NFL schedule Week 11: Which teams have a bye this week?
By John Buhler
Most of the teams in the NFL have already had their byes. Which teams will be on bye this week? Is there any team in more need of a bye than the others?
The 2017 NFL season will be in Week 11 this week. The weather is changing and teams are getting crossed off from playoff consideration with every passing snap of the pigskin. For some teams, they are just getting to their annual bye. So who is on bye this week?
Originally, there were six teams on bye this week. However, the postponement of Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins back in Week 1 due to Hurricane Irma had those two bad Florida teams square off instead this week. Playing 16 games in a row is rough and neither of those two teams are doing all that great of a job with it.
While the Buccaneers and Dolphins could be mentally checked out already, here are the four teams on bye in Week 11 for real: the Carolina Panthers, the New York Jets, the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers.
The only one of these teams in bye that is playoff bound would be Carolina. The Panthers are 7-3 after trashing the Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Week 10. Carolina remains half a game back of the New Orleans Saints (7-2) in the NFC South race and 1.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Falcons (5-4).
The Panthers’ two rival teams have tough matchups this week with New Orleans playing the Washington Redskins (4-5) on Sunday and the Falcons making the trek to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seattle Seahawks (6-3) on Monday Night Football. Carolina has momentum, so going on bye at this time doesn’t help that. However, they could be getting back Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen before Week 12 when he is eligible to come off IR with a broken leg.
New York is 4-6 on the season and probably not going to make the AFC playoffs in 2017. Losing on the road to the Buccaneers was not what the Jets needed heading into the bye. Though not crossed off, that loss might be their worst of the season. This team could fall to pieces post-bye if Todd Bowles can’t keep winning in the locker room.
The Indianapolis Colts are 3-7 and out of it in the AFC South race for sure. This team wants the season to end so it can get a new head coach. The one positive for this team entering the bye is that quarterback Jacoby Brissett can get healthier. He did suffer a concussion in Week 10’s home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Finally, the 49ers can feel fantastic about themselves heading into the bye. They just beat the terrible New York Giants to get their first win of the season. That being said, 1-9 is on pace to be picking in the top-five in the spring. At least San Francisco will get to see what Jimmy Garoppolo has to offer. He is expected to start at quarterback over C.J. Beathard in Week 12.