Matthew Stafford's wife calls out NFL over apparent scheduling disadvantage given to Rams

For the first time ever, the NFL will play a game the night before Thanksgiving, with the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Green Bay Packers in a rare Wednesday matchup on Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix. 

To make the game work on the schedule, both teams were essentially forced to sacrifice their bye week, and Kelly Stafford definitely isn't happy about that fact. The wife of Matthew Stafford took to social media this week to call out the NFL for putting the Rams at a scheduling disadvantage compared to the league's other teams. 

"Just curious to hear the thought process behind making the Rams the only team in the NFL without a true bye week," Kelly wrote on Instagram. "Because damn, after 18 years around this league, even I need a week off during the season...and I have never played a single snap."

Normally, a team goes 14 days between games during a bye week, but the Rams will only be getting 10 days off. Here's what their schedule looks like in the lead-up to their Thanksgiving Eve showdown with the Packers: 

Week 10 (Nov. 15): at Cardinals (Sunday)
Week 11 (Nov. 22): BYE
Week 12 (Nov. 25): Packers (Wednesday)
Week 13 (Dec. 3): Chiefs (Thursday)

The Packers will be in a similar situation, but they get a slightly more favorable schedule since they don't have to play on Thursday night in Week 13. Instead, the Packers will play on Sunday, Dec. 6, so Green Bay will play only one game over a 19-day period. They still won't have a full bye, but it's better than what the Rams have. 

Here's what Green Bay's schedule looks like in that same window: 

Week 10 (Nov. 15): Vikings (Sunday)
Week 11 (Nov. 22): BYE
Week 12 (Nov. 25): at Rams (Wednesday)
Week 13 (Dec. 6): at Saints (Sunday)

NFL teams look forward to the bye each year so they can rest and heal, but Rams and Packers players won't be getting the full week off in 2026. 

"I'm tired just watching from the stands," Kelly wrote. "Can't imagine how the guys feel."

Kelly then ended things by asking the NFL to explain why the Rams got hosed over. 

"Anyway, feel free to leave that explanation right here," Stafford said. 

The Rams were given one of the wildest schedules in the NFL this year. Not only are they playing a Wednesday game, but they also have a Friday game against the Seahawks on Christmas Day. If the Rams end up playing a Saturday game, which could happen if they get flexed in Week 17 or Week 18, they'd become just the fourth team in 99 years to play a game on six different days of the week during a single season. 

The Rams have been the NFL's guinea pigs this year. They also played in the inaugural Australia game back in Week 1. Thanks to that trip, the Rams are scheduled to travel more than 34,000 miles this season, which is the second-most in the NFL. 

Although Kelly Stafford isn't happy about the Rams losing their bye week, the Rams will be home for Thanksgiving. That means they'll get to spend the holiday weekend with their families, so the team's odd schedule isn't a total loss. 

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