2026 NFL schedule release: How do travel, rest, prime time and outdoor games impact teams?
Do teams with the most short weeks have a disadvantage?
When teams have to follow up a Sunday game with a Thursday game the next week, or a Monday game with a Saturday or Sunday game, these are considered short weeks — because there are fewer than six days off between games. In 2026, the Bears and Bills will each have six short weeks, the most in the NFL. Should they be bracing themselves for a rough ride?
Based on what transpired in 2025, perhaps. The Commanders and Eagles each had five games on a short week in 2025, tied for the most in the NFL. The Commanders went 0-5 while the Eagles went 3-2. Some teams apparently weren’t fazed at all by this challenge, though; the Seahawks, Broncos and Cowboys all went 3-0 in games on a short week in 2025, tied for the best record in the NFL.
The picture further back looks even more encouraging. Over the past 10 seasons, there were two more teams that played five games on short weeks: the 2024 Ravens and 2020 Bills. And, like the Eagles last season, those two teams won their respective divisions.
John Harbaugh’s old team, the Ravens, went 22-8 on a short week over the last 10 seasons, the best record in the NFL during that span. Which is good news for his new team, the Giants, who own a league-worst 8-20 record on a short week in that time period.
