NFL Bye Weeks 2026
NFL bye weeks 2026 run from Week 5 to Week 14. Every team sits out exactly one week, so ten of the eighteen weeks have fewer than sixteen games, and pick’em players need to know which teams are missing before they fill in a sheet. Below is the full 2026 bye week schedule by week and by team, plus what byes mean for pick’em, confidence and survivor pools.
2026 NFL bye weeks by week
| Week | Dates | Games | Teams on bye |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 5 | Oct 8 to Oct 12 | 15 | Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs |
| Week 6 | Oct 15 to Oct 19 | 14 | Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings |
| Week 7 | Oct 22 to Oct 26 | 14 | Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders |
| Week 8 | Oct 29 to Nov 2 | 14 | Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers |
| Week 9 | Nov 5 to Nov 9 | 15 | Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans |
| Week 10 | Nov 12 to Nov 16 | 14 | Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Week 11 | Nov 19 to Nov 23 | 13 | Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks |
| Week 13 | Dec 3 to Dec 7 | 14 | Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets |
| Week 14 | Dec 10 to Dec 14 | 15 | Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys |
Weeks 1 to 4, Week 12 and Weeks 15 to 18 have no byes and a full 16-game slate. Week 11 is the lightest week of the season with six teams off and only 13 games.
2026 NFL bye weeks by team
| Team | Bye | Team | Bye |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | Week 14 | Las Vegas Raiders | Week 13 |
| Atlanta Falcons | Week 11 | Los Angeles Chargers | Week 7 |
| Baltimore Ravens | Week 13 | Los Angeles Rams | Week 11 |
| Buffalo Bills | Week 7 | Miami Dolphins | Week 6 |
| Carolina Panthers | Week 5 | Minnesota Vikings | Week 6 |
| Chicago Bears | Week 10 | New England Patriots | Week 11 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Week 6 | New Orleans Saints | Week 8 |
| Cleveland Browns | Week 11 | New York Giants | Week 8 |
| Dallas Cowboys | Week 14 | New York Jets | Week 13 |
| Denver Broncos | Week 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | Week 10 |
| Detroit Lions | Week 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Week 9 |
| Green Bay Packers | Week 11 | San Francisco 49ers | Week 8 |
| Houston Texans | Week 8 | Seattle Seahawks | Week 11 |
| Indianapolis Colts | Week 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Week 10 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Week 7 | Tennessee Titans | Week 9 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Week 5 | Washington Commanders | Week 7 |
What bye weeks mean for pick’em pools
- Fewer games, fewer points. A 13-game week caps at 13 correct picks. Weekly winners are decided by one or two games, so the tiebreaker matters more.
- Confidence pools shrink. The top number equals the game count: 14 in a 14-game week, 13 in Week 11. Do not assign a 16 in a bye week; online pools block it and paper pools void it.
- Teams coming off a bye have had two weeks to rest and prepare. Historically they win slightly more often than average, especially at home. It is a small edge, not a rule.
- Survivor planning. Map your survivor picks around byes. A team you are saving for Week 11 is no use if it is one of the six teams off that week.
Bye weeks and printable sheets
The free printable pick’em sheets only list the games that are actually played, so a bye week sheet is shorter and the confidence column tops out at the right number. The weekly games pages name the teams on bye in each week’s questions.
Make your picks around the byes
Every week page on this site skips bye teams automatically, and every pool created here counts the right number of games. Start a free pool or check this week’s games.
NFL bye weeks 2026 questions
How many bye weeks does each NFL team get?
One. The 2026 regular season is 18 weeks with 17 games per team.
Which weeks have no byes in 2026?
Weeks 1 to 4, Week 12 and Weeks 15 to 18.
Which week has the most teams on bye?
Week 11, with six teams off and 13 games.
Do teams play better after a bye?
Slightly. Rest and extra preparation help, and home teams off a bye have a modest edge over the long run.
Does a bye count as a loss in pick’em?
No. Teams on a bye are simply not on that week’s sheet, and the maximum score drops to the number of games played.
Can the bye week schedule change?
Rarely, only if the league moves games for weather or other events. This page follows the official schedule and is updated each season from the same data as the week pages.