Detroit Lions ‘unlikely’ to get bye week after Germany game

MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 13: Picture shows the logo of the NFL Munich game in front of the Allianz Arena stadium before the NFL match between Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Allianz Arena on November 13, 2022 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images) | Getty Images In the past, it was almost a given that NFL teams would have their bye week following an international game. The reasoning was simple: after a tough travel schedule that includes thousands of miles and a drastic change in timezones, a team earned a week off to get home, rest, and re-acclimate.

But that appears to be a thing of the past. The NFL no longer guarantees a bye week after an international game, and for the Detroit Lions, they are not expecting to get one after their 2026 game that will be played in Munich, Germany. “It’s not any longer guaranteed that you’ll get the bye after the international game, and we’re in a little bit of an odd situation with the game likely in November and Thanksgiving,” Lions team president Rod Wood told reporters on Tuesday.

“So I don’t know what our bye treatment will be, but I think it’s unlikely that we’ll get it the week right after the game. ” At the moment, the Lions’ Germany opponent is unknown, and the date of the game hasn’t been announced, either. The expectation is for it to be an early November game, because each of the Germany games in the past four years have been played between November 5 and 13.

And in case you thought this was a sign Detroit may stay overseas for a second game in a row, the Lions are not expecting back-to-back international games this season. “I would never say never […] but no one has brought it up to me,” Wood said. “So I’m hoping they would have brought it up to me by now if that was going to happen.