Why aren’t the Kansas City Chiefs playing on week 6?

If you’re checking the schedules for when the Kansas City Chiefs play this weekend, you can stop now. Patrick Mahomes and company are getting a rest in week 6 of the 2024 NFL season, with this being their bye week. That means they’ll going into week 7 undefeated, and that’s a tasty matchup as they play the 49ers in a repeat of last season’s Super Bowl, which the Chiefs won 25-22.

The Niners are now 3-3 having beaten the Seahawks 36-24 on Thursday night.

Why is this the Chiefs bye week?

Every team in the NFL has one bye week throughout the regular season. This week, along with the Chiefs, it’s the turn of the Rams, the Dolphins and the Vikings.

While the NFL doesn’t publish the precise reasons how they pick each team’s bye week, they do explain that: “Each team has one bye week assigned and many teams have a specific number of cross-country games scheduled (as determined by the standard formula at the conclusion of the previous season), stadium conflicts and other operational obstacles in their schedule. The scheduling teams aim to balance these operational elements while still trying to maximize fan viewership“

The Chiefs were away to the Saints on Monday night, meaning their bye week stops them from rushing back to play with a day less than usual.

Bye week information

Here’s how to take advantage of bye weeks for your fantasy football.

Here’s the list of all the bye weeks this season.