# Real-Time NFL Scoreboard (`fresh_cliff/nfl-scores-api`) Actor

Get real-time NFL scores, game schedules, team stats, and live game data. Export to JSON/CSV. No authentication required using No-API Protocol with mirror fallbacks for reliable football data extraction.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fresh\_cliff/nfl-scores-api.md
- **Developed by:** [Brennan Crawford](https://apify.com/fresh_cliff) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$12.99/month + usage

To use this Actor, you pay a monthly rental fee to the developer. The rent is subtracted from your prepaid usage every month after the free trial period. You also pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher Apify subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#rental-actors

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## NFL Scores API - Real-Time Games, Teams & Stats

Extract real-time NFL scores, game schedules, team statistics, and live game data using No-API Protocol. Zero authentication required with mirror fallbacks for reliable football data extraction.

### Features

- 🏈 **Real-time NFL Scores** - Live game data and scores
- 📅 **Game Schedules** - Current and upcoming games
- 🏟️ **Team Statistics** - Home/away teams and venues
- 🔄 **Mirror Fallbacks** - Multiple data sources for reliability
- 📊 **Export Options** - JSON/CSV data export
- 🔍 **Team Filtering** - Filter by specific teams
- ⚡ **No Authentication** - Public data extraction

### Use Cases

- **Sports Betting** - Real-time odds and scores
- **Fantasy Football** - Player performance tracking
- **Sports Analytics** - Team statistics analysis
- **News Monitoring** - Live game updates
- **Data Research** - Historical game data

### Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `week` | string | "current" | NFL week number (1-18) or "current" |
| `season` | integer | 2024 | NFL season year |
| `teamFilter` | string | "" | Team abbreviations (e.g., "NE,DAL,NYG") |
| `includeFinished` | boolean | true | Include completed games |
| `includeLive` | boolean | true | Include games in progress |
| `includeUpcoming` | boolean | true | Include scheduled games |
| `useMirrorFallbacks` | boolean | true | Enable mirror site fallbacks |

### Output Format

```json
{
  "game_id": "game_1_1642694400",
  "home_team": "KC",
  "away_team": "BUF", 
  "home_score": 24,
  "away_score": 20,
  "game_status": "Final",
  "quarter": "4th",
  "time_remaining": "0:00",
  "game_date": "2024-01-15",
  "stadium": "Arrowhead Stadium",
  "week": "current",
  "season": 2024,
  "source": "nfl",
  "extracted_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}
```

### No-API Protocol

This scraper follows the No-API Protocol:

- ✅ Zero authentication required
- ✅ HTTP requests only (no browsers)
- ✅ Mirror fallbacks for reliability
- ✅ Public data sources
- ✅ 6-month rule compliance

### Data Sources

- ESPN NFL Scoreboard
- NFL.com Scores
- CBS Sports
- Yahoo Sports
- Mirror sites via Jina AI

### Deployment

```bash
## Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

## Test locally
python test_scraper.py

## Deploy to Apify
apify push
```

### Actor URL

https://console.apify.com/actors/nfl-scores-api

### Support

For issues and feature requests, please use the Apify Console support channel.

***

**Built with No-API Protocol for maximum reliability and zero authentication requirements.**

# Actor input Schema

## `week` (type: `string`):

Specific week number (1-18) or 'current' for this week

## `season` (type: `integer`):

NFL season year (e.g., 2024)

## `teamFilter` (type: `string`):

Filter by specific team abbreviations (comma-separated, e.g., 'NE,DAL,NYG')

## `includeFinished` (type: `boolean`):

Include games that have already finished

## `includeLive` (type: `boolean`):

Include games currently in progress

## `includeUpcoming` (type: `boolean`):

Include games scheduled for future

## `useMirrorFallbacks` (type: `boolean`):

Enable mirror sites as fallback when main site is blocked

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "week": "current",
  "season": 2024,
  "teamFilter": "",
  "includeFinished": true,
  "includeLive": true,
  "includeUpcoming": true,
  "useMirrorFallbacks": true
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fresh_cliff/nfl-scores-api").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fresh_cliff/nfl-scores-api").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call fresh_cliff/nfl-scores-api --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fresh_cliff/nfl-scores-api"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/yRNtjgmdPYgzU2G2q/builds/1ohUWVff15Ze1oh0q/openapi.json