Week 14 NFL bye week: Which teams have been afforded a breather?

The NFL bye week is an important period in each team's regular season, as it is a time to rest up and evaluate. In 2023, numerous franchises have enjoyed bye weeks since Week 5, and Week 14 is the final bye week for the season. This week, the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders will enjoy their bye, about a month before the conclusion of the 2023 regular season.

Let's take a look at how both franchises have performed ahead of Week 14 and what they'll aim to achieve with a week off.

Which teams have a bye week in Week 14?

The Kyler Murray-led Arizona Cardinals and Sam Howell-led Washington Commanders will have their rest weeks in Week 14 of the 2023 NFL regular season. Both franchises are at the bottom of their respective divisions and they'll be grateful for a breather at this stage of the season.

The Arizona Cardinals enter the Week 14 bye week with a 3-10 record. That record is the third worst in the league, behind only the Carolina Panthers (1-11) and New England Patriots (2-10).

Both teams are high up the Caleb Williams sweepstakes, but the Cardinals aren't looking for a franchise QB as they have former first-overall pick Kyler Murray under center.

The Cardinals are fresh off a morale-boosting 24-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, which shows that the franchise still has some fight in them. However, it'll be a tall order to expect them to rise in the NFC West, overtake the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams and finish behind the San Francisco 49ers.

The second team that is set to enjoy a rest week in Week 14 is the Washington Commanders. The Sam Howell-led Commanders started the season on a positive note, winning back-to-back games against the Cardinals and Broncos.

However, it's been downhill from there, as the franchise has only won two out of their next eleven games. Those wins came over fellow strugglers, the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots.

Hence, the Commanders have the joint fourth-worst record in the league and are rooted to the bottom of the NFC East. The bye week couldn't have come at a better time, as it'll allow the Commanders to strategize on how to tackle the last four weeks of the regular season.

There's still a chance that the Commanders make the postseason, but they'll need to be perfect for the rest of the ride. At least the Commanders will get the chance for a breather ahead of a scary schedule that includes games against the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and finally, the Dallas Cowboys.