Week 8 Action Reverses Bye Week Trend

Heading into Week 8 there definitely seemed to a losing trend for NFL teams coming off a bye week. But after NFL action this week, that trend seems to have been reversed. Prior to Week 8, teams coming off a bye had a combined record of 3-9. In Week 8 action, bye week teams posted a 5-1 record.

The five teams coming off a bye that won in Week 8 include the Buffalo Bills (beat Redskins 23-0), Cincinnati Bengals (beat Seahawks 34-12), New York Giants (beat Dolphins 20-17), Philadelphia Eagles (beat Cowboys 34-7) and San Francisco 49ers (beat Browns 20-10). The New England Patriots were the lone loser (loss to Steelers 17-25).

Some football experts attribute the early losing trend to a shortened pre-season combined with a new Bye Week rule calling for 4 mandatory consecutive days off during the bye week. Others attribute the losing trend to the fact that teams with the early byes had losing records and were playing better teams.

There is a greater probability that the early losing trend, and this week’s winning trend, is just a random occurrence. How can anyone determine trends with just 18 games, especially when teams coming off a bye are now 8-10?

We’ll keep an eye on the bye week team trends throughout the 2011 season.

Next week, the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers come off a bye.

Heading into Week 9 NFL action, 4 teams will enjoy a bye week: Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings.

There are no byes in the NFL in Week 10.

Week 11 will be the final week of byes in the regular season. Those teams are the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers.