2016 NFL season
The 2016 NFL season was the 97th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 51st of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 8, 2016, with the defending Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos defeating the Carolina Panthers in the NFL Kickoff Game in a rematch of the Super Bowl. The season concluded with Super Bowl LI, the league's championship game on February 5, 2017, at NRG Stadium in Houston with the New England Patriots defeating the Atlanta Falcons. For the first time since the 2003 NFL season, neither of the previous season's Super Bowl participants made the playoffs.
| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 8, 2016 – January 1, 2017 |
| Playoffs | |
| Start date | January 7, 2017 |
| AFC Champions | New England Patriots |
| NFC Champions | Atlanta Falcons |
| Super Bowl LI | |
| Date | February 5, 2017 |
| Site | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| Champions | New England Patriots |
| Pro Bowl | |
| Date | January 29, 2017 |
| Site | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida |
The former St. Louis Rams moved out of St. Louis, Missouri and returned to the Los Angeles metropolitan area, its home from 1946 to 1994. This was the first time an NFL team relocated to another state since the Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997.
After playing in San Diego for 56 years, the 2016 season was the last season for the San Diego Chargers before their return to the city of Los Angeles for 2017, where the franchise was based for their first season in 1960.
This would be the first season in which the Super Bowl went into overtime, and the last until 2023.