The 2026 NFL season is rolling, and while every team gets their break, our Seattle Seahawks are officially hitting their bye week in Week 11. That’s a key spot on the calendar for head coach Mike Macdonald and his crew, especially with how late it comes in the league’s bye schedule.
The Grind Before The Break
Listen, every squad in the league plays 17 games across an 18-week schedule. That’s a long haul, right? Bye weeks kick off in Week 5 and stretch all the way through Week 14. For the boys in the Emerald City, pushing through to Week 11 before getting that rest means Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp will have been in the thick of it for a solid chunk of the season. That Week 11 breather for our Hawks, alongside the Falcons, Browns, Packers, Rams, and Patriots, comes after a sustained period of action. Oh, and get this: no team takes a breather in Week 12, so it is a solid block of football leading up to our time off.
Across the League’s Off Weeks
While we’re locked in on our Hawks, it is worth a quick look at how the rest of the NFL schedule shakes out for bye weeks. Week 5 sees the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs get their breaks. Then it is the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. Week 7 is for the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington Commanders. In Week 8, you’ve got the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers on bye. Week 9 is just the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans. Week 10 brings the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers off the field. After Week 11, the only teams left for a bye are the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Jets in Week 13, with the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys wrapping up the bye weeks in Week 14.
Getting that Week 11 break is clutch, giving Macdonald and offensive coordinator Brian Fleury a crucial chance to regroup. After that, it is all about finishing strong, with no more scheduled pauses. You know our guys are gonna come out firing.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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