Chargers schedule gives fans long-lost wish they thought would never happen

There has been one common trend in every LA Chargers schedule in recent years: an early bye week. The Chargers have had a bye week in Week 5 in each of the last two seasons and before 2025, had not had a bye week before Week 10 for five years in a row.

With the Chargers playing in Brazil in Week 1 and the Philadelphia Eagles getting a Week 5 bye after they played in Brazil, it seemed like destiny that the Chargers would get an early bye week yet again.

Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, the NFL bucked expectations and gave Chargers fans the schedule gift they had given up on. After back-to-back years with a Week 5 bye, the Chargers are the receipent of a Week 12 bye in 2025.

Week 12 bye is a blessing on the Chargers schedule

Having an early or late bye week doesn't completely decide a team's fate in the NFL Playoffs. After all, the Eagles just won the Super Bowl after having a bye week in the earliest possible week (like the Chargers).

That being said, there is an inherent advantage in having a late bye week. After years of not getting that advantage, the Chargers finally get a taste of what it is like to refresh near a playoff push, not way before it.

A Week 12 bye is essentially right in the middle of the season as the Super Bowl would serve as Week 23 if we were to extend the regular season. Playing 13 regular-season games in a row before the playoffs is a lot to ask of a team, playing six games in a row is a much easier task.

The bye also comes at a great point in the schedule for the Chargers. Los Angeles hosts the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13 in a rivalry game that is bound to be full of emotion. The Bolts are then on primetime against the defending champions, once again at home.

If there was ever a time to play the Eagles it is during a three-week stretch where the team is comfortable at home. Playing the Eagles after the bye week would have been the perfect situation, but beggars cannot be choosers.