Whereas 28 groups will play in Week 7, 4 groups will get a bye week as they regroup and sit up for the remainder of the season.
The bye groups present selection: two have began the season properly, whereas the opposite two haven’t had the season they anticipated to this point.
However with every week off, how can these teams regroup and enhance for the remainder of 2026, or proceed their success for the remainder of the season?
Bye Week Roundup: Week 7
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The primary workforce on its Week 7 bye is Buffalo, off to a fantastic begin.
They sit at 5-1 and lead the AFC East, although the Patriots are proper there at 4-2.
Joe Brady’s first season as head coach has been polarizing offensively, with the Payments main the NFL in factors per sport at 32.8. Even crazier, s, making them the primary workforce in NFL historical past to have four-plus wins regardless of permitting 30-plus factors via six video games.
On that notethat be aware, although, Buffalo’s protection has been a lot much less spectacular. The Payments are permitting 28.5 factors per sport, the twenty eighth most within the NFL via six weeks. They’re additionally thirty first in touchdowns allowed and thirty first in passing yards allowed per sport.
With the commerce deadline looming, Buffalo may have to deal with its protection. its protection
As for the elite offense, Josh Allen continues to be ridiculous, finishing 1,504 passes for 1,504 yards and 4 interceptions. He’s additionally run 48 occasions for 240 yards and 4 touchdowns, with a 62.5% success fee on his runs.
James Prepare dinner continues to carry it down within the backfield for Buffalo, with 117 dashing makes an attempt, 627 yards, and 6 touchdowns. He’s transformed 35 first downs on his runs this season.
Tyler Bass’s return has additionally been a welcome addition, as he’s transformed all 13 of his field-goal makes an attempt to this point and 18 of 20 extra-point makes an attempt.
The Payments have few negatives from an offensive and special-teams perspective. The season’s final result will hinge solely on the protection, and with the bye week developing, that must be Buffalo’s focus.
Get this protection proper, and the Payments have a reliable probability at profitable a Tremendous Bowl in February.
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Between the end-of-overtime debacle within the Giants sport and a 1-4-1 file, n to this point, heading into their bye week.
A wholesome Jayden Daniels was speculated to deliver higher fortune this season, however issues hhaven’tgone to plan for the Commanders.
Much more regarding, the one win got here with out Daniels, and the.
Washington isn’t notably good on both aspect of the ball: twenty first in factors per sport (22.0) and twenty ninth in factors allowed per sport (28.7).
The Commanders are tied for first in turnover differential at plus-six however nonetheless have a minus-40 level differential, which appears tough, however they’re doing it.
They haven’t any dashing weak point, as Jacory Croskey-Merritt leads the workforce with 239 yards on 67 makes an attempt, and Rachaad White is second with 145 yards on 36 makes an attempt.
Daniels hasn’t been nice, however he’s not horrible both, finishing 64.7% of his passes for 759 yards and 5 touchdowns. On the plus aspect, he hasn’t thrown an interception but in 2026.
The Commanders nonetheless have a thorn of their aspect: Laremy Tunsil went down earlier than the season began, and n on Monday night time, ending his season.
Washington appears directionless proper now, with extra questions than solutions. Dan Quinn’s destiny as head coach will doubtless be the primary domino to fall, however many extra questions will comply with.
As for the remainder of the 2026 season, the Commanders will doubtless slog to the end line.
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The Jaguars could also be coming off a troublesome loss to the Texans in London, however the 2026 season has began properly in Jacksonville.
They sit 4-2 and prime the AFC South as they enter their bye week, rating top-ten in each factors scored and allowed per sport.
The Jaguars rating 25.7 factors per sport (eighth within the NFL) and permit 17.3 (third within the NFL), making them a formidable opponent on each side of the ball.
Trevor Lawrence has been nice, finishing 65.2% of his passes for 1,480 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions; his working again Bhayshul Tuten is stable as properly.
Within the receiving sport, Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, and Brenton Unusual have led the best way.
The 2 actual negatives have been Brian Thomas Jr.’s play, which has virtually utterly stopped the cross protection as an entire.
Regardless of rating third in factors allowed,y. A few of that might be from taking part in forward loads, however they nonetheless want to repair it.
Regardless of the few negatives, Jacksonville seems like a workforce that may preserve taking part in properly into January.
So long as they keep wholesome, this bye week must be about relaxation, as a result of most of what the Jaguars have finished below Liam Coen has labored. Now they need to preserve doing these issues, and it must be one other 10-plus-win season in Duval County.
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And now for final and positively least, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Calling the 2026 season a catastrophe can be an understatement, because the Chargers have reached their bye week and nonetheless hhaven’twon a sport. They’re 0-6.The
The McDaniel experiment has been horrible, and the offensive line has been even worse.
Regardless of being s (third lowest within the league), the Chargers permit the best strain fee within the NFL at 46%, and Justin Herbert has been sacked on 10.4% of dropbacks, the 2nd-highest fee within the league.
General, they rank thirtieth in factors per sport (15.0) and twenty second in factors allowed per sport (25.2).
The 2026 Chargers are additionally the primary workforce for the reason that 2009 Titans to begin 0-6, common 115 or fewer factors per sport, and quit 15-plus giveaways via these six video games. That Titans workforce recovered to complete 8-8, however the identical destiny doubtless doesn’t await this Los Angeles workforce.
ddoesn’t020 Herbert has been essentially the most pressured, sacked, and hit quarterback within the NFL, and nothing appears to be altering for the Chargers.
He’s been dangerous, sure, however how a lot of the blame is on the quarterback when the workforce fails him time and again?
General, Herbert has accomplished 59.4% of his passes in 2026 for 1.141 yards, 5 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
The Chargers’ main rusher is Omarion Hampton, however hhe’saveraging simply 3.6 yards per carry behind his offensive line.
There aren’t many good issues to say in regards to the Chargers proper now, and for a workforce that misplaced simply six video games in 2025, being 0-6 at your week seven bye week is an unmitigated catastrophe. There’s no different means round it.
As of proper now, the Chargers and Dolphins are the one two winless groups remaining within the NFL (Miami is 0-5 and had every week six bye week), and they’ll meet in Miami on Sunday, Dec 27, the place the loser may very properly be in line to pick out first within the 2027 NFL Draft.
Because it stands, that is perhaps the largest sport left on the Chargers’ schedule.
As for this bye week and what comes after, the Chargers will play the Rams on Nov 1 as they attempt to win their first sport of the season.
The Final Phrase
Groups with bye weeks in Week 7.
Buffalo and Jacksonville have heaps to sit up for, whereas Washington has been disappointing and injured but once more, however they might have some shock wins up their sleeve because the season winds down.
As for the Chargers, they’re in a league of their very own in terms of disappointing seasons, they usually’ve had virtually no positives to this point in 2026.
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see the place these groups land as the remainder of the 2026 season unfolds. Will Los Angeles and Washington have new coaches/coordinators? Will Buffalo lastly recover from the hump below Brady? Can Jacksonville actually ascend right into a premier AFC contender?
We’ll have to attend and see.
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Predominant Photograph: Kirby Lee-Imagn Photos
