NFL Week 6 Byes: Every Team that's off this week

Week 5 in the NFL kicked off the first round of byes. Last week, the Browns, Chargers, Seahawks, and Rams took a very early break to go back to the drawing board. Unfortunately for them, this means they must now play 13 straight games without a break to close out the 2023 season.

For those teams who ultimately enter the postseason, that stretch of games will likely be even longer. The only exception would be if one of these teams finished first place in their respective conference.

In addition to bye weeks kicking off last week, the NFL now has the ability to flex games in and out of primetime slots. This is something we could really see come into play in the following weeks as disappointing teams could be flexed out of night games in favor of more interesting matchups.

Week 6 begins the second round of byes. This time, there are only two teams who don't have to play football this week.

Which NFL teams have a bye in Week 6?

According to ESPN, the two teams on a bye this week are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers. The Steelers somehow found a way to start the season 3-2 despite getting blown out twice in their first five games, while the Packers recently dropped to 2-3 following a narrow loss to the Raiders on Monday Night Football in Week 5.

These two teams are currently floating around .500 and will have a chance to go back to the drawing board sooner than most of their opponents.

The timing might be perfect for Pittsburgh. The Steelers have struggled mightily on offense, and they will now have a chance to iron out the kinks. Additionally, they lost two of their best players to injuries in Week 1 as WR Diontae Johnson and DL Cameron Heyward both went down with soft tissue injuries. Johnson is expected to return against the Rams following the Week 6 bye, while Heyward could return shortly after.

Meanwhile, the Packers unfortunately lost LT David Bakhtiari for the season with a knee injury. However, they could be getting Aaron Jones back soon. He was inactive in Week 5 due to a hamstring injury, but the bye will give the running back a bit more time to rest up before returning to the field.

NFL bye weeks are stretched out from Week 5 all the way to Week 14, and there are pros and cons to having either an early or a late bye. For the Steelers and Packers, this break probably came at the right time.

They will now have two weeks to prepare for their next opponent as they both look for ways to reach 'contender' status following the Week 6 bye.