The final bye week of the 2025 NFL season arrives in Week 14, with four teams off the schedule to rest and reset ahead of the late-season stretch leading up to the postseason. Notably, there was no bye in Week 13 because of the packed Thanksgiving slate.
Here’s a look at which teams get their designated week off and what it means for the league’s playoff race.
Which Teams Enter Week 14 As NFL Bye Weeks?
Four teams are on bye in Week 14, which is also the last set of byes for this NFL season:
- New England Patriots
- Carolina Panthers
- San Francisco 49ers
- New York Giants
New England Patriots
The Patriots head into their Week 14 bye with the NFL’s best record at 11-2 and a 10-game winning streak that has completely flipped the franchise’s outlook after back-to-back 4-13 seasons.
Second-year quarterback Drake Maye has moved from promising young starter to legitimate MVP candidate, putting up another 282 yards, two touchdowns, and a 126.0 passer rating in a comfortable win over the Giants in Week 13.
New England still has questions about its lack of a dominant run game, but Maye’s command at the line of scrimmage and ability to manage around an injury-hit offensive line have covered up a lot.
The bye comes at a good time. With a projected 56.3% chance at the No. 1 seed according to PFSN’s NFL Football Playoff Meter (FPM) and key run of games ahead, the focus during the break is on getting back players from the injured list more than anything else.
Next games: Bills, Ravens, Jets, Dolphins
Carolina Panthers
Carolina’s bye arrives with the Panthers back in the NFC South race and finally trending toward their first winning season under owner David Tepper. At 7-6, they sit just behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have already stacked statement wins over the Cowboys, Packers, and Rams.
Bryce Young delivered one of the best performances of his career against Los Angeles, completing 15 of 20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns while posting the second-best passer rating in franchise history. Young was ranked No. 1 in PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi) rating in Week 13 with an 82.9 score.
MORE: 2025 NFL QB Rankings: Lamar Jackson Continues to Drop, Patrick Mahomes Rises into Top 10
Defensively, the Panthers were missing key pieces, so the bye is about recovering and giving themselves a real shot at turning a 7-6 start into a division title or, at the very least, a legitimate Wild Card run.
Next games: Saints, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Buccaneers
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers hit their Week 14 bye at 9-4 after a win in Cleveland that summed up their season: battered, but still extremely dangerous. San Francisco shut out the Browns 16-0 in the second half, leaned on its depth along the defensive line and special teams, and looked completely unfazed by injuries.
San Francisco sits with a strong 90.4% chance of making it to the postseason, according to PFSN’s playoff metric, and remains in the tough NFC West fight. If they come out of the break relatively healthy, they still have the profile of a team no one will want to see in January.
Next games: Titans, Colts, Bears, Seahawks
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New York Giants
For the Giants, the Week 14 break is less about a playoff run and more about stopping the bleeding. New York is 2-11, eliminated from postseason contention, and riding a seven-game losing streak after a 33-15 defeat to the Patriots.
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was back from a concussion, took another series of heavy hits, leading to a brawl between the Giants and Patriots players. The focus for the Patriots now shifts to how they protect and develop Dart while reshaping a roster that has fallen behind the rest of the NFC. The priority during the bye is to lay the groundwork to become more competitive in 2026.
Next games: Commanders, Vikings, Raiders, Cowboys
Once the league returns in Week 15, all 32 teams will be in action through the end of the regular season, and every game will carry postseason implications. The sprint to January starts now.
