The NFL API: free data, community docs and EndzoneAPI

The options

• nflverse data

  The open data behind the R and Python NFL ecosystem, published as files on GitHub releases: play-by-play with EPA, player and team stats, schedules with closing lines, rosters, injuries, depth charts, snap counts, Next Gen Stats, PFR advanced stats and FTN charting.

  CC-BY 4.0. Last pushed 2026-10-01. Files, not an HTTP API.

• nflfastR

  The R package that builds nflverse's play-by-play with the EPA, win probability and CPOE models.

  MIT. Last pushed 2026-10-14.

• nflreadr and nflreadpy

  The loaders for nflverse's files: nflreadr for R and nflreadpy for Python, with caching and the same function names (load_pbp, load_schedules, load_injuries and more).

  Both MIT. nflreadr last pushed 2026-09-17; nflreadpy 2026-10-08, and its README marks it experimental.

• nfl_data_py

  The older Python loader for the same data.

  MIT. Archived. Its README says it is deprecated in favour of nflreadpy and that no more maintenance is planned. Last pushed 2025-09-25.

• ESPN site and core APIs

  The endpoints ESPN's own apps use: scoreboards, teams, and a per-game summary with plays grouped by drive, a win probability series and odds, plus sports.core.api.espn.com for events and odds by provider.

  Live. Free, no key. On 2026-10-14 the scoreboard returned 14 games, and the summary for a 2025 week 1 game held 169 plays in 16 drives with no EPA field. No ESPN documentation or published terms.

• akeaswaran's ESPN endpoint list

  A community gist listing the ESPN endpoint paths for NFL and other sports.

  Unofficial. Created 2017-12-05, last updated 2026-10-12.

• pseudo-r/Public-ESPN-API

  Community documentation of ESPN's site and core endpoints across sports, with reference code.

  MIT. Last pushed 2026-09-30. It says it is not affiliated with ESPN, offers no hosted API, and that an endpoint being reachable is not permission to reuse the data.

• api.nfl.com

  The NFL's own data host behind its site and apps.

  Returned 401 without credentials on 2026-10-14. We found no public documentation or sign-up.

• BALLDONTLIE

  A paid multi-sport API that lists the NFL among its sports, with a free tier and an official MCP server.

  On 2026-10-14 its site listed Free at $0 a month per sport (5 requests a minute), All-Star at $9.99, GOAT at $39.99, and All-Access for every sport at $299.99.

Side by side

Example call

Kansas City's third-down plays inside the 20 in week 1 of 2025, limited to one. With nflverse you load the whole season's play-by-play and filter it yourself.

curl -X POST https://mcp.endzoneapi.com/v1/get_plays \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
  "season": 2025,
  "week": 1,
  "posteam": "KC",
  "red_zone": true,
  "third_down": true,
  "limit": 1
}'

{"data": {"plays": [{"game_id": "2025_01_KC_LAC", "play_id": 1613, "season": 2025, "week": 1, "posteam": "KC", "defteam": "LAC", "qtr": 2, "time": "05:36", "down": 3, "ydstogo": 9, "yardline_100": 9, "yrdln": "LAC 9", "play_type": "pass", "desc": "(5:36) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes sacked at LAC 17 for -8 yards (0-D.Henley).", "yards_gained": -8, "epa": -1.1660043, "wpa": -0.057088077, "wp": 0.23161049, "vegas_wp": 0.37103462, "success": 0, "first_down": 0, "touchdown": 0, "interception": 0, "fumble_lost": 0, "sack": 1, "penalty": 0, "penalty_type": null, "shotgun": 1, "no_huddle": 0, "pass_length": null, "pass_location": null, "air_yards": null, "yards_after_catch": null, "run_location": null, "run_gap": null, "cpoe": null, "xpass": 0.97642094, "passer_player_id": "00-0033873", "passer_player_name": "P.Mahomes", "rusher_player_id": null, "rusher_player_name": null, "receiver_player_id": null, "receiver_player_name": null, "posteam_score": 0, "defteam_score": 10, "score_differential": -10, "drive": 7, "drive_result": "Field goal", "series_result": "Field goal"}], "summary": {"plays": 1, "epa_total": -1.17, "epa_per_play": -1.166, "success_rate": 0}, "count": 1, "next_offset": 1}}

Responses are wrapped in a data object. get_plays costs 10 credits, and the summary covers the plays returned.

Use the free NFL data sources instead if

• You work in R or Python and are happy loading files. nflverse is free, openly licensed, and is where EndzoneAPI's play-by-play comes from.
• You want every column of every play at once for a whole-history model. The files are the fastest way to get that.
• You need live, in-game scores. EndzoneAPI publishes each game the morning after it is played.
• You are building a quick personal scoreboard and can live with ESPN's endpoints changing under you.
• You want ESPN's own extras, such as news, articles and video links, which EndzoneAPI does not carry.

Questions

Sources

• nflverse data (CC-BY 4.0)
• nflfastR on GitHub
• nflreadpy on GitHub
• nfl_data_py deprecation notice
• ESPN scoreboard endpoint
• Community list of ESPN endpoints
• pseudo-r/Public-ESPN-API
• BALLDONTLIE pricing

Checked October 14, 2026.

See the data