Washington Commanders: Why late Bye Week might be a good thing

The Washington Commanders “bye” does not come until Week 14, and that might be a good thing

With the NFL schedule being released the other day, we’re getting treated to a lot of content. Everyone has opinions on different teams, schedules runs, and more.

One of the big talking points being overall team records and how each game will end up. This also brings into play Bye Weeks. And the Washington Commanders not having one until Week 14 has certainly stirred up some discussions for fans and analysts alike.

The first thought a lot of people had was “that’s pretty late” which is definitely far. It does feel strange to have a bye that late in the year. And the knee-jerk reaction might be to think that it’s a bad thing for Washington.

Arguments could be made that it’s too late in the year that it might not even matter. Or that playing 13 weeks in a row just seems wild.

And some might bring up the quarterback situation because an early-mid-season Bye might have felt like the perfect time to try and make the switch to rookie Sam Howell if things aren’t going well under Carson Wentz.

And with all that being considered, it is the last possible Bye Week. So to be fair it is late.

But maybe that’s a good thing. Yes, a bye would’ve been perfect in say Week 9 if Wentz was struggling and the Commanders wanted to make a switch at quarterback. Also sure, maybe at that point Washington will be out of the playoff race and the Bye won’t mean much.

Let’s look at it from the other side though. Washington is a confusing team to pin down. And there is a pretty decent chance they are at least in the running for a postseason spot at the end of the year.

Fast forward to Week 14. Washington has a game against the New York Giants in Week 15, then against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16, followed by the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, and finally the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18.

If the Commanders are in the running to make the postseason, this is the perfect time for a Bye Week. That extra week of rest could be crucial to give players a chance to heal up.

Especially considering three are against NFC teams, two being other potential playoff teams (sorry Giants). And with two being against NFC East teams, even the New York game could be crucial.

As for switching to Howell, that can still be done successfully midseason if Wentz is not doing his job. They don’t need a Bye Week for that. Would it be helpful? Sure, most likely.

But if Wentz is doing bad enough that you’re taking the starting job from him it’s probably not from just one bad start.

With that in mind, if things start to go sour with him the Commanders can always just ease Howell in. Give him some reps with the first team in practice for a week. Then ramp it up from there.

And if Wentz plays well enough over the next two weeks, play the hot hand. But a Bye Week isn’t 100% necessary to make the switch.

Wouldn’t you rather your team get that week of rest late in the season during a playoff hunt than in Week 6 when guys are presumably a little fresher?

The Washington Commanders have an exciting roster that has every reason to at least be fighting for a spot in the postseason this year. That late Bye Week followed by some potentially playoff-deciding contests in the coming games could be exactly what they need to recharge and make a run.