NFL Week 15: Which NFL teams have a bye this week?
The sprint to the NFL postseason is officially on as Week 15 is upon us. Four weeks remain in the extended regular season, and the playoff races in both conferences are chaotic, to say the least.
Every NFL team has at least three losses and the playoff picture could change drastically every week over the next month until the postseason arrives.
One thing fans may have noticed is that a handful of teams were given a late bye in Week 14. So what is the bye situation in Week 15?
Which NFL teams have a bye in Week 15?
The answer to that is no one. The bye weeks are officially over, leaving a four-week stretch of a complete NFL schedule.
Every team has been given their week of rest this year and the next opportunity for a bye is by landing the top spot in either the AFC or NFC. Of course, teams that miss the NFL postseason will get a full offseason of rest starting in January.
What Week 15 does feature is a schedule with games on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Play starts Thursday with an AFC West showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.
This game also has major implications for the overall AFC playoff picture.
The playoff picture is equally chaotic in both conferences.
Each conference has…
3-way tie for best record (1st time thru Week 14 since 1970)
13 teams in a playoff spot, or within 1 game of one
5 teams with the same record vying for a Wild Card spot (7-6 in AFC, 6-7 in NFC) https://t.co/V9Op1VYeqx
A Chiefs win may give them the division and keep them in the race for the AFC's lone playoff bye. But a Chargers win adds that squad to the mix atop the AFC and only increases their possibilities.
Two games are being played Saturday with the first being between the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns. Both teams are alive in the playoff race, but a Raiders loss drops them to 6-8.
A win would put both of these teams at 7-7.
Saturday night's game is one NFL fans around the world will have their eyes on. The New England Patriots are squaring off against the Indianapolis Colts, looking to cement their status as the AFC's top team.
Mac Jones and the Patriots are a perfect 6-0 on the road this season and yet another win away from home may mean Bill Belichick's team is the clear top team in the conference.
The race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC is on!
Will anyone overtake the New England @Patriots? https://t.co/gengB62R06
The only 'rough' game in the primetime schedule comes Monday with the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears playing on ESPN. The Vikings have slim playoff hopes, while the Bears are just trying to see how long Matt Nagy will keep his job.
Unfortunately, Monday night games cannot be flexed out like the ones on Sunday night can.
No bye in Week 15 means 16 NFL games at a time when nearly the entire league is in playoff contention. The fantasy football playoffs are underway as well, so it is going to be a fun finish to the year over the next four weeks.
Also check out: Complete Monday Night Football Schedule 2021