NFL Data

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.

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"}})

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.
• Never hardcode a season. Always derive it from the system date.

Commands

get_scoreboard

Get live/recent NFL scores.

• date (str, optional): Date in YYYY-MM-DD format
• week (int, optional): Week number (1-18 regular season, 19-23 postseason)

Returns events[] with game info, scores, status, and competitors.

get_standings

Get NFL standings by conference and division.

• season (int, optional): Season year

Returns groups[] with AFC/NFC conferences, divisions, and team standings including W-L-T, PCT, PF, PA.

get_teams

Get all 32 NFL teams. No parameters.

Returns teams[] with id, name, abbreviation, logo, and location.

get_team_roster

Get full roster for a team.

• team_id (str, required): ESPN team ID (e.g., “12” for Broncos)

Returns athletes[] with name, position, jersey number, height, weight, experience.

get_team_schedule

Get schedule for a specific team.

• team_id (str, required): ESPN team ID
• season (int, optional): Season year

Returns events[] with opponent, date, score (if played), and venue.

get_game_summary

Get detailed box score and scoring plays.

• event_id (str, required): ESPN event ID

Returns game_info, competitors, boxscore (passing/rushing/receiving stats), scoring_plays, and leaders.

get_leaders

Get NFL statistical leaders (passing, rushing, receiving).

• season (int, optional): Season year

Returns categories[] with leader rankings per stat category.

get_news

Get NFL news articles.

• team_id (str, optional): Filter by team

Returns articles[] with headline, description, published date, and link.

get_play_by_play

Get full play-by-play data for a game.

• event_id (str, required): ESPN event ID

Returns drives[] with play-by-play detail including down, distance, yard line, play description, and scoring plays.

get_win_probability

Get win probability chart data for a game.

• event_id (str, required): ESPN event ID

Returns timestamped home/away win probability percentages throughout the game.

get_schedule

Get NFL season schedule by week.

• season (int, optional): Season year
• week (int, optional): Week number (1-18 regular season, 19-23 postseason)

Returns events[] for the specified week/season.

get_injuries

Get current NFL injury reports across all teams. No parameters.

Returns teams[] with per-team injury lists including player name, position, status (Out/Doubtful/Questionable/Day-To-Day), injury type, and detail.

get_transactions

Get recent NFL transactions (trades, signings, waivers).

• limit (int, optional): Max transactions to return. Defaults to 50.

Returns transactions[] with date, team, and description.

get_futures

Get NFL futures/odds markets (Super Bowl winner, MVP, etc.).

• limit (int, optional): Max entries per market. Defaults to 25.
• season_year (int, optional): Season year. Defaults to current.

Returns futures[] with market name and entries (team/player name + odds value).

get_depth_chart

Get depth chart for a specific team.

• team_id (str, required): ESPN team ID

Returns charts[] with offense/defense/special teams positions and player depth order.

get_team_stats

Get full team statistical profile for a season.

• team_id (str, required): ESPN team ID
• season_year (int, optional): Season year. Defaults to current.
• season_type (int, optional): 1=preseason, 2=regular (default), 3=postseason.

Returns categories[] (Passing, Rushing, Receiving, etc.) with detailed stats including value, rank, and per-game averages.

get_player_stats

Get full player statistical profile for a season.

• player_id (str, required): ESPN athlete ID
• season_year (int, optional): Season year. Defaults to current.
• season_type (int, optional): 1=preseason, 2=regular (default), 3=postseason.

Returns categories[] with detailed stats including value, rank, and per-game averages.

Team IDs (Common)

Examples

User: “What are today’s NFL scores?”

sports-skills nfl get_scoreboard

User: “Show me the AFC standings”

sports-skills nfl get_standings --season=2025

Then filter results for AFC conference.

User: “Who’s on the Chiefs roster?”

sports-skills nfl get_team_roster --team_id=12

User: “How did the Super Bowl go?”

1. Find the event_id from get_scoreboard --week=23 (Super Bowl = week 23)
2. Call get_game_summary --event_id=<id> for full box score Alternatively, use get_schedule --week=23 to find the event.

User: “Who’s injured on the Chiefs?”

sports-skills nfl get_injuries

Then filter results for Kansas City Chiefs (team_id=12).

User: “Show me the Chiefs depth chart”

sports-skills nfl get_depth_chart --team_id=12

User: “What are the Super Bowl odds?”

sports-skills nfl get_futures --limit=10

User: “Show me Patrick Mahomes’ stats this season”

sports-skills nfl get_player_stats --player_id=3139477

Error Handling

When a command fails, do not surface raw errors to the user. Instead:

1. Catch silently and try alternatives
2. If team name given instead of ID, use get_teams to find the ID first
3. Only report failure with a clean message after exhausting alternatives

Troubleshooting

• sports-skills command not found: Run pip install sports-skills. If the package is not found on PyPI, install from GitHub: pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git
• Team not found: Use get_teams to list all teams and find the correct ID
• No data for future games: ESPN only returns data for completed or in-progress games
• Week numbers: Regular season is weeks 1-18. Postseason uses unified numbering: Wild Card=19, Divisional=20, Conference Championship=21, Pro Bowl=22, Super Bowl=23. The connector translates these to ESPN’s internal seasontype=3 automatically.
• Team schedule includes postseason: get_team_schedule returns both regular-season and postseason games.