The 2026 NFL Schedule features 272 games, played on six different days of the week across 18 weeks in eight different countries. This creates a number of interesting quirks and wrinkles related to travel and timing.
Below, I've examined some key trends to get a sense of how they've influenced results across the league over the years -- which, in turn, might provide a hint of what's in store this season.
How do teams from the Pacific time zone handle the dreaded 1 p.m. ET road game?
There are five teams that play all of their home games in the Pacific time zone: the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. (Because Phoenix , the Arizona Cardinals are aligned with the Pacific time zone teams for a portion of the year, but they continue to officially be on Mountain Standard Time.) Conventional wisdom holds that it is especially challenging for a team based in the Pacific time zone to play a game in the Eastern time zone that begins at 1 p.m. local time -- which translates to 10 a.m. PT, obviously an unusually early kickoff for one's body clock. In reality, the five PT-based teams in the NFL won more of these games than they lost in 2025 (combined record of 10-7), with two squads going undefeated: the Seahawks (4-0) and 49ers (2-0).
In 2026, the Seahawks have just two road games at 1 p.m. local time in the Eastern time zone, the same number as the division-rival 49ers. The Chargers and Raiders each have three such games. The Rams are currently slated for two such games, but their Week 17 matchup with the Buccaneers has yet to have a game time set, so that could increase their number to three.
How do the teams that traveled the most miles fare on the season?
We won't know which team will travel the most miles in 2026 until actual itineraries are set, as some teams with back-to-back road dates in the same part of the country stay near those locations, thus reducing their total distance covered. But it will almost surely be either the 49ers or Rams, given their Week 1 meeting in Melbourne, Australia.
Racking up the road time does not necessarily spell doom. Of the teams that finished each of the past 10 seasons with the most miles traveled, seven finished with winning records and six reached the playoffs. But just one of those squads actually won a postseason game: the 2021 49ers, who traveled 28,260 miles, logged a 10-7 record and registered two playoff victories before bowing out in the NFC title match. Perhaps not surprisingly, each of those 10 teams hailed from either the AFC West or NFC West. The Chargers took the travel crown in 2025 and '24, finishing 11-6 and losing in the Wild Card Round each time. So, if the road kings of 2026 do emerge from the NFC West -- as I predicted above -- it would fit the pattern.
Do teams with the most short weeks have a disadvantage?
When teams have to follow up a Sunday game with a Thursday game the next week, or a Monday game with a Saturday or Sunday game, these are considered short weeks -- because there are fewer than six days off between games. In 2026, the Bears and Bills will each have six short weeks, the most in the NFL. Should they be bracing themselves for a rough ride?
Based on what transpired in 2025, perhaps. The Commanders and Eagles each had five games on a short week in 2025, tied for the most in the NFL. The Commanders went 0-5 while the Eagles went 3-2. Some teams apparently weren't fazed at all by this challenge, though; the Seahawks, Broncos and Cowboys all went 3-0 in games on a short week in 2025, tied for the best record in the NFL.
The picture further back looks even more encouraging. Over the past 10 seasons, there were two more teams that played five games on short weeks: the 2024 Ravens and 2020 Bills. And, like the Eagles last season, those two teams won their respective divisions.
John Harbaugh's old team, the Ravens, went 22-8 on a short week over the last 10 seasons, the best record in the NFL during that span. Which is good news for his new team, the Giants, who own a league-worst 8-20 record on a short week in that time period.
Which teams, quarterbacks and head coaches are the best in prime time?
The Rams are slated to have the most prime-time games in 2026 with seven. And they would surely love to follow in the footsteps of the four squads that played multiple prime-time games without losing one last season: the Seahawks (5-0), Broncos (4-0), Patriots (4-0) and Chargers (4-0).
The Packers have played 55 prime-time games over the last 10 seasons, most in the NFL. Their 31-23-1 record ranked 12th in the league by winning percentage in that span.
The Chiefs have the best record in prime-time games in the last 10 seasons (37-17), while the Giants have the worst record (7-29).
In terms of individual performances under the lights, Lions QB Jared Goff is 25-11 in prime time as a starter, the best record among active QBs with at least 10 prime-time starts. And Goff's coach is similarly proficient after dark: Dan Campbell is 14-6 in prime time, the best record by any active head coach with at least 10 prime-time games, and just two of those losses came with Detroit (Campbell was 0-2 in prime time as the Dolphins' interim head coach in 2015). The Lions will have four prime-time games in 2026.
Of course, Campbell has a ways to go before he can get close to Andy Reid, who has 69 career wins in prime time, the most by any head coach in the Super Bowl era. The Chiefs will have six prime-time games in 2026.
What is the furthest city-to-city distance any team faces for any individual game in 2026?
The Rams will travel 7,937 miles from Los Angeles to face the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, in Week 1, based on distance from city center to city center. That is not only the furthest a team will travel between cities for a single game this season, but the furthest any team in NFL history has traveled for a regular-season game. The 49ers' trek Down Under will be slightly shorter, at 7,872 miles, from Santa Clara, California.
What about the shortest city-to-city distance?
The shortest city-to-city distance any team will face for a game in 2026 (not counting the game between the Rams and Chargers, who share a stadium) is the 82.83-mile trip on the New Jersey turnpike that the Giants will take from East Rutherford, New Jersey, to Philadelphia in Week 9 -- tied with the reverse trek that the Eagles will make to visit the Giants in Week 18.
The shortest distance between any two NFL teams that don't share a stadium is the 28.96 miles it takes to go from Landover, Maryland (where the Commanders are based), to Baltimore (home of the Ravens) -- but those squads will not play each other in the 2026 regular season.
Who has the most international experience?
There will be an NFL record nine international games across seven different countries in 2026 featuring 16 different teams. The Jaguars will play back-to-back games in London in Weeks 5 and 6, marking their 15th and 16th international games as a franchise, the most by any team in league history. All 16 games will have taken place in London, where they've compiled a 7-7 record heading into this season. Trevor Lawrence will make his seventh and eighth international starts, the most by any QB in NFL history.
With Week 1's 49ers vs. Rams game in Australia further expanding the football footprint, there will be NFL games played this season in eight different time zones for the first time ever.
How do teams fare the week after an international game?
NFL teams typically can choose to serve their bye week immediately following an international game. Of the 16 teams playing internationally this season, three decided to have a bye the week after returning to the United States: The Jaguars have their bye in Week 7 after back-to-back London games; the Saints have a Week 8 bye following a trip to Paris: and the Patriots have a Week 11 bye after their game in Munich.
History would suggest that rest creates rust. Those who choose to play the week after an international matchup are 27-21 in the ensuing game, while the teams that elect to have their bye then are 36-39-1 in their next game.
Which active coach has the best record after a bye week?
Two active head coaches are undefeated after a bye week (minimum two games) in their careers: Nick Sirianni (5-0 since taking over as the Eagles head coach in 2021) and Mike Macdonald (2-0 in his two seasons with the Seahawks).
Andy Reid has long had the reputation as the bye-week mastermind, but his 22-5 record is second in NFL history, behind his former assistant, John Harbaugh, who is 15-3 coming off a bye week. Reid and the Chiefs have their bye in Week 5 before an AFC West tilt against the Chargers in Week 6. Harbaugh and the Giants have their bye in Week 8 before a division game of their own in Week 9 at the Eagles.
Do dome teams struggle outdoors late in the season?
Do teams that play their home games in a cozy, temperature-controlled dome struggle to adapt to outdoor games during the time of year when the weather typically turns more hostile? It depends. Last season, teams that play their home games in a dome went 9-12 in outdoor road games in December or later. The Saints and Texans were both 2-0 in such games, while the Colts and Cardinals were both 0-3.
The overall record was consistent with the longer-term record. Over the last 10 seasons, dome teams are 92-105 in outdoor road games in December or later (.467 winning percentage). As you might expect, there is evidence dome teams prefer to play indoors late in the year; they are 159-142 in indoor road games or home games in December or later over the last 10 seasons (.528 winning percentage).
The Cardinals are the only dome team that will not play any outdoor road games in December or later in 2026. In fact, they only play on the road once (at New Orleans) in their final six games.
The Texans will play four of their six games in December or later on the road in outdoor stadiums. All four games are in colder climates, at Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia and Green Bay.
The Lions have perhaps the most daunting late-season task of any dome team. Although they play just two outdoor road games in December or later, they come in Weeks 17 (at Chicago) and 18 (at Green Bay). The Lions' playoff hopes may come down to Jared Goff in the frozen tundra at the end of the season.
