Your guide to how the NFL schedule is built

Within this process, the schedule makers have to consider a wide variety of factors, including logistical hurdles like previously scheduled events at stadiums, other events in each given city, and events that may put stress on the field. Then there are the competitive issues, such as how many times a team plays a team coming off its bye week or when each team’s bye week falls and how that relates to the previous season. For example, since Atlanta had a late bye in 2022, look for the Falcons to have an early or mid-season bye in 2023.