The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players’ strike reduced the 16-game season to 15.

The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players. 85% of the veteran players did not cross picket lines during the strike.

The replacement player teams were given mock names like “Chicago Spare Bears”, “San Francisco Phoney Niners”, “New Orleans Saint Elsewheres”, “Washington ScabSkins”, and “Seattle Sea-scabs”. Final television revenues were down by about 20%, a smaller drop than the networks had expected. The defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants went 0-3 in replacement games, ultimately costing them a chance to make the playoffs and repeat their championship.