When the schedule came out, many Jets fans were upset that the Jets Bye Week didn’t follow the London game. On the surface, that makes sense, but digging deeper, it makes absolutely zero sense.
Jets Bye Week Being Later is Good for Win-Now Season
The Jets have begun OTAs, and Robert Saleh addressed the media. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Saleh said the Jets preferred not to have the Bye after traveling back from London. When you think about it, that makes complete sense.
Saleh says they preferred not to have the bye after the London game, adding they wanted it late in the year. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 21, 2024
The NFL regular season is 18 weeks long. Every team gets one bye. Many fans will look to see when their team gets the Bye, and the Jets have theirs Week 12. The Byes run from Week 5 – Week 14 this season.
When the schedule was initially released, many fans were upset that the Jets didn’t “get” the bye after coming home from overseas. First of all, the Jets have the option to choose to take a Bye then. The NFL could’ve given it to them, but they can also opt out of choosing it. Since they didn’t get it, they most likely opted not to take it.
When you throw in the playoffs, teams can play up to 21 games in a season, with only one week off. The Jets are in win-now mode, and many believe they could make a deep run in the playoffs — with health being the biggest factor in their success.
The Jets play the Vikings on October 6 (Week 5) in Tottenham Spur Stadium. Super Bowl LIX is on February 9. With the bye week following London, that means the Jets could every week from October 17 – January 26.
Why The Late Bye Week is Good
Why would a team that wants to make the playoffs — and make a deep run as well — then want to have an early bye? For those who overemphasize the importance of the end of the season, this also makes no sense. For that particular argument, a later bye makes sense. Then, the team can be healthier for the stretch run.
The final good thing about having a later bye week is the fact that the team can develop more chemistry by playing week in and week out. An early bye could hinder that growth. That would be a bad thing for the Jets with a lot of new faces. Playing 11 straight weeks gives them a firm foundation with which to build upon.
The only negative of the schedule is the amount of short weeks. That limits preparation and healing time between games. However, that’s the price the Jets pay with being a team networks want in primetime games or windows where they’re on in most of the country.
So, no matter how you slice it, the Jets having a late bye week is good for the team. Week 12 may even be the perfect balance of developing regular-season chemistry with a late enough bye to be healthy for the stretch run and playoffs. In the end, they have to win. This actually sets them up for the best way to do just that.
Main Photo Credit: Syndication: The Record
