2025 NFL Fatigue Index: Ranking All 32 Teams by Travel, Rest & Schedule Quirks

Welcome to the first installment of the NFL Fatigue Index, a new proprietary formula by Sportsbook Review to measure the effects of wear and tear across the NFL season. We've ranked all 32 teams by projected season fatigue and broken down the best and worst spots across the 2025 NFL schedule.

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If there's one unassailable truth about football season, it's that every team will eventually succumb to the brutal nature of an 18-week grind. Yet not all 32 teams will be impacted in the same way - especially with the deep inequities of the NFL schedule.

So what if you could predict those gaps ahead of time? That's what we've done with the NFL Fatigue Index, a first-of-its-kind metric that measures the cumulative effects of fatigue across the entire NFL season backed by scientific research and schedule data for every team.

Our model calculates a weekly fatigue score for every team based on travel distance, rest days, time zone changes, circadian misalignment, altitude, and progressive wear and tear before adding it up across all 18 weeks to determine which teams face the most grueling schedules in 2025.

🔑 Key takeaways

• L.A. Nightmare: Rams, Chargers have the highest fatigue index of 2025
• Carolina Catches a Break? Panthers draw the lowest fatigue index
• No Rest for the Best: Defending champion Eagles have the most short-rest games
• The Silver and Drained: Raiders own the worst net rest differential
• Positively Grisly: Bears face major rest disadvantages in 2025
• Low Miles, High Hopes: Lions facing one of the easiest travel schedules
• Spider-Man Meme, New York Edition: Giants, Jets facing similarly challenging skeds

Here's a look at every team ranked by our NFL Fatigue Index across the entire season. Read on for our full methodology; the best and worst schedule spots to target for your NFL picks; and team-by-team breakdowns for all 32 teams.

📊 NFL Fatigue Index: Ranking all 32 teams by projected fatigue

All mileage tracked manually from stadium to stadium (one-way); fatigue scores based on SBR's proprietary formula explained further below. ⤵️

🌎 Rams, Chargers set to travel the globe

It's hard enough for SoFi Stadium's residents to contend with hostile "home" crowds for 8-9 weeks per year. But things won't get any easier on the road in 2025.

While the Los Angeles Chargers (102.56) have to travel a combined 18,563 miles this year - the most by any team in NFL history - the Los Angeles Rams (105.09) face the most exhausting path of all by our metrics. They'll endure the worst road trip of the season in Week 7: a nearly 5,500-mile flight to Wembley Stadium to take on London's beloved Jacksonville Jaguars (86.37) at 6:30 a.m. Los Angeles time.

The Las Vegas Raiders (89.85) rank just 10th in total miles, but they rank fourth in total fatigue thanks to a -19 net rest differential - the ninth-worst this century. Their six games with a rest deficit are the most in the league, and their four games with a 10-plus fatigue score rank behind only the Seattle Seahawks (97.72), who rank third in travel miles and total fatigue despite not leaving the country in 2025.  

Speaking of trips overseas, the Minnesota Vikings (84.71) will become the first team in NFL history to play back-to-back international games in two different countries. Minnesota would rank fourth by total fatigue if not for its decision to remain in Europe between Week 4 (Dublin) and Week 5 (London), which should help players reduce the effects of jet lag and recalibrate their body clocks.

🎊 Lions win schedule lottery once again

No team has benefitted from more schedule breaks lately than the Detroit Lions (71.96), who once again lead the NFL in net rest differential (+13) while enjoying 50% more net rest than any other team over the last seven years. The Lions also travel just 5,183 miles - fewer than 28 other teams - while playing one game at a rest deficit and zero games with a fatigue score of 10 or more.

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills (65.97) face the least strenuous schedule among the projected playoff teams this year. Only the Cincinnati Bengals (66.65) travel fewer total miles than the Bills, who leave their own time zone once all season, and their two games on short rest are tied for the fewest of last year's postseason finalists.

Sometimes it pays to be bad, too. That's the case for the Carolina Panthers (58.82), who own the easiest slate by total fatigue with just one game on short rest and a bottom-10 rank in travel miles. The Cleveland Browns (65.57), Tennessee Titans (64.40), and New Orleans Saints (62.66) - who all feature NFL win totals of 5.5 games - are the only teams with no short rest all season.

📅 Tough schedule spots for top teams

While the Kansas City Chiefs (78.97) have earned the spotlight with an NFL record seven games in prime time, that comes at the cost of four games on short rest. The only teams with more short weeks? The Philadelphia Eagles (75.37) and Washington Commanders (89.25), who are tied with five such games in 2025 - including their Saturday Week 16 clash in D.C.

That list doesn't include the Eagles' Week 1 opener against the rival Dallas Cowboys (77.03), one of a record four Thursday Night Football games for America's Team. The Cowboys are also the only team this year to play three games in 10 days, and they'll become the first team in NFL history to face four consecutive opponents that won 14 or more games the previous season.

A year after leading the NFL with a record +16 net rest differential, the Baltimore Ravens (67.41) enjoy a modest +5 advantage this year. Yet that includes a three-week road stretch in Weeks 9-11 followed by three straight home games from Weeks 12-14 - no other team has a six-week run like that in 2025.

⬇️ Keep reading to the bottom for more schedule insights in our team-by-team breakdowns.

🔋 How we measured fatigue (and why it matters for NFL teams)

The research is clear: fatigue has a material impact on and off the field, and that's only been exacerbated by the NFL's quest to own every day of the week. Yet even with more data available than ever before, we've lacked a clear and quantifiable way to capture those compounding effects across the NFL season.

So we studied the science behind player performance and built a proprietary data-driven formula to measure the total and weekly fatigue for each team based on the 2025 NFL schedule with a focus on the following factors:

🏈 Games played: This is the fundamental unit of the Fatigue Index and the most consistent source of fatigue for every NFL player - including the ones who don't suit up on Sundays. Studies show even weekly practice without game reps can generate progressive fatigue on pace with those who play regularly.

😴 Rest days: It takes roughly 72 hours for an athlete's body to functionally recover after a game, and it takes even longer in a physical sport like football to fully heal and return to peak force and velocity - a luxury the NFL schedule doesn't always afford.

✈️ Travel fatigue: Off the field, nothing wears down athletes like constant travel, which studies have shown can impact win percentages by roughly 1.3% per 100 miles. Our model accounts for total miles, time zones crossed, and travel duration with reduced penalties for short, local road trips.

💼 Road weariness: It takes a toll to live out of suitcases and hotels, and that's only magnified by extended road trips. It's why the NFL schedule-makers generally limit teams to no more than three straight games on the road ... though not always equitably.

⏰ Circadian misalignment: Don't sleep on the body clock. Decades of research show that athletes perform better within their "circadian peak" - typically in the late afternoon or early evening - with performance affected by up to 25% when playing even a few hours outside that window.

⛰️ Altitude change: Studies show athletes tire faster in altitude by roughly 4% faster for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain, which can result in a 20-25% reduction in recovery rate when playing in a high-altitude environment like Denver. The thinner air negatively impacts oxygen delivery and muscular endurance - even after the game ends.

🤕 Wear and tear: With every team playing 17 games in 18 weeks, the hits add up over time. Even the bye week only partially resets cumulative fatigue from the entire season - especially if it comes early in the year, when the most taxing weeks are still ahead.

With all of this in mind, we applied linear weights to the various "fatigue factors" in order to rank every team by aggregate fatigue in 2025 - as well as identify key spots that may not yet be fully baked into the latest NFL odds.

Bookmark this page and check back each week during football season as we break down the best and worst schedule spots based on weekly and total fatigue across the 2025 NFL season.

👉 READ MORE: We ranked all 272 games by excitement score

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🏈 NFL Fatigue Index: Team-by-team analysis & schedule notes

Here's a look at every NFL team with their fatigue score and rank included by their name. This list is in alphabetical order for easy navigation, but you can also search for your favorite team to see how they stack up via the Fatigue Index.

🐦 Arizona Cardinals (77.24, 14th)

Despite being a West Coast team with multiple cross-country flights, the Cardinals avoid many of the NFL’s most fatiguing schedule traps. They benefit from the sixth-best net rest differential (+7), no games with extreme fatigue, and a midseason Week 8 bye to reset the system. They also find themselves on the right end of four of the 30 best schedule mismatches by aggregate fatigue - none better than a Week 11 home tilt with the 49ers.

🍑 Atlanta Falcons (88.78, 6th)

The Falcons rack up the eighth-most travel miles in the NFL while enduring four games with a rest disadvantage and three games with a fatigue score of 10-plus. They also face consecutive road games four separate times across the 18-week schedule, tied for the most for any team. A late Week 12 bye does helps mitigate some, but not all, of this team's woes ahead of one of the league's toughest slates.

🐦‍⬛ Baltimore Ravens (67.41, 25th)

After enjoying one of the NFL's easiest schedules last year, the Ravens face a few moderate challenges this year. They're one of four teams to play three consecutive games away from home, and they rank fourth in games with a rest disadvantage, seventh in short weeks, and 10th in high-stress contests. That said, their travel-friendly schedule should help smooth out the bumps before and after a Week 9 bye.

🦬 Buffalo Bills (65.97, 27th)

It's hard to find a less taxing travel schedule this year than the Bills', which requires just one road trip out of Buffalo's time zone with the second-fewest total miles traveled. That said, Josh Allen and Co. will be at a regular rest disadvantage with five such games in 2025 and one of the league's worst net rest differentials surrounding a Week 7 bye. They do enjoy the NFL's seventh-best matchup by net cumulative fatigue when they host the Chiefs in Week 9.

🐈‍⬛ Carolina Panthers (58.82, 32nd)

The Panthers are still seeking their first playoff appearance since 2017, and the NFL's easiest schedule by cumulative fatigue should help matters. Carolina ranks in the bottom 10 in travel miles while playing just one game on short rest and one game with a fatigue score above 10. Keep an eye on a Week 17 early kickoff against the Seahawks, which profiles as a top-five mismatch all season and comes just three weeks after one of the league's latest bye weeks.

🐻 Chicago Bears (72.74, 20th)

The Bears are the only team this year with at least four games on short rest and five games with a rest disadvantage, and their -4 net rest differential ranks in the bottom 10 across the league. But a forgiving travel schedule for Chicago means zero games with a weekly fatigue score over 10, which should help keep this team relatively fresh even after an early Week 5 bye.

🐅 Cincinnati Bengals (66.65, 26th)

The Bengals' schedule is defined by a few signature lows and a fairly manageable slate around a Week 10 bye, which results in the second-easiest outlook by total fatigue score of any projected playoff team. Cincinnati travels the fewest miles in the NFL and enjoys a top-half net rest advantage, though three short-rest games - including a prime-time matchup at Baltimore for the fourth straight season - and three games with a 10-plus fatigue score balance the slate overall.

🟠 Cleveland Browns (65.57, 28th)

On paper, the Browns feature a top-five schedule surrounding a Week 9 bye: they are one of three teams with zero games on short rest, and only four teams play fewer games at a rest disadvantage. Yet watch out for a treacherous three-week road stretch from Weeks 4-6 that includes a London game against the Vikings followed by a road tilt against the rested Steelers - just the 20th time in NFL history a team won't have a bye week after an international game.

⭐ Dallas Cowboys (77.03, 16th)

As mentioned before, the Cowboys have a historic schedule as the only team to play four TNF games while also facing four straight opponents that won 14 games last year. It's still not enough to drop Dallas to a bottom-half schedule thanks to a top-10 net rest advantage, a lack of high-fatigue games, and a well-timed Week 10 bye between two Monday night contests.

🐎 Denver Broncos (81.59, 11th)

It's hard to put the Broncos' schedule in proper context considering their travel itinerary includes a Week 6 road trip to London to face the Jets before a 4,700-mile return flight to face the Giants in Week 7. No team has ever followed an international game with a trip that far west. Without a bye until Week 12, we could see a sluggish Denver team in the weeks between - though it helps to face regularly gassed opponents thanks to the altitude in the Mile High City.

🦁 Detroit Lions (71.96, 22nd)

The highlight of the Lions' schedule is a +13 net rest differential, which marks the fourth time in the last seven years that Detroit features a double-digit rest advantage over its opponents. This team also enjoys two of the season's four best road spots in terms of net cumulative fatigue and three of the top 15 spots overall following a Week 8 bye - all while traveling the fourth-fewest miles with zero high-stress games by our model.

🧀 Green Bay Packers (71.96, 21st)

Rest will be tough to come by for the Packers, who will play four of their 17 games on a short week while also facing a more rested opponent four times this year. That said, Green Bay will log the fifth-fewest travel miles in 2025, which is a major reason why this group has zero high-fatigue games and a borderline top-10 schedule by lowest aggregate fatigue - even with an early Week 5 bye.

🐮 Houston Texans (73.48, 19th)

The Texans' ranking here doesn't quite tell the whole story for a team that should be sending a holiday gift to the NFL schedule-makers. Houston ranks below average in terms of rest and has a less-than-ideal early bye in Week 6, but it enjoys four of the 25 biggest mismatches in terms of net aggregate fatigue - none better than a 1 p.m. ET kickoff against the depleted Broncos in Week 9, which ranks as the sixth-best fatigue mismatch in 2025.

🐴 Indianapolis Colts (79.81, 12th)

The Colts draw one of the later bye weeks in the league (Week 11), which could be a saving grace in a demanding travel schedule that includes the sixth-most miles leaguewide and the third-most time zones crossed (18). While Indianapolis avoids the worst of the NFL’s schedule quirks - including just one short-rest game and two with a rest disadvantage - this team will be battling travel-related fatigue all season.

🐆 Jacksonville Jaguars (86.37, 8th)

It wouldn't be a proper NFL season without the Jaguars logging enough travel miles to circumvent the globe (at least from a round-trip perspective). Their annual trip to London in Week 7 precedes a well-timed bye week, but that isn't enough to offset the league's fourth-most travel miles amid one of the 10 toughest schedules in 2025. They do enjoy the third-best schedule spot this year by net cumulative fatigue with a Week 11 home game against the Chargers.

🪓 Kansas City Chiefs (78.97, 13th)

The Chiefs' natural body clock will be all out of whack this year while playing an NFL record seven games in prime time, including three after a Week 10 bye. Kansas City ranks in the top five with four games on short rest and four games with a rest disadvantage, though only one game - a Week 15 road trip against the Chargers - registers as a high-stress game for Patrick Mahomes and Co. as they seek an eighth straight AFC Championship berth.

🏴‍☠️ Las Vegas Raiders (89.85, 4th)

No team should feel more aggrieved by the schedule-makers than the Raiders, whose -19 net rest disadvantage is one of the 10 worst marks of the last 25 years. The result is a league-high six games with a rest disadvantage and four games with a fatigue score of 10 or more, and a Week 10 bye can only do so much for a team crossing 17 time zones this year - fifth-most in the league.

⚡ Los Angeles Chargers (102.56, 2nd)

It's a shocker to see the Chargers rank anywhere other than first on this list ahead of a record-setting season full of travel. Los Angeles will log nearly 20,000 miles on the road this year, which leads to an NFL-worst five games with a 10-plus fatigue score, though a +5 net rest advantage and late Week 12 bye should help the Bolts rest up before a potential playoff run.

🐏 Los Angeles Rams (105.09, 1st)

When your team travels over 17,000 miles, crosses 23 time zones, and plays back-to-back road games in four separate instances ... you just might have the worst schedule in the league. That's the case for the Rams, who earned the dubious honor as our inaugural Fatigue Index "champions" even with one of the league's best net rest differentials and a reasonably timed Week 8 bye to help break up the madness.

🐬 Miami Dolphins (82.50, 10th)

Even with the seventh-most travel miles for one of the NFL's southernmost teams - which includes a Week 11 trip to Madrid - the Dolphins avoided ranking any higher on this list thanks to the second-best net rest advantage leaguewide. Miami still face four games on short rest and three games with excessive weekly fatigue, though a Week 12 bye will help the 'Phins recover heading into the home stretch.

🟣 Minnesota Vikings (84.71, 9th)

As mentioned earlier, the Vikings would have ranked fourth on this list if not for the decision to remain overseas between their two international games in Week 4 (Dublin) and Week 5 (London) - a wise call to help reset their body clocks. The result is a juicy advantage over the "host" Browns ahead of a Week 6 bye, though Minnesota is still staring down one of the 10 most taxing slates overall.

🪖 New England Patriots (60.10, 31st)

There's nothing that especially jumps out about the Patriots' schedule, but the lack of extreme fatigue - just one game each on short rest, with a rest disadvantage, and with a fatigue score of 10 or more - and favorable travel schedule help produce the second-easiest slate of the 2025 season. If New England can hold its own through a Week 14 bye, it could have the juice for a nice run beyond that.

⚜️ New Orleans Saints (62.66, 30th)

It feels unusual to credit the Saints with one of the NFL's most forgiving schedules considering their -14 net rest differential is the second-worst in the league - leading to a top-five ranking in rest disadvantage on a week-to-week basis. But the lack of short rest or high-stress games and a bottom-half travel itinerary should keep New Orleans fresh well through its Week 11 bye.

🗽 New York Giants (71.16, 23rd)

The biggest advantage of the Giants' schedule is the relative lack of inequities across the board - they rank in the bottom half of the league in total travel miles, short weeks, and games with a rest disadvantage, and their net rest differential ranks in the top 10. All that notwithstanding, New York is on the wrong end of three of the top 30 worst mismatches by net cumulative fatigue, though a Week 14 bye could help reset the system late in the year.

✈️ New York Jets (69.77, 24th)

The Jets' schedule is much like that of their MetLife housemates but without the dramatic mismatches in net fatigue. New York ranks in the bottom half in travel and short weeks, though there remain pitfalls for Gang Green with a net negative rest differential and two high-fatigue games on the schedule - including a Thursday night road trip to New England two weeks after a Week 9 bye.

🦅 Philadelphia Eagles (75.37, 17th)

The defending champions open the season on Thursday night against the rival Cowboys, and they follow that up with five games on short rest - tied for the most by any team. Their four games against more rested opponents also ranks in the top five with three coming after a Week 9 bye, though the Eagles' manageable travel schedule is a saving grace for a team with zero back-to-back home games all season.

🏗️ Pittsburgh Steelers (77.17, 15th)

At a glance, the Steelers' schedule appears daunting with the fourth-most games at a rest disadvantage and with a fatigue score exceeding 10 along with a bottom-10 net rest differential. But Pittsburgh won't have to contend with excessive travel or short rest, and it enjoys two of the 30 best matchups of the year by net total fatigue - including one immediately after its Week 5 bye against the less rested Browns.

⛏️ San Francisco 49ers (88.69, 7th)

There's no way around it: the 49ers' schedule is brutal, and a Week 14 bye may not be enough to save this group down the stretch. San Francisco does enjoy the fourth-best net rest advantage with zero opponents coming off a bye, and it boasts the easiest strength of schedule based on last year's records. But the Niners travel the fifth-most miles overall and second-most by a team without an international game - which is why they are on the wrong end of the two biggest net total fatigue mismatches of the entire season in Week 11 and Week 13.

🪽 Seattle Seahawks (97.72, 3rd)

While the Seahawks don't leave the country in 2025, they still face one of the most grueling schedules in the NFL thanks to the third-most travel miles and five different games with a 10-plus fatigue score - tied for the most in the league. Seattle crosses 18 time zones this season, tied for the third-most of any team, and its Week 8 bye is followed by four road games in the next six weeks.

🧭 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (73.86, 18th)

Even though the Buccaneers will enter four matchups this year as the less rested team with three games coming off a short week, they still boast a positive net rest differential thanks to a Week 9 bye ahead of a favorable home spot against the Patriots. Tampa Bay slots into the top half of the league by total miles but will cross just eight time zones, which ranks 20th leaguewide.

⚔️ Tennessee Titans (64.40, 29th)

The Titans join the Saints as the only teams this season with zero standalone games. That's bad news for those interested in watching Cam Ward's rookie season, but it's good news for Tennessee's roster as it faces zero games on short rest or with an elevated fatigue score. Even one of the league's worst net rest differentials isn't enough to derail this group, which should be well rested all the way through its Week 10 bye.

🫡 Washington Commanders (89.25, 5th)

The Commanders drew the short end of the schedule stick with a bottom-three net rest differential, the most games on short rest, and the fourth-most games against a more rested opponent - including four coming off a bye week. Even the total travel miles don't tell the full story for a team that will make the trip to Madrid to face the Dolphins just before a Week 12 bye.

📣 Help us spread the word!

Sportsbook Review created the NFL Fatigue Index as a free tool to help fans, bettors, and journalists better understand the hidden toll of the schedule. If you found value in our work, help us spread the word!

Share this story on Twitter/X and tag us @SBRReview, and we'll retweet your post on our main account. You can also reach out to me directly @CJacksonCowart to learn more about the process behind the Fatigue Index.

🔮 2025 NFL season previews & predictions

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