There is plenty to take away from the initial reading of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 schedule, but one of the points that stood out the most to me was the bye week, mainly because of how quickly it pops up as you scan the list of 18 regular-season weeks of NFL action.
If the placement of the off
week during the second week of October felt oddly early to you, it’s because it is!
Week 5 is the earliest any NFL team can be scheduled for a bye week, and that has been the case since the 17-game schedule was introduced leading into the 2021 season. Prior to that, teams could be scheduled as early as Week 4, so even the Week 5 bye given to Kansas City during the 2016 season was not as early in the calendar as it could have been.
The 2010 season was the last time the NFL scheduled the Chiefs’ bye week as early as possible, in Week 4.
In most seasons, the bye week is in a neutral spot on the calendar, like Week 10 last season. However, it is interesting to note the results of seasons under head coach Andy Reid when it did come uniquely early:
- 2024: Week 6. The Chiefs entered the off week 5-0 and rattled off four straight wins out of the break. However, the one-score wins proved to be fool’s gold more and more as the season wore on, and the wheels fell off hard in the end when the team was blown out of Super Bowl LIX.
- 2016: Week 5. The Chiefs went back and forth, winning and losing, and held a 2-2 record entering the bye. Coming out of it, Kansas City went on a five-game winning streak, ultimately won the AFC West, but failed to win the low-scoring Divisional round game at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers after earning a postseason bye.
- 2014: Week 6. It was clear the Chiefs needed the early bye week in 2014 after key defenders, linebacker Derrick Johnson and defensive lineman Mike DeVito, both suffered season-ending injuries in the season opener. The team stumbled to 2-3, then shot out of the bye week with five straight wins. Unfortunately, this team sputtered out and failed to make the postseason.
On the flip side, each of Kansas City’s three Super Bowl championships came with a different bye week.
2019: Super Bowl LIV benefitted from having the bye in Week 12; the Chiefs didn’t lose a game after entering the off week 7-4.
2022: Super Bowl LVII had the earliest bye week of the three years; after the Week 8 break, the Chiefs lost just one game the rest of the season through February.
2023: Super Bowl LVIII came after a Week 10 bye, and Kansas City certainly did not finish the season strong after starting with a 7-2 record. The team was 4-5 in the regular season after the week off, but turned it on for four straight playoff victories.
A positive spin
The benefits of a bye week later in the season are clear, especially for a team that can be trusted to be in the playoff race year in and year out. A veteran, experienced championship contender would like the rest to come closer to the postseason, when bagging injuries and ailments are more common.
That said, there is a world where quarterback Patrick Mahomes benefits from the early rest. He is going to push to start every game for the Chiefs this season, and it’s hard to doubt his intentions, but it’s also impossible to know how well his surgically-repaired knee holds up right out of the gate in a live-action, intense game.
If it is sore through the first quarter of the season, Week 5 being open may help Mahomes finish the season stronger than if he were unable to take that break until after something like 9 or 10 games.
Are you concerned about the early bye week? Do you think the players and coaches would prefer a later week off? Let us know in the comments!
