Bye-Week Blues? Not This Year for Packers

It’s not who you play, but when you play them. Here’s when the Green Bay Packers will be playing their opponents in Week 18.

Bill Huber | Jun 20, 2024

Lambeau Field / Tork Mason-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In 2022, the NFL schedule-makers threw the Green Bay Packers a bone and hit them right in the eye.

Before a primetime game at the powerful Bills, Buffalo was given a bye week. A couple weeks later, before a big showdown against Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys, Dallas was given a bye week. Heading out of their bye, the Packers faced the Los Angeles Rams, who were coming off a Thursday game.

In 2024, the schedule-makers threw the Packers a bone again. This time, it was a T-bone. Not once will the Packers face a team coming off its bye week.

In the context of it’s not who you play but when you play them, here’s a look at the when-you-play-them part of the equation.

Week 1 (Sept. 6): at Eagles (Brazil): Season opener.

Week 2 (Sept. 15): vs. Colts, noon: The Packers will get two extra days to shake off any jet lag before facing Indianapolis, which will host the Texans in Week 1.

Week 3 (Sept. 22): at Titans, noon: No advantages; Tennessee will be playing a second consecutive home game after hosting the Jets in Week 2.

Week 4 (Sept. 29) vs. Vikings, noon: No advantages; Minnesota will be coming off a two-game homestand against the 49ers and Texans.

Week 5 (Oct. 6): at Rams, 3:25 p.m.: No advantages; Los Angeles will be coming off a game at the Bears. The Rams’ bye will come in Week 6.

Week 6 (Oct. 13): vs. Cardinals, noon: No advantages; Arizona will be coming off a game at the 49ers. Its bye will be in Week 11.

Week 7 (Oct. 20): vs. Texans, noon: No advantages; Houston will be coming off a game at the Patriots and won’t have its bye until Week 14. It is perhaps worth noting the Packers could get some advance-scouting working done because they watched the Texans while getting ready for games against the Colts and Vikings.

Week 8 (Oct. 27): at Jaguars, noon: No advantages from a time perspective, though Jacksonville will be coming off back-to-back games in England against the Bears and Patriots and won’t have its bye until Week 12.

Week 9 (Nov. 3): vs. Lions, 3:25 p.m.: No advantages; Detroit will be coming off a home game against the Titans. The Lions had their bye in Week 5.

Week 10: Bye.

Week 11 (Nov. 17): at Bears, noon: Obviously, the Packers will get the one-week edge. The Bears had their bye in Week 7 and will be coming off a home game against the Patriots. Teams coming off their bye went 20-12 last year

Week 12 (Nov. 24): vs. 49ers, 3:25 p.m.: No advantages; the 49ers will be coming off a home game against the 49ers. San Francisco’s bye came in Week 9.

Week 13 (Nov. 28): vs. Dolphins (Thanksgiving), 7:20 p.m.: No advantages, with both teams on a short week. The Dolphins will be coming off back-to-back home games against the Raiders and Patriots. Their bye was in Week 6. It’s a bit surprising that the home team on Thursday night is just 43-44 the last five years.

Week 14 (Dec. 5): at Lions (TNF), 7:15 p.m.: Both teams will be at full rest for their Thursday night game; the Lions will be coming off their Thanksgiving game against the Bears. Their bye was way back in Week 5.

Week 15 (Dec. 15): at Seahawks (SNF), 7:20 p.m.: The Packers will have the advantage of their three-day mini-bye. Seattle will be coming off a game at Arizona. Like the Packers, the Seahawks’ bye came in Week 10.

Week 16 (Dec. 23): vs. Saints (MNF), 7:15 p.m.: No advantages; the Saints will be coming off a game against the Commanders. Their bye week was in Week 12.

Week 17 (Dec. 29): at Vikings, noon: The Vikings will be at home while the Packers will be at a one-day rest disadvantage. Minnesota will be coming off a game at the Seahawks. Its bye was in Week 6.

Week 18 (Jan. 4 or 5): vs. Bears, time TBA: This time, the Bears will have the rest advantage – a three-day edge following their Thursday night home game against Seattle. Their bye was in Week 7.

The schedule is out. And the #Packers' final record is etched into granite with certainty matched only by death and taxes. ⬇️https://t.co/Dl5A7aCxPp
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) May 16, 2024

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Published May 16, 2024|Modified Jun 20, 2024

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.