2009 NFL season

The 2009 NFL season marked the 50th season of the original eight charter members of theAmerican Football League
Regular season
Duration	September 10, 2009 – January 3, 2010
Playoffs
Start date	January 9, 2010
AFC Champions	Indianapolis Colts
NFC Champions	New Orleans Saints
Super Bowl XLIV
Date	February 7, 2010
Site	Sun Life Stadium,Miami Gardens, Florida
Champions	New Orleans Saints
Pro Bowl
Date	January 31, 2010
Site	Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
←2008 NFL seasons 2010 →

Patriots

Bills

Dolphins

Jets

Bengals

Ravens

Steelers

Browns

Colts

Titans

Jaguars

Texans

Broncos

Chiefs

Raiders

Chargers

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AFC teams: West, North, South, East

Cowboys

Giants

Eagles

Redskins

Bears

Lions

Packers

Vikings

Falcons

Panthers

Saints

Buccaneers

Cardinals

Rams

Seahawks

49ers

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NFC teams: West, North, South, East

The2009 NFL season was the 90th season in the history of theNational Football League (NFL). The 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of theAmerican Football League was celebrated during this season.

Thepreseason started with thePro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009,^[1] and theregular season began September 10, with the reigningSuper Bowl XLIII championPittsburgh Steelers defeating theTennessee Titans in overtime. The season ended withSuper Bowl XLIV, the league'schampionship game, on February 7, 2010, atSun Life Stadium withthe New Orleans Saints defeatingthe Indianapolis Colts^[2] 31–17 inMiami Gardens, Florida.^[3] The Colts and Saints began the season 14–0 and 13–0 respectively. This was the first time in NFL history two teams started 13–0 or better.

The2009 NFL draft was held from April 25 to 26, 2009, atNew York City'sRadio City Music Hall. With the first pick, theDetroit Lions selected quarterbackMatthew Stafford from theUniversity of Georgia.

Bill Carollo resigned to become the Director of Officiating for theBig Ten Conference.Don Carey, brother of NFL refereeMike Carey, was promoted from back judge to take Carollo's place.

Several rule changes were passed at the league's annual owners meeting inDana Point, California, during the week of March 23.

The following rules were passed to improve player safety and reduce injuries:^[4]

• A blindside block cannot be initially delivered by a helmet, forearm or shoulder to an opponent's head or neck.
• The initial contact to the head of a defenseless receiver is also prohibited.
• On kickoffs, a blocking wedge cannot consist of more than two players.
• During onside kickoff attempts, the kicking team cannot have more than five players bunched together.
• Clarified the2006 rule about hitting passers below the knees; a defender on the ground cannot lunge or dive at or below the passer's knees. This is unofficially referred to as the "Tom Brady Rule", after Brady was injured at thePatriots' 2008 opening game against theKansas City Chiefs, when Chiefs safetyBernard Pollard hit Brady below the knees, sidelining him for the rest of the 2008 season.^[5]

The replay system will now be allowed to cover the following situations:^[6]

• Whether a loose ball from a passer is a fumble or an incomplete pass.
• Whether a loose ball actually hit the sideline.

Other new rules included:^[6]

• If onside kick does not go 10 yards, goes out of bounds, or is touched illegally at any time during the kick, the ball is immediately awarded to the receiving team. This amends a rule that was first implemented during the2003 season. Previously, if the kicking team committed this foul before the final five minutes of the game, they had another chance to kick again from five yards back.
• On all fumbles and laterals that go out of bounds, the clock will immediately start when the referee signals ready for play instead of waiting until next snap.
• After a punt hit the center-hung video display boards during a pre-season game, the league temporarily modified the rule regarding balls in play that strike an object such as a video board or a guy wire: in addition for the down being replayed, the game clock will also be reset to the time when the play was snapped.^[7]
• In November theUnited States Congress held hearings regarding NFL players on the field receiving concussions and other major injuries. Strong recommendations were made to the commissioner, and on December 2, 2009, NFL CommissionerRoger Goodell issued a memo effective immediately stating, in part: "Once removed for the duration of a practice or game, the player should not be considered for return-to-football activities until he is fully asymptotic, both at rest and after exertion, has a normal neurological examination, normal neuropsychological testing, and has been cleared to return by both his team physician(s) and the independent neurological consultant." The old standard, established in 2007, said a player shouldn't be allowed to return to the same game if he lost consciousness.^[8]

ThePro Football Hall of Fame Game was on August 9, 2009, at 8:00 pm EDT onNBC. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Buffalo Bills 21–18, and both wore "throwback" jerseys celebrating the two franchises' AFL origins.^[9] It was the first time since 1970 that the teams have not been from opposing conferences; also, both Bills ownerRalph Wilson, a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee, and Titans ownerBud Adams have owned their teams continuously since the AFL's inception in 1960, making them the longest-tenured team owners in the league. Both teams made their first Hall of Fame Game appearance since the 1980s (Buffalo last played in Canton in1989, Tennessee in1985 as the formerHouston Oilers).

The rest of thepre-season matchups were announced March 30, 2009. Highlights, among others, included a rematch ofSuper Bowl XLIII between thePittsburgh Steelers and theArizona Cardinals on ESPN.^[10]

The 2009 season began on September 10, 2009. Under the current scheduling system, this is the latest date the NFL can start its season as the season typically starts the weekend after Labor Day, which falls on its latest possible date in 2009.

For the 2009 season, the intraconference and interconference matchups were:

The 2009 schedule was released on April 14, 2009.^[11] Highlights of the 2009 season included:

• NFL Kickoff Game: The 2009 season began with the Kickoff Game on September 10, with theSuper Bowl XLIII championPittsburgh Steelers defeating theTennessee Titans 13–10 in overtime.
• The Week 1 doubleheader forMonday Night Football honored the 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of theAmerican Football League,^[12] with theNew England Patriots defeating theBuffalo Bills 25–24, and theSan Diego Chargers defeating theOakland Raiders 24–20.
• NFL International Series: The NFL International Series game was played on October 26, 2009, atWembley Stadium inLondon, featuring theNew England Patriots defeating theTampa Bay Buccaneers 35–7.
• Thanksgiving: Three games were contested on November 26, 2009.^[13] TheGreen Bay Packers defeated theDetroit Lions 34–12, theDallas Cowboys defeated theOakland Raiders 24–7, while in the primetimeThursday Night Football game, theDenver Broncos defeated theNew York Giants 26–6..
• Bills Toronto Series: TheBuffalo Bills played theNew York Jets atRogers Centre inToronto on December 3 onThursday Night Football, with the Jets defeating thecross-state rivals 19–13. Earlier reports on a potential Bills-Toronto Argonauts doubleheader and reports of the league favoring other teams were proven inaccurate.^[14][15][16]
• Christmas: As Christmas Eve fell on a Thursday, that week'sThursday Night Football game was scheduled as a rare Friday night game on Christmas Day,^[17][18] featuring theSan Diego Chargers defeating theTennessee Titans 42–17.

• China Bowl: The China Bowl, a proposedpre-season game between theNew England Patriots andSeattle Seahawks, would have taken place inBeijing, China. It had been postponed from the2007 season to 2009, but after the2008 economic crisis, the Patriots closed their Chinese operations and the game was cancelled.^[19]
• The NFL moved the September 27 game between theTennessee Titans andNew York Jets atGiants Stadium from 4:15 pm EDT to 1:00 pm EDT, in response to a request from Jets ownerWoody Johnson to change the time to accommodate the JewishYom Kippur holiday that began at sundown that evening. This marked a rare occasion when the Jets and Giants played at the same time (the Giants played atTampa Bay).^[20] In general, both New York City teams are not scheduled to play at the same time. The Jets game aired on CBS (WCBS-TV in New York), while the Giants game aired on Fox (WNYW-TV).
• The Jets and Giants played again at the same time on November 1. The Jets hosted theMiami Dolphins at Giants Stadium, while the Giants played atPhiladelphia. The Giants–Eagles game was originally scheduled for 4:15 pm EST, but moved forward to 1:00 pm EST in order to avoid ending too close to the start of thePhillies hosting Game 4 of the2009 World Series that evening atCitizens Bank Park, which is directly across Pattison Avenue fromLincoln Financial Field. TheMinnesota–Green Bay game, originally scheduled for 1:00 pm EST that same day, was moved to 4:15 pm EST. It marked Brett Favre's return to Green Bay, this time as the Vikings quarterback.^[21]
• TheChicago–Minnesota andArizona–Tennessee games on November 29 were rescheduled from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.
• By way ofFlex Scheduling, the Minnesota–Arizona game on December 6 was moved to the 8:20 pm EST slot to replace the New England–Miami matchup.
• TheSt. Louis–Tennessee game on December 13 was rescheduled from 1:00 pm EST to 4:05 pm EST.
• The Green Bay–Pittsburgh game on December 20 was rescheduled from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST. That same day, a major east coast blizzard forced the Chicago–Baltimore andSan Francisco–Philadelphia games to be pushed back from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST on only two days notice, to allow more time for cleaning up the stadiums after the blizzard.^[22]
• TheDenver–Philadelphia game on December 27 was moved from 1:00 pm EST to 4:15 pm EST.
• For week 17, the Philadelphia–Dallas game to decide the NFC East champion was switched to 4:15 pm EST, while theCincinnati–New York Jets game was selected as the final Sunday Night Football game.

The playoffs began Saturday, January 9, 2010, with Wild Card Weekend. Divisional playoffs followed the next week. The defending world championsPittsburgh Steelers did not take part in the post-season as they were eliminated from contention in the final week 17, thus this was the fifth year in a row the NFL crowned a newSuper Bowl champion.

TheAFC Championship Game was Sunday, January 24, 2010, at 3:00 pm, which saw theIndianapolis Colts come from behind to defeat theNew York Jets, 30–17. It was followed by theNFC Championship Game at 6:30 pm which featured many back to back scoring drives by two high scoring Vikings and Saints offenses. But theMinnesota Vikings 4 fumbles and aBrett Favre interception late in the fourth quarter proved to be too much to handle as theNew Orleans Saints won 31–28 in overtime which granted the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in its 43-year history.Super Bowl XLIV was held February 7 atMiami Gardens, Florida'sSun Life Stadium (home of host teamMiami Dolphins, who were also eliminated from post-season contention).

The2010 Pro Bowl was held on January 31, one weekbeforeSuper Bowl XLIV, at the same site of the league championship game, Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.^[25] This was the first time since1979 (held for the1978 season) that the Pro Bowl was held in theContinental United States as opposed to Hawaii. The NFL also announced that the site and date of Pro Bowl games after 2010 will include playing the game on a rotating basis inHonolulu.^[25] NFL CommissionerRoger Goodell said the move was made after looking at alternatives to strengthen the Pro Bowl and to make the end of the season more climactic.^[25] As a result of the move, players will not be allowed to play in both the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl in the same year. In addition, ESPN replaced CBS as broadcaster for that game only.^[26]

Within each conference, the four division winners and the top twonon-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners areseeded 1–4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5–6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed thewild-card playoffs orwild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth-seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference received afirst-round bye. In the second round, thedivisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst-surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5). The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games met in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although theSuper Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.^[27]

* Indicatesovertime victory

The 2009 season marked the fiftieth season of nine of the league's 32 teams: theDallas Cowboys, and the Original Eight charter members of theAmerican Football League, whose owners became collectively known as "TheFoolish Club". The fifth league to use theAFL moniker (previous leagues in1926,1934,1936–37, and1940–41, all had failed) began play in1960 and would form the major portion of theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) when the NFL completed its merger with the AFL in1970:

• Boston Patriots, now the New England Patriots
• Buffalo Bills
• Dallas Texans, now the Kansas City Chiefs
• Denver Broncos
• Houston Oilers, now the Tennessee Titans
• San Diego Chargers, now the Los Angeles Chargers
• Titans of New York, now the New York Jets
• Oakland Raiders (Originally aMinnesota team, then the botched-Spanglish Oakland Senors, before settling on Raiders prior to first game)

The Bills and Jets used AFL-erathrowback uniforms as their alternate jerseys prior to 2009, and continued them beyond that. The league had the other six teams use a third jersey replicating those from the AFL in their heyday. Each of the Original Eight played against another original AFL team, one at home and one away, on two "AFL Legacy Weekends", and had a special 50th Anniversary AFL patch on the throwback uniforms. In a waiver given by these eight, they would wear the anniversary throwbacks a maximum of four times a season, whereas all of the other teams have a limit of twice per season. The Patriots and Raiders wore the throwbacks the maximum four times, while the Bills, Chiefs (Texans), Chargers, Jets (Titans), and Titans (Oilers) were worn three times. The Chargers also wore their regular powder bluealternate jersey of the current design for two other allowed games.^[28] In the second game of two meetings opposite of the first game for their divisional matches against the Raiders and Chiefs, the Chargers wore their newer look powder blue jerseys against the Raiders in week 8, and also celebrated their 50th Anniversary in the modern powder blue jerseys against the Chiefs later in the season during Week 12, when the meeting against those two clubs shifted to San Diego. The Broncos elected to wear their throwbacks only twice (the team wore the infamous 1960–1961 brown and yellow throwbacks with the vertically-striped socks) and wore their regular orange alternate jersey of the current design in the other two allowed games,^[29] giving the team six different uniforms over a 16-game season. Both of the games involving the orange jerseys involved theDallas Cowboys and thePittsburgh Steelers—two "old" NFL teams before the merger, with the Steelers joining the Broncos in the AFC in 1970 as a result of the merger.

An AFL patch is already a permanent part of theKansas City Chiefs' jerseys, in honor of team and AFL founderLamar Hunt, who died in December 2006. The program kicked off on August 9 in the 2009Pro Football Hall of Fame Game with the Bills playing the Titans (Oilers). Besides the Legacy Games, the Chiefs wore Dallas Texans uniforms in one home game against the NFC's Dallas Cowboys, who also wore throwbacks, while the Cowboys hosted the Raiders in aThanksgiving Day game inArlington, Texas. (The Chiefs and Cowboys throwbacks both feature team-colored jerseys, making it the first dark color vs. dark color game since the Bears-Cowboys 2004 Thanksgiving game.) For all games other than those cited above, the Original Eight wore their 2009 uniforms, each with a team-specific 50th Anniversary shoulder patch, save for the Titans, who wore the AFL 50th Anniversary logo on all uniforms. For the legacy weekends, on-field officials working the Original Eight's games also had their own throwbacks – shirts with Chinese-red stripes, and an AFL chest and cap logo. The fields for the regular season games were painted in the innovative designs introduced by the AFL in the 1960s (for instance, the Broncos' end zones are painted in anargyle pattern).

Although the Dolphins and Bengals were both part of the AFL, they did not join the league until 1966 and 1968, respectively. The Dolphins played in three of the Legacy games (wearing their current uniforms), while the Bengals were not part of the events.

After the season, the Patriots adopted their AFL-era throwbacks as their newthird uniform for 2010, while the Broncos continue to paint their end zones atInvesco Field at Mile High in the argyle pattern, similar to the Steelers decision to paint the south end zone atHeinz Field in plain diagonal white lines after their 2003 preseason game against thePhiladelphia Eagles honoring the 60th anniversary of theSteagles season.

It was the fortieth season since theAFL–NFL merger was officially completed in 1970, and also the sixtieth season since theAll-America Football Conference merged with the NFL, adding theCleveland Browns andSan Francisco 49ers to the league.^[31] No celebrations were held for any of those teams, but San Francisco reverted to their old colors (lighter shades of red and gold from their glory seasons of five Super Bowl victories) in an unrelated move.

The NFC'sDallas Cowboys also celebrated their fiftieth season in 2009. After the NFL had rebuffedLamar Hunt's overtures to place an NFL team in Dallas, saying they had no plans to expand, the league granted the Cowboys a franchise in 1960 in reaction to Hunt's AFL Dallas Texans. The NFL's Cowboys franchise started out in1960 with a record of no wins, eleven losses and one tie, but has since gone on to appear in eightSuper Bowls (the only other teams to appear in eight was thePittsburgh Steelers on February 6, 2011, theNew England Patriots on February 1, 2015), and theDenver Broncos on February 7, 2016, winning five of them, tied for second with theSan Francisco 49ers and the New England Patriots, behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ironically, the Texans' franchise, which left Dallas to become the Kansas City Chiefs, wonSuper Bowl IV, two years before the Cowboys wontheir first. Though there was never an actual game between the Dallas Texans and the Cowboys, the 2009 "throwback" game played against Kansas City (Dallas Texans) and the Dallas Cowboys was played as "The Game that Never Was". The [Dallas] Cowboys won the game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, 26–20 in overtime. Interestingly, the visiting Cowboys wore home throwback jerseys, so both teams wore home uniforms.

All four members of theNFC North celebrated significant anniversaries.

TheGreen Bay Packers andChicago Bears, two of the oldest teams of the NFL remaining in the league, marked their 90th seasons in 2009. While the Packers did not join the NFL until 1921, the team marks its founding with the team's creation in 1919. The firstSunday Night Football game of the season featured the two teams, pitted in "The League's Oldest Rivalry".

Likewise, theMinnesota Vikings celebrated their being in existence for 50 years. The team traces its existence to the founding of the AFL in 1959, but although they participated in that league'sinaugural draft, they were instead lured to the NFL before playing a game. (The Oakland Raiders replaced Minnesota in the AFL.) The Minnesota team, not named the Vikings until after they joined the NFL and did not take any of their drafted players with them, were granted their ownexpansion draft by the NFL and did not play until 1961. As such, the Vikings were only in their 49th season, and will celebrate their 50th NFL season in2010, while theDetroit Lions will be in its 80th season in the NFL, and their 76th in Detroit. Last season, Detroit reintroduced its throwback jersey, while Minnesota continues using theirs. None of the teams held significant celebrations in 2009.

After one season with theNew York Jets,Brett Favre retired again from football on February 11, 2009, and was released on April 28, 2009, making him a free agent. On May 4, 2009, rumors began nationwide on the Internet, radio and TV outlets about him coming out of retirement again and possibly joining theMinnesota Vikings, his division arch-rival when he was with theGreen Bay Packers, also meeting with Vikings head coachBrad Childress that week. On May 11, in an indication of Favre's possible return, it was reported he was scheduled to have a procedure on his torn biceps tendon on his throwing arm he injured when he was with the Jets and it was either a surgical or non-surgical process but wasn't confirmed throughout May. On June 15, 2009, he revealed he had surgery on his right torn biceps tendon and considered on playing again. On July 15, 2009, he informed the Vikings that he would make his decision of coming out of retirement or not by July 30, 2009, the day Vikings training camp started. On July 28, 2009, two days early before training camp, he informed the Vikings that he would remain retired. On August 18, 2009, it was reported that Favre got on a private jet and was heading to Minnesota to join the Vikings. It was later confirmed and he officially signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He was signed to a two-year, $25 million deal with an option for 2010 for $13 million.^[32] On December 6, 2009, Favre played in his 283rd consecutive game, breakingJim Marshall's long-standing record. The Vikings finished their season with a record of 12–4 and made the playoffs as the number two seed. Favre was voted to the2010 Pro Bowl, but did not participate and was replaced byTony Romo.

Free agent quarterbackMichael Vick was reinstated on July 27, 2009, after finishing his 2-year prison term and on August 13, 2009, he signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with thePhiladelphia Eagles also with an option in 2010 for 5 million.^[33] Vick finished the season with one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns. He helped the Eagles to an 11–5 record and the NFC's number six seed.

After disagreements betweenJay Cutler and theDenver Broncos management, on March 15, 2009, Cutler requested a trade from the team. On April 2, 2009, Cutler was traded to theChicago Bears from the Broncos along with a fifth-round pick in the2009 NFL draft. In return, the Broncos acquired quarterbackKyle Orton along with the Bears' first and third-round selections in 2009 also the first round pick in 2010. Later in the season on October 20, 2009, the Bears signed Cutler to a two-year, $30 million contract extension up to 2013.

TheIndianapolis Colts started the season 14–0, and theNew Orleans Saints started the season 13–0, the first time that two teams went that deep into the season without suffering a loss. Unlike the Saints who had not yet clinched home field throughout the playoffs and who legitimately lost their fourteenth game in Week 15, the Colts intentionally lost their fifteenth game in Week 16, giving an opportunity to the Jets to get into the playoffs. After setting the record for consecutive regular season wins over multiple seasons, running their mark to 23, the Colts were up at halftime at home, and then Coach Caldwell benched all his starters for the second half, allowing the Jets to win, and ruining the Colts' try at a perfect season. Indianapolis fans were incensed and heartily booed Caldwell.^[34]

On August 17, 2009Oakland Raiders head coachTom Cable was accused of punching assistant coachRandy Hanson in the face and fracturing his jaw. The incident allegedly took place on August 5 during the Raiders training camp, held in Napa. On October 22, 2009, the Napa district attorney announced that no charges would be filed against Cable.^[35] The Raiders finished their season with a record of 5–11.

On January 24, 2010, theNew Orleans Saints defeated theMinnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game in overtime by a score of 31–28. The win secured their berth inSuper Bowl XLIV, the franchise's first ever Super Bowl.

Later on February 7, the Saints defeated theIndianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl by a score of 31–17.QuarterbackDrew Brees was named the MVP.

Lou Creekmur

Creekmur played ten seasons in the NFL as an offensive tackle and guard with theDetroit Lions and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and seven-time First Team All-Pro. He died on July 5, age 82.

George McAfee

McAfee played eight seasons in the NFL as a back with theChicago Bears and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966. He was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro selection in 1941. He died on March 4, age 90.

• Chris Henry,Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver. Died on December 17, 2009, at the age of 26 after suffering from injuries after falling from the back of his pick-up truck inCharlotte, North Carolina, the previous day.^[36]

• The Atlanta Falcons accomplished their first back to back winning seasons in franchise history. They still hold the record among all major American sports leagues for the longest streak of seasons without consecutive winning seasons. The streak lasted for 43 years from1966.
• The New Orleans Saints won their first 13 games in the NFC of the regular season, breaking the record of 12 straight by the1985 Chicago Bears who also won the Super Bowl.
• The Indianapolis Colts won their 23rd consecutive regular season game with a 35–31 victory overthe Jacksonville Jaguars on December 16, 2009. The previous week, the Colts had broken the previous record (21-games) held bythe 2003–2004 New England Patriots. They lost the following week tothe New York Jets after resting many of their starters with a 15–10 lead in the third quarter of that game.^[37]
• The Denver Broncos became the third team since 1970 to miss the NFL playoffs after a 6–0 start. The other two teams to miss the playoffs since the AFL/NFL merger werethe 1978 Washington Redskins andthe 2003 Minnesota Vikings.^[38]
• The Tennessee Titans started the season losing their first six games, then, led by second-string quarterbackVince Young, won their next five games, the first NFL team to have such a turnaround.^[39]
• The Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team sincethe 1987 New York Giants to lose five consecutive games in the season after winningthe Super Bowl.
• Two teams tied an NFL record for most kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single game, with two:the Miami Dolphins (November 1, vs.the New York Jets) andthe Cleveland Browns (December 20, vs.the Kansas City Chiefs).

The St. Louis Rams finish as the NFL's tenth 1–15 or 0–16 team, giving them a record from2007 to 2009 of six wins and forty-two losses. Since a regular schedule beganin 1936, only two teams have achieved a comparably bad record over three seasons:

1. the wartime Cardinals going 1–29 between1943 and1945 if one includesCard-Pitt, and 4–27 if one only includes Cardinals seasons.
2. the 2015 to2017 Cleveland Browns, who went 4–44 over three seasons

The New Orleans Saints became the first team in NFL history to lose their last three regular season games and then go on to theSuper Bowl and win.

For the first time sincethe 1993 season, the AFC's and NFC's top seeds, theIndianapolis Colts and theNew Orleans Saints respectively, played one another in theSuper Bowl, where the Saints defeated the Colts, 31–17.

In a Week 6 game againstthe Tennessee Titans, theNew England Patriots'Tom Brady threw five touchdown passes in the second quarter, an NFL record. The Patriots led the Titans 45–0 at halftime, also a league record, before winning the game 59–0, tied for the league's largest shutout margin since the 1970AFL–NFL merger.^[40]

DeAngelo Williams andJonathan Stewart of theCarolina Panthers became the first teammates in NFL history to rush for 1,100 yards in the same season. Williams rushed for 1,117 yards, and Stewart ran for 1,133 yards.

In Week 2, theArizona Cardinals'Kurt Warner set a new NFL record for completion percentage, completing 92.3% of his passes (24 completions in 26 attempts) in a 31–17 win over theJacksonville Jaguars. The previous record had been set byVinny Testaverde in1993. If postseason games are included, the record holder isTom Brady of theNew England Patriots, who completed 26 of 28 attempts on January 12, 2008, also against the Jaguars.

In Week 13, theDenver Broncos'Brandon Marshall caught a record 21 catches in a losing effort against theIndianapolis Colts. (The record was previously held by theSan Francisco 49ers'Terrell Owens, who had 20 catches in a2001 game.)

Aaron Rodgers of theGreen Bay Packers became the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons as a starter. (Rodgers, Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers,Andrew Luck of theIndianapolis Colts, andKurt Warner of theSt. Louis Rams are the only quarterbacks to throw for 4,000 in their first season as a starter. Warner, however, passed for only 3,429 in2000. Rodgers passed for 4,038 in2008 and 4,434 in 2009.)^[41]

On January 3, 2010,Chris Johnson of theTennessee Titans became the sixth rusher in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season. Johnson also broke the all-purpose yards from scrimmage record previously held byMarshall Faulk.

In a Week 15 game against theKansas City Chiefs on December 20, 2009, theCleveland Browns'Joshua Cribbs returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, giving him eight for his career, and setting a new league record. Cribbs also became one of only two players to score two 100-plus yard touchdowns in the same game. (The feat was first accomplished byTed Ginn Jr. of theMiami Dolphins in Week 8 of the 2009 season.)

For the opening game of their new stadium, theDallas Cowboys distributed 105,121 tickets, setting an NFL record for attendance in a single game. The old mark of 103,467 occurred in October 2005 at a 49ers-Cardinals game atAzteca Stadium in Mexico.

Drew Brees of theNew Orleans Saints set an NFL record forcompletion percentage in a season. Brees was 363 of 514, a completion percentage of 70.6. (The record of 70.55% had previously been set in the strike-shortened1982 season byKen Anderson of theCincinnati Bengals. Brees sat out the last game of the 2009 season since New Orleans had secured home-field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs.)

On January 10, 2010, theArizona Cardinals defeated theGreen Bay Packers 51–45 for a combined total of 96 points, setting a new NFL playoff record for total combined points scored.^[42] This game has been given the nicknames "The Shootout", and the "Nobody Stopping Nobody Game".^[43]

On January 24, 2010, the NFC and AFC championship games averaged 52.9 million viewers, making it the most-viewed conference championship day since the two games in 1982 averaged 60.2 million viewers.Fox's telecast of theSaints' 31–28 overtime win over theVikings earned a 30.6 fast-national Nielsen rating (57.9 million viewers), marking Fox's biggest audience ever for an NFC championship game. It was also the second largest all-time audience for any conference title telecast, trailing only the1982 49ers-Cowboys game (68.7 million viewers onCBS).^[44]

Excluding Super Bowl telecasts, the Saints-Vikings game was the most-viewed television program since the "Seinfeld" finale in 1998. Meanwhile, CBS earned a 26.3 fast-national rating (46.9 million viewers) for theColts–Jets AFC championship game in the early window, marking the largest audience for an AFC title game sinceNBC earned 47.5 million viewers forPatriots–Dolphins in 1986.^[44]

Super Bowl XLIV surpassed the 1983 finale ofM*A*S*H, as the most viewed program in history. It was watched by 153.4 million people.^[45] Compelling story lines included the city ofNew Orleans and its ongoing recovery fromHurricane Katrina, as well as Colts quarterbackPeyton Manning's attempt at a secondSuper Bowl ring.

• Most points scored:New Orleans, 510
• Fewest points scored:St. Louis, 175
• Most total offensive yards: New Orleans, 6,461
• Fewest total offensive yards:Cleveland, 4,163
• Most total passing yards:Houston, 4,654
• Fewest total passing yards: Cleveland, 2,076
• Most rushing yards:New York Jets, 2,756
• Fewest rushing yards:Indianapolis, 1,294

^[48]

• Fewest points allowed:New York Jets, 236
• Most points allowed:Detroit, 494
• Most total yards allowed: Detroit, 6,274
• Fewest total yards allowed: New York Jets, 4,037
• Fewest passing yards allowed: New York Jets, 2,459
• Most passing yards allowed: Detroit, 4,249
• Fewest rushing yards allowed:Green Bay, 1,333
• Most rushing yards allowed:Tampa Bay, 2,531

^[49]

The following players were named first team All-Pro by theAssociated Press:

The following were the players of the week during the 2009 season:

The following were the players of the month during the 2009 season:

The following are the rookies of the month during the 2009 season:

Offseason

Eight teams hired new head coaches prior to the start of the 2009 season, while two made their interim coaches permanent, and another moved from one team to another after being fired by a team:

In-season

The following coaches were fired during the 2009 season:

Offseason

In-season

The 2009 season was the first season for the newCowboys Stadium inArlington, replacingTexas Stadium inIrving.

Dolphin Stadium was renamedLand Shark Stadium after a naming rights deal was signed with the Land Shark beer that was sold atJimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant chain.

This season also served as the last season forGiants Stadium, as both theNew York Giants andJets moved intoa new stadium for 2010. The Giants exited with an auspicious 41–9 loss to Carolina on December 27, while the Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a 37–0 score in the season finale on Sunday night, January 3, 2010.

After having no major uniform changes for the2008 NFL season, the trend of at least one major uniform change per season among the 32 teams returned with two major uniform changes, as well as one with some minor modifications.

TheSan Francisco 49ers, who had been long-rumored to be returning to their1964–1995 uniforms (and have had the red variation of those uniforms as theirthird uniform sincethe 2002 season) did so forthis season.^[52] The team returned to a brighter, scarlet red and a less metallic "49ers gold" as its team colors, replacing the darker cardinal red and the more metallic "49ers gold" which the team has worn since it last overhauled their uniforms in1996.^[53] The new uniforms were unveiled on April 25, 2009.

TheJacksonville Jaguars got new uniforms forthe 2009 season.^[54][55] Team ownerWayne Weaver reportedly wanted to "clean up" the look, feeling that the team has too many uniform styles.^[55] The changes aren't a complete overhaul, but similar to theAtlanta Falcons andMinnesota Vikings' recent overhauls.^[54] The new uniforms were introduced at a press conference on April 22.^[56]

TheDetroit Lions designated their popular 1950s-era throwbacks as theirthird uniform and completely dropped their unpopular black jerseys.^[57] The team had not worn the throwbacks from 2005 to 2007 to make room for theMatt Millen-designated black jerseys. In addition, the team unveiled a new helmet logo on April 20, updating "Bubbles" with a fiercer look and wordmark, with modified uniforms. Those logos were accidentally leaked by NFL.com in their online shop, then quickly removed on March 23, 2009.^[58]

Besides the above-mentionedthrowbacks for the 50th anniversary season of the AFL, theTampa Bay Buccaneers wore their "Creamsicle" throwbacks for the November 8 home game against the Green Bay Packers, in conjunction with the creation of the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.^[59] The Buccaneers defeated the Packers 38–28, the only home game the team won in 2009.

TheSt. Louis Rams wore their1973–1999 blue uniforms in select home games to honor former ownerGeorgia Frontiere, who died in early 2008 (too late to inform the NFL about wearing a throwback uniform in her honor duringthe 2008 season; the team instead opted for a memorial patch) and also celebrate the tenth anniversary of their win inSuper Bowl XXXIV.^[60] Ironically, the Ramscut ties with its last two remaining offensive players from the "Greatest Show on Turf" era during the offseason by releasingOrlando Pace andTorry Holt forsalary cap reasons plus opting for a rebuilding mode after a 2–14 season in 2008 (second only tothe Lions'historic 0–16 season) and no trips to the postseason sincethe 2004 season.Defensive endLeonard Little is the only player remaining who wore the pre-2000 uniforms again in 2009. These uniforms were worn on October 11 against the Vikings and December 20 against the Texans.

TheCleveland Browns,Dallas Cowboys,Minnesota Vikings, andPittsburgh Steelers retained their throwback alternates worn in previous seasons. TheAtlanta Falcons wore replicas of their first season uniforms from1966, in lieu of their all-black uniforms. The Tennessee Titans wore a Number 9decal on the back of their helmets to honor former Titans quarterbackSteve McNair, who was killed on July 4, while thePhiladelphia Eagles wore a decal with the initials ofJim Johnson, their longtime defensive coordinator who died on July 28. TheSeattle Seahawks also unveiled alime green jersey with blue shoulders, to pay tribute tothe new Major League Soccer team with whom they shareQwest Field. The jersey No. 71 was retired for former offensive linemanWalter Jones on December 9, 2009.

TheMiami Dolphins, after a four-year hiatus, brought back their alternate orange jerseys and wore them against the New York Jets on October 12.

This was the fourth season under thetelevision contracts with the league's television partners:CBS (all AFC Sunday afternoon away games and oneThanksgiving game),Fox (all NFC Sunday afternoon away games and one Thanksgiving game),NBC (16 Sunday night games and the kickoff game),ESPN (17 Monday night games over sixteen weeks),NFL Network (eight late-season games on Thursday and Saturday nights, including one Thanksgiving game and aChristmas night game), andDirecTV'sNFL Sunday Ticket package. These agreements with CBS, Fox and DirecTV were extended two years through the 2013 season on May 19, 2009, and NBC's contract was also extended through that same season on August 19 of the same year; these extensions were done so they all coincided with the 2013 expiration date on ESPN's contract.

CBS celebrated their 50th season of NFL coverage; CBS has covered NFL games from 1956 to 1993 and again from 1998 to the present. Ironically, CBS which was ordered by the NFL not to give American Football League scores during its NFL broadcasts of the 1960s, now covers the AFC, while Fox covers the NFC. This season was also the fortieth consecutive season thatMonday Night Football has been a permanent part of the NFL schedule, though the league had played games on Monday night sporadically before this.Monday Night Football originally aired onABC before switching toESPN in 2006, when the two networks' sports operations were merged. The first Monday night of the regular season featured two AFL Original Eight games, a doubleheader with the Bills at the Patriots and the Chargers at the Raiders.

NFL Network continued to have coverage disputes with major cable providers. In particular,Comcast, the largest cable provider in the United States, was considering removing the network from its lineups on April 30, 2009, shortly after the draft but before the start of the preseason. Comcast was carrying the network on a digital sports tier and negotiations continued past the April 30 deadline as NFLN would continue on Comcast, which ended with a resolution on May 19 that could open the door for other major cable providers such asCablevision andCox to carry the network on a what would be equal to Comcast's digital classic tier, with around 10 million subscribers.^[61] However, the most notable holdout,Time Warner Cable, still is nowhere near a deal.^[62] Additionally, the NFL Network created a new "Red Zone Channel" starting with the season openers September 13. Comcast-ownedVersus has signed a deal to carryUnited Football League games on Thursday nights; the tail end of the UFL schedule overlapped with the first few weeks of the Thursday night NFL package. In related news, the NFL has reached a settlement withDISH Network over the satellite provider's decision to move NFL Network to a higher tier. NFL Network has also dropped the use of the names "Run to the Playoffs" and "Saturday Night Football", opting to standardize all of its broadcasts under the "Thursday Night Football" banner. The Saturday night and Friday night games airing on the network was marketed as "Thursday Night Football Special Edition".

This was also the first NFL season after theDTV transition in the United States, which had originally been scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009, but was delayed until June 12, 2009. Hawaiʻimade the digital switchover on January 15, 2009.^[63] (Low-power translators will still be allowed to broadcast in analog until at least 2012, and cable providers will continue to distribute analog signals for the foreseeable future.)

After fifty seasons as a player, coach, broadcaster and video game maven,John Madden retired on April 16 from his position onSunday Night Football.Cris Collinsworth moved from NFL Network to NBC to assume Madden's in-game analyst role withAl Michaels;Matt Millen replaced Collinsworth on NFL Network, whileTony Dungy andRodney Harrison replaced Collinsworth andJerome Bettis as studio analysts on NBC'sFootball Night in America pregame show. In addition,Tony Kornheiser leftMNF and former Raiders andBuccaneers coachJon Gruden replaced him.

In radio, it was reported that the league was exploring ending its contract withWestwood One or sharing games with another network due to Westwood One's financial problems. TheSports USA Radio Network,ESPN Radio andSporting News Radio were mentioned as possible partners;Fox Sports Radio was notably excluded from consideration. Sports USA currently carries Sunday afternoon games by agreement with individual teams, while ESPN carries theNBA andMajor League Baseball, the latter causing a potential schedule conflict betweenSunday Night Football andSunday Night Baseball, plus the MLB Playoffs. Sunday night,Monday night,Thanksgiving and all otherThursday and Saturday games are covered by the contract.^[64] Of the offers, Westwood One was the high bidder (and reportedly the only one offering guaranteed money), ESPN requested a longer-term deal, the Sporting News offered a revenue-sharing plan in lieu of rights fees, and Sports USA was described as a "long shot".^[65] After a restructuring shored up the company's financial situation, Westwood One in March 2009 earned a two-year extension for all of the night games, paying US$33,000,000 for the two-year deal.^[66]

In addition to the official feature game package, three networks will carry nationwide radio broadcasts of Sunday afternoon games. The newest such network isCompass Media Networks, which has signed deals with eight teams. Sports USA and Westwood One will carry games from the other 24 teams.Dial Global, which previously backed Sports USA's coverage in 2008, will instead handle Compass's package for 2009.

• 2010 NFL Record and Fact Book(PDF).National Football League. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on July 21, 2011. RetrievedApril 11, 2014.
• Schedule ofAmerican Football League Legacy Games
• ESPN.com article onAFL Legacy Games
• USA TODAY series on the American Football League
• Sports Illustrated ~ "Where are They Now" ~ American Football League
• NFL.com article "Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the American Football League"
• 2009 NFL season at ESPN
• 2009 NFL season at Pro-Football Reference
• 2009 NFL season at Sports Illustrated
• 2009 NFL season at NFL.com
• Football Outsiders 2009 Statistical Year in Review

• 2009 NFL season
• 2009 in American football
• NFL seasons
• 2009 in American sports

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