Kelly Stafford, wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, publicly questioned the NFL over the team’s Rams bye week, pointing out that Los Angeles was the only club without a full break during the 2026 season. In a message posted to her Instagram Stories on Nov. 3, she asked for insight into the league’s reasoning and noted that even after 18 years around professional football, she felt the need for a week off during the season.
Though she has never played a down, Kelly—a registered nurse—said she was exhausted simply watching from the stands and could only imagine how the players felt. Her remarks drew attention to a scheduling detail that left the Rams and the Green Bay Packers with a shorter-than-usual pause.
The Scheduling Discrepancy
Most NFL teams receive between 11 and 14 days off around their bye week, which typically follows a Sunday game and precedes the next outing. The Rams and Packers, who meet on Nov. 25—the day before Thanksgiving—will each return to the field after only 10 days. By contrast, other teams with a bye at the same point in the calendar, including the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, will still get a full 14 days of rest.
The league has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.
How the NFL Builds Its Schedule
According to the NFL Operations website, the league attempts to give every team a restful week off, but the process is shaped by a range of operational factors. Cross-country travel, stadium availability and other logistical hurdles all influence when byes are placed. The league acknowledged that a perfect schedule may not exist, but said its schedule makers strive to balance those elements while still delivering a compelling slate of games for fans and broadcast partners.
Kelly Stafford's Support for Matthew
While Kelly may be critical of the calendar, she has long been one of Matthew’s most vocal supporters. Married since 2015, the couple share four daughters: twins Sawyer and Chandler, 9, plus Hunter, 8, and Tyler, 6. In a 2022 interview, Kelly described Matthew as the softest and most patient man, recalling advice from her father about the importance of the father-daughter relationship. She said she was grateful to have ended up with Matthew because he sets an incredible example of the kind of partner their daughters should want.
As the Rams prepare for the next stretch of their season, Kelly’s comments have added a personal voice to a broader conversation about player rest and scheduling fairness—one that the league says it continues to navigate with each new season.
