/nfl-data

name: nfl-data
description: |
  NFL data via ESPN public endpoints plus an nflverse backend for schedules, weekly rosters, play-by-play, and normalized player/team stat tables. Zero config, no API keys.

  Use when: user asks about NFL scores, standings, team rosters, schedules, game stats, box scores, play-by-play, injuries, transactions, betting futures, depth charts, team/player statistics, or NFL news.
  Don't use when: user asks about football/soccer (use football-data), college football (use cfb-data), or other sports.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: machina-sports
  version: "0.1.0"

NFL Data

Before writing queries, consult `references/api-reference.md` for endpoints, ID conventions, and data shapes.

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If `pip install` fails (package not found or Python version error), install from GitHub:

pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git

The package requires Python 3.10+. If your default Python is older, use a specific version:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

For nflverse-backed commands (`get_nflverse_*`), install the NFL extra:

pip install sports-skills[nfl]

On Python 3.10+ this installs `nflreadpy` (the preferred backend) plus `pyarrow`, which is needed for most nflverse data beyond schedules. On Python 3.9 it installs `nfl-data-py` instead, since `nflreadpy` requires 3.10+.

The `nfl-data-py` backend is a reduced fallback: it cannot serve `get_nflverse_team_stats`, which returns an explanatory error there. Use Python 3.10+ for full nflverse coverage.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills nfl get_scoreboard
sports-skills nfl get_standings --season=2025
sports-skills nfl get_teams

Python SDK (alternative):

from sports_skills import nfl

scores = nfl.get_scoreboard({})
standings = nfl.get_standings({"params": {"season": "2025"}})

CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:

• Season year is derived from the system prompt's `currentDate` — never hardcoded.
• If only a team name is provided, call `get_teams` to resolve the team ID before using team-specific commands.

Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g., `currentDate: 2026-02-16` → current year is 2026).

• **If the user specifies a season**, use it as-is.
• **If the user says "current", "this season", or doesn't specify**: The NFL season runs September–February. If the current month is March–August, use `season = current_year` (upcoming season). If September–February, the active season started in the previous calendar year if you're in Jan/Feb, otherwise current year.

Commands

| Command | Description | |---|---| | `get_scoreboard` | Live/recent NFL scores | | `get_standings` | Standings by conference and division | | `get_teams` | All 32 NFL teams | | `get_team_roster` | Full roster for a team | | `get_team_schedule` | Schedule for a specific team | | `get_game_summary` | Detailed box score and scoring plays | | `get_leaders` | NFL statistical leaders | | `get_news` | NFL news articles | | `get_play_by_play` | Full play-by-play for a game | | `get_win_probability` | Win probability chart data | | `get_schedule` | Season schedule by week | | `get_injuries` | Injury reports across all teams | | `get_transactions` | Recent transactions | | `get_futures` | Futures/odds markets | | `get_depth_chart` | Depth chart for a team | | `get_team_stats` | Team statistical profile | | `get_player_stats` | Player statistical profile | | `get_nflverse_schedule` | nflverse-backed schedules/results table (carries `espn_event_id`) | | `get_nflverse_weekly_rosters` | nflverse-backed weekly rosters | | `get_nflverse_player_stats` | nflverse-backed player stats — season totals by default | | `get_nflverse_team_stats` | nflverse-backed team stats — season totals by default | | `get_nflverse_play_by_play` | nflverse-backed play-by-play rows |

See `references/api-reference.md` for full parameter lists and return shapes.

Shaping Wide nflverse Results

nflverse tables are wide: one week of `get_nflverse_player_stats` is ~960 rows with 100+ stat columns (millions of characters). Every `get_nflverse_*` command accepts `sort_by`, `descending`, `limit` and `fields` so you can ask for just the rows you need:

# Week 5 passing leaders, 5 rows, 2 stat columns
sports-skills nfl get_nflverse_player_stats --season=2025 --week=5 --position=QB \
  --sort_by=passing_yards --limit=5 --fields=passing_yards,attempts

• `sort_by`: one column to sort by. Numbers (and numeric strings) sort numerically; missing values always go last.
• `descending`: `true` (default) or `false`; only used with `sort_by`.
• `limit`: positive integer, applied after sorting.
• `fields`: comma-separated keep-list. The identity columns below and the `sort_by` column are always kept.
• An unknown `sort_by`/`fields` column returns an error listing the valid columns.
• With any of these set, the response adds `total_rows` (matching rows before `limit`) and `returned_rows`. With none set, output is unchanged. They are applied after the fetch, so they never change the upstream request or its replay entry.
• Stat columns inside `stats` (e.g. `passing_yards`) are addressable directly; `fields` keeps `stats` as an object holding only the selected keys.

| Command | Always kept by `fields` | |---------|-------------------------| | `get_nflverse_player_stats` | `player_id`, `player_name`, `position`, `team`, `week` | | `get_nflverse_team_stats` | `team`, `season`, `week`, `game_id` | | `get_nflverse_play_by_play` | `play_id`, `game_id` | | `get_nflverse_weekly_rosters` | `player_id`,