What NFL Teams have a Bye Week 7? Everyone who's out for this week
Four NFL teams will sit out Week 7 of the 2026 season
The NFL season is moving into another crucial stretch, and Week 7 brings a break for four teams as the race for playoff positions continues to develop.
The Buffalo Bills , Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders will not play this week, leaving fans to focus on the 14 matchups scheduled between Thursday, October 22, and Monday, October 26.
Bye weeks are built into the NFL's 18-week regular-season schedule, allowing every team to take one week off while still playing 17 games.
For teams dealing with injuries or inconsistent performances, the break can be particularly valuable. However, it also means supporters will have to wait another week to see their teams back in action.
The four teams taking a break in Week 7 enter it with very different storylines. Buffalo and Jacksonville have made encouraging starts to the campaign, while Washington and Los Angeles have more significant concerns to address before returning to the field.
Which NFL teams are on a bye in Week 7?
The following four teams will be inactive during Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-2
- Los Angeles Chargers: 0-6
- Washington Commanders: 1-4-1
Those records, reported ahead of Week 7, underline the contrast between the teams. The Bills are among the strongest performers so far, and the Jaguars have also put themselves in a promising position.
The Chargers , meanwhile, have struggled to get their season moving, while Washington will have an opportunity to regroup after a difficult opening stretch.
For Buffalo , the timing of the bye could be useful. With a 5-1 record, the Bills have established themselves as contenders, and the extra week provides an opportunity to recover physically and prepare for the challenges ahead. Their supporters will have to wait until Week 8 to see them return to the schedule.
Jacksonville also heads into the break with a winning record. At 4-2, the Jaguars have given themselves a solid platform for the remainder of the season, although the bye does not guarantee that their momentum will continue once they return. They will need to use the time effectively before resuming their campaign.
The situation is rather different for the Chargers . A winless 0-6 start has left Los Angeles with plenty of work to do, and the bye provides a chance for the coaching staff to assess what has gone wrong.
Whether the additional preparation time can help them turn their season around remains to be seen.
Washington, sitting at 1-4-1, also has important questions to answer. The Commanders will have a week to evaluate their performances and look for ways to become more competitive when they return.
What else should fans know about the Week 7 schedule?
While those four teams are away from the action, the rest of the league faces a busy weekend. The schedule includes several matchups that could influence divisional races and the wider playoff picture.
Thursday night's game sees the New England Patriots visit the Chicago Bears . Sunday's slate features the Cincinnati Bengals against the Baltimore Ravens, the Green Bay Packers taking on the Detroit Lions, and the Kansas City Chiefs travelling to face the Seattle Seahawks .
The week concludes on Monday night when the Dallas Cowboys meet the Philadelphia Eagles .
These games provide an opportunity for teams to strengthen their positions while Buffalo, Jacksonville, Los Angeles and Washington watch from the sidelines. With the season still developing, a strong performance in Week 7 could prove important as the competition for postseason places intensifies.
The bye-week calendar will continue in the coming weeks, with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers scheduled to sit out Week 8. Later breaks will be spread across the season, with no teams scheduled for a bye in Week 12 or during Weeks 15 through 18.
For now, the focus is on the four teams taking a breather. Buffalo and Jacksonville will look to preserve their promising starts, while the Chargers and Commanders will hope the pause helps them address their problems. All four will return in Week 8, when the NFL schedule resumes and the push toward the second half of the season continues.
