has played in more games" . Retrieved September 21, 2020.
158. Polacek, Scott (September 14, 2020). "Russell Wilson Becomes 2nd NFL Player with 30K Passing Yards, 4K Rushing Yards". Bleacher Report . Retrieved September 21, 2020.
159. Brown, Kevin (September 14, 2020). "Ravens nab another NFL record with season-opening landslide win vs. Browns". NBC Sports Washington . Retrieved September 14, 2020.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
160. Smith, Michael David (September 18, 2020). "Joe Burrow's 37 completions were most by a rookie in NFL history". Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
161. Ochoa, RJ (September 20, 2020). "Dak Prescott made NFL history during his amazing performance in the Cowboys' comeback win" . Retrieved September 21, 2020.
162. Gantt, Darin (September 25, 2020). "Ryan Fitzpatrick beats Jaguars for sixth different team". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
163. Wells, Mike (September 27, 2020). "Indianapolis Colts' Philip Rivers 6th QB with 400 TD throws, 60K passing yards". ESPN . Retrieved October 5, 2020.
164. Russell Wilson Breaks Patrick Mahomes' NFL Record for TD Passes in 1st 3 Games
165. Gordon, Grant (September 28, 2020). "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes becomes fastest QB to 10K yards". NFL.com . Retrieved September 29, 2020.
166. Goss, Nick (September 27, 2020). "NFL Twitter destroys Falcons after another historic fourth quarter meltdown" . Retrieved September 28, 2020.
167. Davis, Nate (September 27, 2020). "32 things we learned from Week 3 of the 2020 NFL season". USA Today . Retrieved September 29, 2020.
168. Swinton, Elizabeth (October 4, 2020). "Tom Brady Makes History with Five Passing Touchdowns in Buccaneers' Comeback Victory". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved October 5, 2020.
169. Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: Would swap historic numbers for wins
170. Henley, Jamison (October 4, 2020). "Ravens' Lamar Jackson fastest in NFL history to 5K yards passing, 2K rushing" . Retrieved October 4, 2020.
171. Roling, Chris (October 4, 2020). "Joe Burrow makes NFL history with third straight 300-yard game" . Retrieved October 4, 2020.
172. Rodgers, Tonyan lead Packers to 30-16 victory over Falcons
173. "Russell Wilson powers Seahawks past Dolphins for first 4-0 start since 2013". USA Today . Associated Press . Retrieved October 14, 2020.
174. Breech, John (October 8, 2020). "Oldest NFL coach ever: Texans' Romeo Crennel will break record in Week 5 that has stood for nearly 55 years". CBS Sports . Retrieved October 12, 2020.
175. "Roethlisberger Passed Quarterback Hero Elway in Wins on Sunday Against Browns". Steelers Depot. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
176. Nowak, Jeff (October 25, 2020). "Drew Brees' latest milestone? Saints QB the first in NFL history to hit 7K completions". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate . Retrieved October 27, 2020.
177. "STEELERS NEWSBen Roethlisberger Becomes 5th QB All Time To Win 150 Regular Season Games". Steelers Depot. October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
178. Henderson, Brady (October 26, 2020). "Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson says 'I have to be better' after three-interception night leads to OT loss". ESPN . Retrieved October 26, 2020.
179. "NFL stats and records, Week 7: Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson make history together". NFL.com. October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
180. "Jay Crawford: Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals give us one for the ages". WKYC . Retrieved October 27, 2020.
181. Zucker, Joseph (November 8, 2020). "Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Passes Dan Marino, Becomes Fastest QB to 100 Passing TDs". BLeacher Report. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
182. Hensley, Jamison (November 8, 2020). "Ravens' Jackson ties Marino for best start by QB". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
183. Breech, John (November 9, 2020). "Buccaneers break 87-year-old NFL record for rushing futility during embarrassing 38-3 loss to Saints". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
184. "Ravens set NFL record for 20-point games with win in Indy". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
185. Kerr, Jeff (November 13, 2020). "Philip Rivers passes Dan Marino on all-time passing yards list: Here's where he ranks among all quarterbacks". CBS Sports . Retrieved November 23, 2020.
186. "32 things we learned from Week 10 of the 2020 NFL season". USA Today . Retrieved November 16, 2020.
187. Williams, Charean (November 17, 2020). "Cordarrelle Patterson ties NFL record with eighth career kick return touchdown". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
188. Cwik, Chris (November 20, 2020). "Browns' Callie Brownson to become first woman to work as position coach in NFL history on Sunday". Yahoo. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
189. "Packers QB Aaron Rodgers throws 400th career TD pass". USA Today. December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
190. Smith, Michael David (December 8, 2020). "Justin Houston ties the all-time record for safeties, believes record should be his alone". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
191. Cohn, Jordan (December 7, 2020). "Cole Beasley becomes all-time touchdown leader for NFL players 5-foot-8 or shorter". WGR. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
192. Williams, Charean (December 14, 2020). "Jamal Adams sets single-season sacks record for a defensive back". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
193. Pryor, Brooke (December 14, 2020). "Steelers set NFL record with 70-game sack streak". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
194. Williams, Charean (December 15, 2020). "Nine rushing touchdowns between Ravens-Browns ties for most in NFL history". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
195. "Watch: 9 rushing TDs in Ravens-Browns equals mark set in 1922". Touchdown Wire. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
196. "Jackson plays hero as Ravens win thriller on MNF". vplayer.nbcsports.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
197. "PFT PM Awards: Week 14". vplayer.nbcsports.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
198. "Panthers vs. Packers - Game Recap - December 19, 2020 - ESPN".
199. Gordon, Grant (December 25, 2020). "Saints QB Drew Brees becomes first NFL player to pass for 80,000 yards". NFL.com. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
200. Maya, Adam (December 25, 2020). "Saints RB Alvin Kamara ties NFL record with 6 rushing TDs". NFL.com. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
201. "Chiefs TE Travis Kelce sets single-season TE receiving yardage record". NFL.com .
202. "Mike Evans hurt after becoming 1st player to have 1,000 receiving yards in each of first 7 seasons". MSN Sports. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
203. "Lions' Matt Prater sets NFL record for 50-yard-plus field goals". ESPN . January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
204. Breech, John (December 29, 2020). "Cowboys, Giants or Washington will make history in week 17 by ending historical 0-for-258 streak by NFL teams". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
205. Princiotti, Nora (January 6, 2021). "What Happened to NFL Home-Field Advantage?". The Ringer. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
206. "NFL had its highest-scoring season ever in 2020". Yahoo Sports. January 9, 2021. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
207. "Browns earn first playoff win since 1995 with 48-37 triumph over Steelers". Canton Repository. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
208. "Mike Priefer's coaching gear from the Browns' wild-card win now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame". Browns Wire. February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
209. "Ben Roethlisberger joins a very small club". Pro Football Talk. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
210. "Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger sets NFL playoff passing record in wild-card playoff loss to Browns". CBS Sports. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
211. "Bucs' Tom Brady Becomes Oldest Player to Throw TD Pass in NFL Playoff History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
212. "Tom Brady denied high five with official after becoming oldest player to rush for TD in NFL playoff history". CBS Sports. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
213. Pittman, Travis (February 3, 2021). "Super Bowl LV by the numbers". wusa9.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
214. Breech, John (February 2, 2021). "Tom Brady is finally going to break the NFL record for oldest player to ever play in a Super Bowl". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
215. Gordon, Grant (February 7, 2021). "Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski set record for most playoff TDs by QB-receiver combo". NFL.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
216. "Super Bowl 2021: Bruce Arians becomes oldest coach to win a Super Bowl, second-oldest coach to win NFL title". CBSSports.com. February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
217. "NFL Player Scoring Stats 2020" . Retrieved January 26, 2021.
218. Gordon, Grant. "Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson among Week 1 Players of the Week". National Football League. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
219. Gordon, Grant. "Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Bills QB Josh Allen among Players of the Week". National Football League. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
220. Gordon, Grant. "Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes lead Players of the Week". National Football League. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
221. Gordon, Grant. "Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Bills QB Josh Allen among NFL Players of the Month". National Football League. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
222. Gordon, Grant. "Buccaneers QB Tom Brady, Browns DE Myles Garrett among NFL Players of the Week". National Football League. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
223. Gordon, Grant. "Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, Steelers WR Chase Claypool among Players of the Week". National Football League. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
224. "Titans RB Derrick Henry, Falcons QB Matt Ryan lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
225. Gordon, Grant. "Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
226. Gordon, Grant. "Buccaneers QB Tom Brady, Titans RB Derrick Henry among Players of the Month for October". National Football League. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
227. Gordon, Grant. "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Vikings RB Dalvin Cook among Players of the Week". National Football League. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
228. Gordon, Grant. "Vikings RB Dalvin Cook, Bills QB Josh Allen lead Players of the Week". National Football League. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
229. Gordon, Grant. "Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
230. Gordon, Grant. "Texans QB Deshaun Watson, Rams WR Robert Woods lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
231. Gordon, Grant. "Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
232. Gordon, Grant. "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Vikings RB Dalvin Cook lead Players of the Month". NFL.com. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
233. Gordon, Grant. "Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Bills QB Josh Allen lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
234. Gordon, Grant. "Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Rams RB Cam Akers lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
235. Gordon, Grant. "Bills QB Josh Allen, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
236. Gordon, Grant. "Bills WR Stefon Diggs, Saints RB Alvin Kamara among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
237. Gordon, Grant. "Titans RB Derrick Henry, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
238. Gordon, Grant. "Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Bills QB Josh Allen among Players of the Month". NFL.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
239. "Fedex Air & Ground Players of the Week". National Football League.
240. "Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week". National Football League.
241. Newton, Daniel (December 3, 2019). "Panthers owner David Tepper on Ron Rivera firing: 'I thought it was time'". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
242. "Sources: Baylor's Matt Rhule to be Panthers' next coach, gets 7-year, $60 million deal". ESPN. January 7, 2020. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
243. "Panthers reach agreement with Matt Rhule to become head coach". panthers.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
244. "Browns relieve Freddie Kitchens of duties as head coach". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
245. "Kevin Stefanski named Browns head coach". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 13, 2020. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
246. Archer, Todd (January 5, 2020). "Cowboys announce they won't renew Jason Garrett's contract". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
247. Shook, NIck. "Cowboys expected to hire Mike McCarthy as new coach". National Football League. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
248. Phillips, Rob. "Mike McCarthy Officially Hired As Head Coach". dallascowboys.com. Dallas Cowboys. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
249. "Giants part ways with Head Coach Pat Shurmur". Giants.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
250. "Sources: Giants to hire Patriots' Joe Judge as head coach". ESPN. January 7, 2020. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
251. "Giants hire Joe Judge as head coach". giants.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
252. "Redskins Relieve Head Coach Jay Gruden Of His Duties". Redskins.com. October 7, 2019. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
253. Gordon, Grant (October 7, 2019). "Redskins fire head coach Jay Gruden after 0–5 starts". National Football League. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
254. Shook, Nick. "Ron Rivera hired as new Washington Redskins coach". National Football League. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
255. Shook, Nick (October 5, 2020). "Texans fire Bill O'Brien as general manager, head coach". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2020.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
256. "Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, coach Dan Quinn relieved of their duties". atlantafalcons.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
257. "Atlanta Falcons name Raheem Morris interim head coach". AtlantaFalcons.com. Atlanta Falcons. October 12, 2020.
258. Baca, Michael (November 28, 2020). "Detroit Lions fire head coach Matt Patricia, general manager Bob Quinn". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
259. "Dorsey bolts Browns, leaving chaotic team to find coach, GM". Fox Sports. December 31, 2019. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
260. Gribble, Andrew (January 28, 2020). "Andrew Berry named Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager". clevelandbrowns.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
261. "Jaguars fire Tom Coughlin as VP of football operations". National Football League. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
262. "Marrone, Caldwell will remain in place". jaguars.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
263. "Sources: Redskins set to hire Ron Rivera as coach; fire president Bruce Allen". ESPN. December 30, 2019. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
264. Keim, John (August 17, 2020). "Washington hires Jason Wright as NFL's first Black president". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
265. Lane, Mark (October 7, 2020). "Report: Jack Easterby named Texans interim general manager". texanswire.usatoday.com. USA Today . Retrieved October 8, 2020.
266. "Jaguars fire GM Dave Caldwell following Week 12 loss to Browns". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
267. "Panthers part ways with general manager Marty Hurney". Panthers.com. December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
268. Precious, Tom (December 21, 2012). "Bills agree to lease deal with $130 million in stadium upgrades". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
269. "Buffalo Bills to remain in Orchard Park through 2023". WKBW-TV. January 31, 2020. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
270. "New Era Field no more; Buffalo Bills pursuing new name for stadium". WGRZ. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
271. Dixon, Ed (May 20, 2020). "New Orleans Saints seek Superdome naming rights partner as Mercedes exits". SportsPro. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
272. "CenturyLink Field To Become Lumen Field". www.seahawks.com. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
273. "Which NFL teams have announced plans for fans in stands this season? A team-by-team look". Yahoo! Sports. August 17, 2020. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
274. "Where each of the 32 NFL teams stands on allowing fans into stadiums". ESPN. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
275. "Roger Goodell doubles down on lack of competitive advantage for teams that have fans in stands". Pro Football Talk. September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
276. "How each NFL stadium is planning on handling fans". Fortune. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
277. Breech, John (August 19, 2020). "NFL to ban cheerleaders, mascots, reporters and multiple other groups from sideline for 2020 season". CBS Sports . Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
278. "NFL will block off first 6–8 rows of seats from fans this season". NBC Sports Washington . Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
279. Dahlberg, Tim (September 18, 2020). "Raiders ready for big opening act on Las Vegas Strip". Associated Press. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
280. "NFL ready for adjustments if Los Angeles lockdown continues into season". The Orange County Register. May 13, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
281. "Could 49ers, Chargers or Rams NFL games be moved to Cardinals' State Farm Stadium in 2020?". Arizona Republic. May 11, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
282. "49ers to play next two home games at Cardinals' State Farm Stadium". NFL.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
283. "San Francisco 49ers to finish season in Arizona after Santa Clara County extends COVID-19 restrictions". ESPN.com. December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
284. Daley, Dan (September 11, 2020). "NFL Kickoff 2020: League Debuts Crowd-Sound System Designed for Fanless Stadiums". Sports Video Group. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
285. "NFL finalizing policy for artificial crowd noise". ESPN. September 1, 2020. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
286. "NFL to provide pre-recorded crowd noise for teams to play during games". National Football League. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
287. Dachman, Jason (September 10, 2020). "NFL Kickoff 2020: NBC's Sunday Night Football Adds C360 Overhead Replay Camera, Shifts Graphics and Edit Teams Back Home". Sports Video Group. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
288. "NFL revises stadium sound rules, allows teams to crank up the volume on fake crowd noise". CBSSports.com. September 26, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
289. "The NFL will use Microsoft Teams to let fans cheer along with players when they score a touchdown". CNBC. September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
290. "Cardinals' First Two Home Game Won't Have Fans". Arizona Cardinals. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
291. "Cardinals to not allow fans into State Farm Stadium when team hosts Rams". Arizona Sports. November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
292. "Cardinals won't allow fans in State Farm Stadium for last 2 home games". Arizona Sports. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
293. McClure, Vaughn (September 22, 2020). "Falcons to allow limited number of fans at games in Mercedes-Benz Stadium starting Oct. 11". ESPN . Retrieved September 22, 2020.
294. "Ravens Will Not Host Fans for Initial Part of 2020 Season". Baltimore Ravens. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
295. Staff (October 23, 2020). "Mayor Jack Young Approves Plans Allowing Fans At M&T Bank Stadium For Ravens-Steelers Game". Baltimore, MD: WJZ-TV. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
296. "Current New York guidelines would prohibit fans from attending pro sports events". ESPN. July 2, 2020. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
297. Baggerman, Mike (September 30, 2020). "Cuomo: I am "100 percent eager" to get fans back at Bills Stadium". WBEN . Retrieved September 30, 2020.
298. "Cuomo "would be all in favor" of having Bills fans in stadium for home playoff game". WKBW-TV. December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
299. "Buffalo Bills granted permission to have fans at playoff game, first crowd of season". ESPNurl-status=live. December 30, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
300. Getzenberg, Alaina (September 22, 2020). "Carolina Panthers will have fans at home games. Here's everything you need to know". The Charlotte Observer . Retrieved September 22, 2020.
301. "Chicago Bears announce that season will begin without fans at Soldier Field". Yahoo! Sports. August 17, 2020. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
302. "Bengals are allowed to have 12,000 fans at Paul Brown Stadium going forward". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
303. Epstein, Jory (September 16, 2020). "Cowboys to limit stadium capacity to 25% for home opener vs. Falcons, Mike McCarthy says". USA Today . Retrieved September 16, 2020.
304. Newman, Kyle (September 8, 2020). "Fans will be able to attend Broncos home games starting Sept. 27 against Tampa Bay, Gov. Polis says". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
305. O'Halloran, Ryan (October 5, 2020). "Broncos approved to host 5,700 fans for each remaining home game". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
306. O'Halloran, Ryan; Newman, Kyle (November 20, 2020). "Broncos fans will not be allowed at Empower Field for Denver's final three home games". The Denver Post. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
307. "Packers announce indefinite hold on hosting fans for home games". Green Bay Packers. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
308. "Green Bay Packers allowing 6,000 fans for divisional playoff game". ESPN. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
309. "Texans to play remaining home games at NRG Stadium with fans". National Football League. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
310. Ayello, Jim. "Colts hoping for approval to fill Lucas Oil to 15% capacity to start season". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
311. Colts to host 2,500 fans at home opener ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
312. "Chiefs to have in-person fans, limited-capacity seating for 2020–21 season". FOX 4 Kansas City. July 8, 2020. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
313. "Raiders to play 2020 season with no fans". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 3, 2020. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
314. "Rams, Chargers announce fans will not be allowed to attend games 'until further notice'". Yahoo! Sport. August 25, 2020. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
315. "Dolphins announce they will allow in limited number of fans with masks for home opener". Yahoo! Sport. August 24, 2020. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
316. Dolphins to Keep Stadium Capacity at 13,000 Despite Governor's Decision
317. "Minnesota Vikings will open season at U.S. Bank Stadium without fans". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
318. "Minnesota Vikings won't have fans at next home game Nov. 8". ESPN.com. October 29, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
319. "Patriots announce no fans at Gillette Stadium through end of September". National Football League. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
320. "Where each of the 32 NFL teams stands on allowing fans into stadiums". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
321. Just, Amie (September 18, 2020). "No fans in Superdome for Week 3 vs. Packers, but Saints 'hopeful' to have fans for Chargers game". nola.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
322. Triplet, Mike (October 20, 2020). "New Orleans Saints approved to have 3,000 fans for Sunday's Carolina Panthers game". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
323. Staff (October 13, 2020). "Philadelphia Eagles fans allowed back at stadium, city changes gathering limits". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
324. Staff (November 16, 2020). "Philadelphia announces sweeping new restrictions amid surge in COVID-19 cases". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
325. White, Mike (October 6, 2020). "Steelers will open the gates to spectators when Eagles come to town Sunday". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
326. "COVID-19 In Pittsburgh: Steelers Say No Fans At Heinz Field For Sunday's Game Against Baltimore Ravens". Pittsburgh, PA: KDKA-TV. November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
327. "Report: Pittsburgh Steelers To Have Fans At Heinz Field For Playoff Game". Pittsburgh, PA: KDKA-TV. December 31, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
328. "Steelers announce they will not host fans at wild-card game against Browns". Yahoo! Sports. January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
329. Wagoner, Nick (December 18, 2020). "San Francisco 49ers to finish season in Arizona after Santa Clara County extends COVID-19 restrictions". ESPN. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
330. Arthur, Ben (November 23, 2020). "A foregone conclusion: Seattle Seahawks announce no fan attendance for next two home games". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Retrieved November 23, 2020.
331. Smith, Scott (September 26, 2020). "Bucs Begin Return of Fans to Games with Soft Opening in Week Four". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
332. "NFL reveals attendance, other details for Super Bowl: What to expect for the game and plans for 2021 season". CBSSports.com. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
333. "Titans to host some fans for three October home games". National Football League. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
334. "Washington Football Team To Kick Off 2020 Season Without Fans at FedExField". August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
335. "Washington Football Team will play home games during 2020 season without fans". wusa9.com. August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
336. Gantt, Darin (April 8, 2020). "Falcons unveil new uniforms". Profootballtalk.com. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
337. "Browns reveal new uniforms with nod to older style". National Football League. April 15, 2020. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
338. "Colts add new logo to their look, honor home state". National Football League. April 13, 2020. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
339. Kerr, Jeff (March 24, 2020). "Chargers unveil new logo in a surprise move, with new uniforms coming in April". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
340. "Los Angeles Chargers Unveil Much-Anticipated New Uniforms; Minus the Typical Uniform Unveiling Clichés". chargers.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
341. Thiry, Lindsey (March 24, 2020). "Rams rebranded: L.A. unveils new logos, colors". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
342. Daniels, Mark (March 24, 2020). "New England Patriots will make changes to uniforms later in 2020 offseason". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
343. "Buccaneers unveil new unis, mark start of Brady era". National Football League. April 7, 2020. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
344. "LOOK: Washington released generic uniforms under new 'Football Team' name". USA Today. July 23, 2020. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
345. Hailey, Peter. "Washington will wear white-on-white uniforms in Pittsburgh (!!!)". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
346. Boan, Christopher (September 27, 2020). "Cardinals wearing patch honoring Hall of Fame safety Larry Wilson". ArizonaSports.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
347. "Confirmed: Cowboys Will Wear "Established in 1960" Patch on 2020 Uniforms". Sports Illustrated. July 16, 2020. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
348. Lind, Andrew (August 21, 2020). "Raiders Add Uniform Patch For Inaugural Season in Las Vegas". SportsLogos.net. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
349. "Dolphins to wear jersey patch to honor Don Shula". Pro Football Talk. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
350. "Jets Organization Mourns the Loss of Betty Wold Johnson". New York Jets. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
351. "Jets to Honor Betty Wold Johnson with 'BWJ' Patch on Jerseys This Season". New York Jets. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
352. Russell, Jake. "Washington Football Team's 2020 uniform changes include tribute to Bobby Mitchell". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
353. Spangler, Todd (April 29, 2020). "Amazon Renews NFL 'Thursday Night Football' Through 2022, Scores Exclusive Game per Season". Variety. Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
354. "New NFL Wild Cards Costing CBS, NBC Around $70M". Sports Business Daily. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
355. Steinberg, Brian (March 31, 2020). "CBS, NBC Nab New NFL Wild-Card Games in Expanded Season". Variety. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
356. "Goal of spectacle and colors NFL's thinking about Super Bowl halftime show". Chicago Tribune. February 6, 2011. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
357. "ESPN is Megacasting Saints-Raiders across four networks, including an ESPN2 broadcast with Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit". Awful Announcing. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
358. Florio, Mike (May 7, 2020). "First regular-season game in Las Vegas will be simulcast on ABC". Profootballtalk.com . Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
359. "ABC to simulcast two more MNF games next month". Sports Media Watch. November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
360. "NFL Eases 'Single Header Protection Rule' For TV Partners". Sports Business Daily. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
361. Florio, Mike (March 6, 2019). "NFL could soon pull plug on DirecTV deal". Profootballtalk.com . Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
362. Spangler, Todd (August 14, 2020). "AT&T Says Restrictions on NFL Sunday Ticket Streaming Have Not Changed for 2020 Season". Variety. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
363. "Sky to launch Sky Sports NFL". Broadband TV News-GB. August 12, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
364. "NFL and Sky's new five-year deal sees launch of dedicated channel". SportsPro Media. August 13, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
365. Ramachandran, Naman (September 8, 2020). "ViacomCBS Brings NFL to U.K.'s Channel 5, MTV". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
366. Flint, Joe (October 14, 2020). "WSJ News Exclusive | Amazon Expands NFL Coverage With Playoff Game". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved October 15, 2020.
367. "Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football adding scout feed, Twitch stream, new talent for 2020 NFL season". Awful Announcing. October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
368. Florio, Mike (February 29, 2020). "Tony Romo stays with CBS, at $17 million per year". Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
369. Marchand, Andrew (April 11, 2020). "Charles Davis replacing Dan Fouts in CBS's NFL booth". Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
370. Pergament, Alan (September 1, 2020). "Johnston moves up to No. 2 team at Fox; Brown returns to 'One Bills Live'". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
371. "Al Michaels will take some weeks off of NBC's Sunday Night Football this season, with Mike Tirico filling in for him". Awful Announcing. September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
372. Andrew Marchand (May 9, 2020). "What ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' booth may look like after shakeup". New York Post. NYP Holdings, Inc. Archived from the original on May 10, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
373. "Steve Levy, Louis Riddick and Brian Griese named as new MNF crew". ESPN. August 17, 2020. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
374. Gardner, Steve (August 20, 2020). "Fox Sports pulls Thom Brennaman from this season's NFL broadcasts after 'abhorrent' slur". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
375. Mitchell, Madeline (August 19, 2020). "Brennaman after using slur on air: 'I don't know if I'm going to be putting on this headset again.'". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
376. "Week one TV highs and lows: fake crowd noise..." Sports Illustrated. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
377. "Announcer Dick Stockton retires after 55 years". Reuters. March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
378. Hernandez, Kristian (September 10, 2020). "NFL Kickoff 2020: CBS Sports Forgoes Virtual Fans To Show Off Range of SkyCam". Sports Video Group. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
379. Selbe, Nick (May 13, 2020). "Joe Buck: 'Pretty Much a Done Deal' Fox Will Use Artificial Crowd Noise During Games Without Fans". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
380. Golden, Jessica (July 23, 2020). "Fox Sports will fill empty baseball stadiums with virtual fans that react to what's happening on the field". CNBC. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
381. "Virtual NFL fans will only be seen on one Week 1 game". Awful Announcing. September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
382. "NBC Sunday Night Football Serves Up New Overhead Replay Angle With C360 Camera". Sports Video Group. August 28, 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
383. Hayes, Dade (September 3, 2020). "NBC 'Sunday Night Football' Producer Fred Gaudelli, On-Air Team Describe How COVID Will Alter 2020 Telecasts". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
384. Costa, Brandon (September 10, 2020). "NFL Kickoff 2020: ESPN's New Studio on Roof of Seaport Facility Houses Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown". Sports Video Group. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
385. Smith, Michael David (August 13, 2020). "Jimmy Johnson will work for FOX from home during the pandemic". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
386. Florio, Mike (November 21, 2020). "FOX NFL Sunday cast knocked out of studio for Week 11". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
387. Gardner, Steve. "'Fox NFL Sunday' crew won't be in studio due to health concerns". USA Today. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
388. Smith, Michael David (January 2, 2021). "Tony Romo out Sunday due to COVID-19 protocols". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
389. "NFL TV ratings page, 2020 edition". SportsMediaWatch.com. September 27, 2014. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2020.