1966 NFL season

The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the season after which was played Super Bowl I, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, thus an odd number of teams (making byes necessary). This was the last season that NFL teams were divided into just two groups called conferences, and only one round of playoffs was played, the NFL championship game between the two conference champions. The season concluded with Super Bowl I. The NFL Green Bay Packers defeated the AFL Kansas City Chiefs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a score of 35-10.

The league awarded an expansion franchise to the city of Atlanta on June 30, 1965. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle granted ownership of the Atlanta Falcons to Rankin Smith, Sr. The Falcons were awarded the first pick in the 1966 NFL draft, as well as the final pick in each of the first five rounds. The league also provided the Falcons with an expansion draft six weeks later.