Every year when the new NFL schedule drops, fans of every team are anxious to discover when their favorite team will have their bye week. The bye week is a chance for teams to rest up from their bumps and bruises before a breakless stretch of games to close out the year.
It's also a time when coaches can go back to the drawing board and make adjustments to things that have not gone well early in the season.
When it comes to bye weeks, there's usually a sweet spot in the middle of the season for it to fall -- far enough out as to not make the final stretch of the season too unbearable and not too far that teams don't have time to take a break and make adjustments.
Most teams don't want to get stuck with a very early or very late bye. Unfortunately, because of the way the NFL schedule is laid out, this is unavoidable for some teams. This year, the earliest bye week will come in Week 5 and the latest will be in Week 14.
Here's a look at when all 32 NFL teams will have their bye week following the 2024 NFL schedule release.
2024 NFL bye week schedule:
Week 5:
- Detroit Lions
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tennessee Titans
Week 6:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Rams
- Miami Dolphins
- Minnesota Vikings
Week 7:
- Chicago Bears
- Dallas Cowboys
Week 8:
No bye weeks; every team is playing
Week 9:
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- San Francisco 49ers
Week 10:
- Cleveland Browns
- Green Bay Packers
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Seattle Seahawks
Week 11:
- Arizona Cardinals
- Carolina Panthers
- New York Giants
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 12:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnatti Bengals
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Jets
Week 13:
No bye weeks; every team is playing
Week 14:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Denver Broncos
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- New England Patriots
- Washington Commanders
Much to their regret, the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee Titans were stuck with the dreaded Week 5 bye. This means that their bye will come after just four games and that these teams must play 13 straight games without a break to close out the 2024 season (not to mention any potential playoff game that could follow.
For other teams, it's just the opposite. The Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Washington Commanders will be forced to play 13 games in a row to open the season before they are allowed to take a week of rest.
This year, teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks get the advantage of having their bye week in the middle of the 2024 season. These teams each have either a Week 9 or Week 10 bye.