The NFL season is long and grueling, making every break in the schedule meaningful. Fans watching early games often wonder when their favorite team will get a breather. Some assume byes could appear as soon as September, but that is not the case this year.
Here’s a look at when every team gets its annual “bye week.”
When Do NFL Bye Weeks Begin in 2025?
Every NFL͏ ͏team͏ gets one bye week a season͏, a moment designed for both recovery and recalibration. It is a week without a game that allows both players and coaches to regroup. Coaches use this time to adjust strategies͏, while players typically rest before heading back into the grind.
NFL 2025 Bye Weeks Graphic. pic.twitter.com/wKgDmcY3mV
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For 2025, the bye͏ weeks do not begin until Week 5͏,͏ which means no teams will have a͏ bye scheduled ͏during Week 3. The͏ league has ͏structured them to run͏ from͏ Week 5 through Week 14, with the ͏unique exception ͏that Week 1͏3 has no byes at͏ all.
The number of teams resting varies each week,͏ creating ͏both scheduling ͏quirks and competitive balance challenges.
20͏25 NF͏L Bye Week Schedule
- Week 5: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Week 6: Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings
- Week 7: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills
- Week 8:͏ Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions͏,͏ Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los ͏Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
- Week 9: Cleveland Browns͏, New York Jets͏, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Week 10: ͏Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans
- Week 11͏: Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints
- Week 12: Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami͏ Dolphins, Washington Commanders
- Week 14͏: Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, ͏New ͏York Giants, San ͏͏Francisco 49er͏s
Week 8 is͏ the most ͏crowded bye week of the season, with six teams ͏taking the week off. In ͏contrast, Weeks 6, 7, and͏ 11 each have only two teams resting.͏ ͏This ͏uneven setup͏ makes some weeks ͏packed ͏with action while others have a noticeably smaller slate of games.
2025 NFL Bye Weeks: Complete Schedule, Fantasy Football Impact, and More
One notable detail is that Week 13͏ does not include any byes. By that point in the season, playoff ͏races are typically heating up, and every team is scheduled to play. This͏ setup raises the stakes, making the competition even more intense during a decisive stage of͏ the year.
Notably, Week 13 is also Thanksgiving, so the NFL will have three Thursday games and one on Black Friday, in addition to a regular Sunday slate and Monday Night Football.
For coaches and͏ players, bye weeks go beyond ͏being simple pauses in the season. They offer a chance to ͏regroup, heal from injuries, and͏ refine game plans.͏ For fans, the schedule provides insight into exactly when their team will be off the field.
