2026 NFL Rest Differential: Which Teams Have the Best Schedule Advantage?

The NFL’s 2026 regular-season schedule is here, and with it comes the annual debate over which teams have the most favorable matchups. Beyond the Week 1 rankings and the league’s first games in Australia, one metric stands out: rest differential.

Rest differential measures the difference in days off between two teams before they face each other. Longtime NFL analyst Arif Hasan compiled this season’s rest differential data, accounting for late-season games by splitting them 50/50 between Saturday and Sunday for consistency.

Under this analysis, the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills boast the best rest differentials in the league, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers rank at the bottom.

But does rest differential still matter in the modern NFL? A study by Sumer Sports found that the advantage has diminished significantly. Before 2011, the more-rested team gained an average of 2.2 points per game—comparable to replacing a league-average quarterback with a top-tier player like Kyler Murray in 2024. However, recent Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) have reduced this impact.

The 2011 CBA ensured players receive four days off during bye weeks, limiting practice time. The 2020 CBA further guaranteed at least three days off unless teams play on consecutive Thursdays. As a result, the rest differential advantage now stands at just 0.3 points per game for the more-rested team.

Last season, the Detroit Lions had the best rest differential (+13) but missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, three playoff teams—the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks—ranked third, fourth, and fifth in rest differential, respectively. Notably, the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.

For a deeper dive, here’s last season’s rest differential chart from Sharp Football Analysis:

As the 2026 season unfolds, fans can track whether rest differential plays a meaningful role in determining outcomes—or if its impact has faded entirely.