The 2021 season
The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl after the 2021 season, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at SoFi Stadium.
They went 12-5 in the regular season and won the NFC West. The conference championships: the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24; the Los Angeles Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers shared the best record at 13-4; the Jacksonville Jaguars finished bottom at 3-14.
The Dallas Cowboys scored the most points (530) and the Buffalo Bills conceded the fewest (289). The longest winning run: the Kansas City Chiefs, 8 in a row (weeks 8-16).
The biggest upset: the Jacksonville Jaguars, 14.5-point underdogs, beat the Buffalo Bills 9-6 in week 9, one of 19 wins by teams getting 7 or more points. The widest margin: the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Football Team 56-14 in week 16. The most points in one game: 89, when the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Cleveland Browns 47-42 in week 5.
47% of games were decided by one score (8 points or fewer). 20 games went to overtime and 1 tie ended level.
Play-offs
Wild card round
- Arizona Cardinals 11-34 Los Angeles Rams
- Las Vegas Raiders 19-26 Cincinnati Bengals
- New England Patriots 17-47 Buffalo Bills
- Philadelphia Eagles 15-31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Pittsburgh Steelers 21-42 Kansas City Chiefs
- San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Dallas Cowboys · upset, 3-point underdog won
Divisional round
- Buffalo Bills 36-42 Kansas City Chiefs (OT)
- Cincinnati Bengals 19-16 Tennessee Titans · upset, 4-point underdog won
- Los Angeles Rams 30-27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- San Francisco 49ers 13-10 Green Bay Packers · upset, 5.5-point underdog won
Conference championships
- Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 Kansas City Chiefs (OT) · upset, 7-point underdog won
- San Francisco 49ers 17-20 Los Angeles Rams
Super Bowl
Final standings
AFC
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills · Lost divisional round | 11 | 6 | .647 | +194 |
| New England Patriots · Lost wild card round | 10 | 7 | .588 | +159 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9 | 8 | .529 | -32 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 13 | .235 | -194 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals · Lost Super Bowl | 10 | 7 | .588 | +84 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers · Lost wild card round | 9 | 7 | .559 | -55 |
| Cleveland Browns | 8 | 9 | .471 | -22 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8 | 9 | .471 | -5 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans · Lost divisional round | 12 | 5 | .706 | +65 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 8 | .529 | +86 |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 13 | .235 | -172 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3 | 14 | .176 | -204 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs · Lost conference championship | 12 | 5 | .706 | +116 |
| Las Vegas Raiders · Lost wild card round | 10 | 7 | .588 | -65 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 9 | 8 | .529 | +15 |
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 10 | .412 | +13 |
NFC
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys · Lost wild card round | 12 | 5 | .706 | +172 |
| Philadelphia Eagles · Lost wild card round | 9 | 8 | .529 | +59 |
| Washington Football Team | 7 | 10 | .412 | -99 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 13 | .235 | -158 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers · Lost divisional round | 13 | 4 | .765 | +79 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 9 | .471 | -1 |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 11 | .353 | -96 |
| Detroit Lions | 3 | 13 | .206 | -142 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers · Lost divisional round | 13 | 4 | .765 | +158 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 8 | .529 | +29 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 10 | .412 | -146 |
| Carolina Panthers | 5 | 12 | .294 | -100 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams · Won Super Bowl | 12 | 5 | .706 | +88 |
| Arizona Cardinals · Lost wild card round | 11 | 6 | .647 | +83 |
| San Francisco 49ers · Lost conference championship | 10 | 7 | .588 | +62 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 10 | .412 | +29 |
Regular season only. Pct counts a tie as half a win. Div, Conf, Non-Conf: records against division, conference and other-conference opponents. Strk: current run of wins (W), losses (L) or ties (T). Last 5: oldest to newest. Teams level on Pct are ordered by division record, then points difference, which can differ from the official standings. Data: nflverse.
Season in numbers
| Measure | 2021 | Average since 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 46.0 | 44.5 |
| Home win rateNeutral-site games excluded; a tie counts as half. | 51% | 56% |
| One-score gamesDecided by 8 points or fewer. | 47% | 51% |
| Favourites wonAgainst the closing line; pick’ems and ties left out. | 62% | 67% |
| Overtime games | 20 (7%) | 6% |
Regular season only. Average: every completed season since 2002 except this one. Data: nflverse.