We’re at the halfway point of the 2017 NFL season. Which teams will be their byes in Week 9? Do any of these teams need a bye more than most?
Week 9 of the 2017 NFL season is only a few days away. Thursday Night Football will be in full effect at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, as the New York Jets host their AFC East rival in the Buffalo Bills in primetime on Nov. 2.
So with that game approaching, let’s take a look at the teams that will be on byes this week. Is there any team that needs a bye more than the others? Does a bye week actually hurt a team that is carrying great momentum into the second half?
In Week 9, there will be six teams on bye. Those teams are the Chicago Bears, the Cleveland Browns, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Minnesota Vikings, the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chicago could use a bye at 3-5 on the season. It’s a week where the Bears could get healthy and see if rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky can get better heading into Week 10. After seeing what happened to tight end Zach Miller’s leg, the Bears probably want a bye to recuperate after that horrible injury.
Cleveland seems to be on bye every week. After blowing a lead at halftime to the Vikings, the Browns find themselves at 0-8 after their game in London versus Minnesota. Yes, you could say that the Browns are in need of a bye, but they just want the season to end anyway so they can draft in the top-two this spring to presumably pick the wrong guy yet again.
Los Angeles hung around in Foxborough on Sunday, but couldn’t pull off the upset of the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Chargers are healthier than they have been in years. However, the 3-5 record isn’t doing wonders for their slim playoff hopes. Maybe a week off to refocus wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Chargers. They could use a bye probably the most of these six teams for that reason.
Minnesota is hotter than Hansel right now. The Vikings played a so-so game against the Browns in London to emerge 6-2 into their bye. Minnesota could use the chance to get healthier heading into the second half. Since the Vikings just played in London, of course, they are on bye. However, it might take the momentum out of their sails. Just remember what happened last year in the Twin Cities…
New England beat the Chargers at home to improve to 6-2. The Patriots are starting to figure things out as the weather changes. They have emerged as one of the three best teams in the AFC, along with Pittsburgh and the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps head coach Bill Belichick could make a few more mid-season adjustments. New England is already solid, but this bye does more good than bad for them.
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Pittsburgh might be 6-2, but a bye is probably not the best thing for them. The Steelers have momentum in their favor. Frankly, the last thing this highly emotional football team needs is inactivity. The Steelers will still win the division, but who really knows what sort of trouble this team will get into during its Week 9 bye.