Each season, NFL teams and fans have their eyes on the schedule release every May. Players keep an even closer eye on when their team’s bye week falls.
The bye week has become a pivotal point of the season, as it gives teams a much-deserved break from one of the most physically demanding sports in America. Along with that, teams hoping to make a playoff push often prefer a later bye week to give themselves a better chance of being healthy come playoff time.
The bye week is a double-edged sword: too early, and a team risks running out of steam in the ensuing weeks of the season. Too late, and a team may already be too banged up to compete due to the lack of rest earlier in the season.
Here’s a look at the order of bye weeks for all 32 teams in the NFL for the 2026 season.
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NFL bye weeks 2026
The NFL's bye week for 2026 will be announced as part of the league's schedule release on May 14. Bye weeks will begin in Week 5 and run through Week 14, except during Week 12. That weekend happens to be Thanksgiving weekend, so all 32 teams around the league will be in action at some point.
Below is a week-by-week look at when each NFL team has its bye in 2026:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Carolina Panthers
Kansas City Chiefs
Week 6
Cincinnati Bengals
Detroit Lions
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
Week 7
Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers
Washington Commanders
Week 8
Houston Texans
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers
Week 9
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
Week 10
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 11
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Rams
New England Patriots
Seattle Seahawks
Week 12
Week 13
Baltimore Ravens
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
New York Jets
Week 14
Arizona Cardinals
Dallas Cowboys
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
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When do NFL bye weeks start?
With the modern league format of an 18-week season, bye weeks start in Week 5. Scheduling them has grown to become a larger challenge with the increase of international games. Traditionally, the league attempts to gift teams that play overseas a bye week either before or after their matchup to adjust back to the time zones.
The current NFL bye week system keeps the pattern of having all 32 teams play during the first and last four weeks of the season. In recent years, since the inclusion of the 18th week, the NFL Players Association and team owners have been pushing for another bye week to guarantee the most rest for a team and less risk of injury.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork in Arizona: Several owners continued to champion a potential 18-game season. pic.twitter.com/DA3csC3W17
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 30, 2026
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How are NFL bye weeks determined?
Determining when each team gets a bye week has grown increasingly difficult with the increase of games outside of the U.S. Traditionally, bye weeks came just before or after a team had a lengthy travel duration. With more teams traveling outside of the country for games in places like Germany, England, and Brazil this season, some squads may have to wait longer into the season in order to get their break.
According to the league, the NFL's schedule makers "consider bye weeks and travel to maintain competitive equity." If one team is forced to travel at a higher frequency without a break, it is assumed they will not be as rested come game day. Therefore, the league does everything in its power to even out travel with a bye week.
The NFL's 32 teams have their bye weeks fit into a 10-week span from Weeks 5 through 14, with the exception of Week 12 this year. Therefore, that leaves an average of 3.2 byes per week.
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