When the Detroit Lions released their schedule for the 2024 NFL season, something immediately caught my attention: another early bye week?
Bye weeks have typically ranged from Week 4 to Week 14 over previous 10 seasons. From 2019 onward, the first slate of bye weeks has come in Week 5 (the NFL would not expand to an 18-week schedule until the 2021 season).
The Lions have the (likely) unfortunate luck of having the first possible bye week, coming in Week 5. Detroit is no stranger to early bye weeks. Over the decade of football, the Lions have had three Week 5 byes and two Week 6 byes.