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, transac

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: If pip install fails (package not found or Python version error), install from GitHub: The package requires Python 3.10+. If your default Python is older, use a specific version: No API keys required. For nflverse backed commands ( get nflverse ), install the NFL extra: 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: Python SDK (alternative): 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. Using ESPN and nflverse Together The two backends use different identifier systems. get nflverse schedule is the bridge: each event carries espn event id , which is exactly the ESPN event ID. To combine nflverse analytics (EPA, win probability, betting lines) with ESPN detail (box scores, drives) for the same game: 1. Call get nflverse schedule(season=..., week=...) . 2. Read espn event id off the event you want. 3. Pass it as event id to get game summary , get play by play , or get win probability . Two things that do not line up automatically: Team abbreviations. ESPN uses LAR and WSH ; nflverse uses LA and WAS . The get nflverse functions accept either and translate. Going the other way (nflverse → ESPN), resolve via get teams . Player IDs. ESPN athlete IDs and nflverse GSIS IDs ( 00 0033873 ) are unrelated, and no crosswalk is available. Match on name plus team instead. Field to watch on schedule rows: total is the combined points actually scored, while total line is the betting over/under. Use total line for market work. Examples Example 1: Today's scores User says: "What are today's NFL scores?" Actions: 1. Call get scoreboard() Result: All live and recent NFL games with scores and status Example 2: Conference standings User says: "Show me the AFC standings" Actions: 1. Derive season year from currentDate 2. Call get standings(season=<derived year ) 3. Filter results for AFC conference Result: AFC standings table with W L T, PCT, PF, PA per team Example 3: Team roster User says: "Who's on the Chiefs roster?" Actions: 1. Call get team roster(team id="12") Result: Full Chiefs roster with name, position, jersey number, height, weight Example 4: Super Bowl box score User says: "How did the Super Bowl go?" Actions: 1. Call get schedule(week=23) to find the Super Bowl event id 2. Call get game summary(event id=<id ) for full box score Result: Complete box score with passing/rushing/receiving stats and scoring plays Example 5: Injury report User says: "Who's injured on the Chiefs?" Actions: 1. Call get injuries() 2. Filter results for Kansas City Chiefs (team id=12) Result: Chiefs injury list with player name, position, status, and injury type Example 6: Player statistics User says: "Show me Patrick Mahomes' stats this season" Actions: 1. Derive season year from currentDate 2. Call get player stats(player id="3139477", season year=<derived year ) Result: Season stats by category with value, rank, and per game averages Example 7: nflverse weekly rosters User says: "Give me the Week 1 Chiefs roster from the data table backend" Actions: 1. Derive season year from currentDate 2. Call get nflverse weekly rosters(season=<derived year , week=1, team="KC") Result: Weekly roster rows normalized for team, player, position, jersey, and status Example 8: nflverse play by play User says: "Pull Bills Week 3 play by play" Actions: 1. Derive season year from currentDate 2. Call get nflverse play by play(season=<derived year , week=3, team="BUF") Result: Play rows with game id, down/distance, description, EPA, WP/WPA, and score state Commands that DO NOT exist — never call these ~~ get odds ~~ / ~~ get betting odds ~~ — not available. For prediction market odds, use the polymarket or kalshi skill. ~~ search teams ~~ — does not exist. Use get teams instead. ~~ get box score ~~ — does not exist. Use get game summary instead. ~~ get player ratings ~~ — does not exist. Use get player stats instead. If a command is not listed in the Commands table above, it does not exist. 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 Error: sports skills command not found Cause: Package not installed Solution: Run pip install sports skills . If not on PyPI, install from GitHub: pip install git+https://github.com/machina sports/sports skills.git Error: nflverse backend unavailable Cause: Optional NFL backend extra not installed Solution: Install sports skills[nfl] so the nflverse provider ( nflreadpy or compatibility fallback) is available Error: Team not found by ID Cause: Wrong or outdated ESPN team ID used Solution: Call get teams to get the current list of all 32 NFL teams with their IDs Error: No data returned for a future game Cause: ESPN only returns data for completed or in progress games Solution: Use get schedule to see upcoming game details; get scoreboard only covers active/recent games Error: Postseason week number returns no results Cause: Postseason uses unified week numbers (19 23) that differ from regular season Solution: Use week 19 for Wild Card, 20 for Divisional, 21 for Conference Championship, 23 for Super Bowl

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