The Los Angeles Rams have faced a challenging schedule during the 2026 season. While their 4-4 record keeps them in contention for a playoff spot, the travel demands have added another layer of difficulty. Matthew Stafford’s team is set to cover 34,847 miles this season, the second-highest total in the league.
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The Rams also have seven prime-time games on their schedule and have yet to receive their bye week. With two more games to go before their Week 11 break, the team still has a demanding stretch ahead. However, Stafford’s wife, Kelly, isn’t particularly happy with the NFL’s scheduling decision. She criticized the league over the Rams’ late bye week.
“I had to take a second off my workout because I keep getting updates and alerts like, ‘Oh, after the bye week they’ll be back, after the bye week he’ll be healthy.’ Not for the Rams, though, because they didn’t get a bye week,” said Kelly in her Instagram story. “And if you’re new to the NFL, a bye week is when they have the week off, so they play Sunday, then they don’t play the next Sunday, then they play the Sunday after that.
“So it’s a lot of time. It’s good. It’s good for teams, right? They can get people back who are injured. I’m confused on how we forgot to give us a bye week. I mean, if you guys want to go look at the schedule and show me where there is a bye week, where there are 14 days in between games, I’d be ecstatic, but it doesn’t exist. Thanks, NFL.”
Kelly Stafford’s frustration isn’t about the absence of a bye week on the Rams’ schedule. In fact, it’s about the fact that Los Angeles has a Week 11 bye, yet its next game is scheduled for Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 25, against the Green Bay Packers.
For broader context, the Rams play the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10 on November 15 before getting their bye week. But their next matchup against the Packers is scheduled for November 25, allowing the team less than 10 days of rest between the two matchups despite having their bye week. In simple terms, there are only nine full days between those games, rather than the typical 13-day interval associated with a conventional Sunday-to-Sunday bye.
Kelly’s frustration came after the NFL introduced a Thanksgiving Eve game for the 2026 season, with the Rams hosting the Packers. Both teams have their bye in Week 11. The reason, however, is that the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement requires at least three days off between games. Consequently, neither team could realistically play on Sunday, November 22, and then again on Wednesday, November 25.
Kelly, meanwhile, has previously expressed her frustration over the Rams’ schedule in August.
“Me just now realizing the Rams play in Australia, play on Christmas, play on Thanksgiving Eve, have 7 prime time games, and DON’T HAVE A REAL BYE WEEK,” she wrote on Instagram. “Parenting this season will be such a joy.”
At the same time, the Rams also seem to be having a major injury concern on the roster. The Rams have already dealt with injuries to Myles Garrett, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams. Following the Week 8 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Stafford was also reported to have soreness in his throwing arm, per head coach Sean McVay.
So far this season, Stafford didn’t miss a snap due to an injury. According to reports, however, he left the locker room after Sunday’s win with a bag of ice on his right elbow. That said, the Rams are 4-4 after their 24-9 win over the Chargers. They play the Washington Commanders next in Week 9.