The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the only time during the league's history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new schedule would generate even more revenue. However, teams felt that having two weeks off during the regular season was too disruptive for their weekly routines, and thus it was reverted back to 17 weeks immediately after the season ended.

When new TV contracts were signed in December 1993, CBS (which had been home to National Football Conference games since the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger) lost their rights to the then-fledging FOX Network.

The season ended with Super Bowl XXVIII when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills. The Cowboys became the first team to win a Super Bowl after losing their first two regular season games.

Major rule changes

• The Play Clock (the time limit the offensive team has to snap the ball between plays) has been reduced from 45 seconds to 40 seconds (the time interval after time outs and other administrative stoppages remains the same at 25 seconds).
• Ineligible receiver down field prior to a forward pass foul is added.

Final standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

Tiebreakers

• Buffalo was the top AFC playoff seed based on head-to-head victory over Houston (1-0).
• Denver was the second AFC Wild Card, and Pittsburgh was the third AFC Wild Card ahead of Miami, based on better conference record (8-4 to Steelers' 7-5 to Dolphins' 6-6).
• San Francisco was the second NFC playoff seed based on head-to-head victory over Detroit (1-0).
• Minnesota finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC Central based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).

Playoffs

Main article: NFL playoffs, 1993-94

Home team in capitals

AFC

• Wild-Card playoffs: KANSAS CITY 27, Pittsburgh 24 (OT); L.A. RAIDERS 42, Denver 24
• Divisional playoffs: BUFFALO 29, L.A. Raiders 23; Kansas City 28, HOUSTON 20
• AFC Championship: BUFFALO 30, Kansas City 13

NFC

• Wild-Card playoffs: Green Bay 28, DETROIT 24; N.Y. GIANTS 17, Minnesota 10
• Divisional playoffs: SAN FRANCISCO 44, N.Y. Giants 3; DALLAS 27, Green Bay 17
• NFC Championship: DALLAS 38, San Francisco 21

Super Bowl XXVIII

• Dallas (NFC) 30, Buffalo (AFC) 13, at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 193299436X)
• NFL History 1991-2000 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0062701746)