Week 5 - Bye Week

Week 5: Bye weeks begin

BaltimoreRavens

ClevelandBrowns

DallasCowboys

MiamiDolphins

St. LouisRams

WashingtonRedskins

What is a bye week? The NFL regular season consists of 16 games played out over 17 weeks. The week a team doesn’t play a game is called a bye.

The bye week is a chance for teams to rest, regroup, and recuperate. Penalties and turnovers can have big impacts, particularly in close games, so the basic strategy for all teams is to protect the ball.

The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins are both 3-1, and can enjoy a week off without needing to make major changes: what they are doing is working. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys are both 2-2. Coaches and players will use the bye week to see what tweaks need to be made to win games, and what errors need to be corrected so they don’t lose games.

In the case of the 0-4 Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams, it is a chance to have a week when they don’t have pressure to win a game. They can take a breath, see what adjustments need to be made going forward, and start to implement those changes.

Will an early bye week turn things around for the Dolphins and the Rams? We’ll find out when they play the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers, respectively, in Week 6. Both are away games, with home field advantage to their opponents. Both teams need a win to get the season’s momentum swinging the other way.

Winning with Field Goals

Games played Sunday, September 25:

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) 10 at Carolina Panthers (1-2) 16

Houston Texans (2-1) 33 at New Orleans Saints (2-1) 40

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) 13 at Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) 8

Miami Dolphins (0-3) 16 at Cleveland Browns (2-1) 17

New England Patriots (2-1) 31 at Buffalo Bills (3-0) 34

New York Giants (2-1) 29 at Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) 16

Denver Broncos (1-2) 14 at Tennessee Titans (2-1) 17

Detroit Lions (3-0) 26 at Minnesota Vikings (0-3) 23 in OT

New York Jets (2-1) 24 at Oakland Raiders (2-1) 34

Kansas City Chiefs (0-3) 17 at San Diego Chargers (2-1) 20

Baltimore Ravens (2-1) 37 at St. Louis Rams (0-3) 7

Atlanta Falcons (1-2) 13 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) 16

Green Bay Packers (3-0) 27 at Chicago Bears (1-2) 17

Arizona Cardinals (1-2) 10 at Seattle Seahawks (1-2) 13

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) 23 at Indianapolis Colts (0-3) 20

Game played Monday, September 26:

Washington Redskins (2-1) 16 at Dallas Cowboys (2-1) 18

There were some exciting games played in Week 3, and the two biggest surprises with undefeated records so far: the Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Bills. Neither had a season last year that led fans to expect their excellent play this year. My husband is a Buffalo Bill’s fan, and there have been many happy texts after the games thus far among family members.

The Colts are struggling without Peyton Manning. When coaches and announcers refer to a “franchise player,” Peyton Manning is the type of player they are referring to. He is the heart of the team, a quarterback leading his team in the best sense of the word, and his team is struggling without him.

The Monday night game was between two NFC East teams, the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. Touchdowns are exciting and get the fans on their feet, but field goals can win games and Dallas proved it. The lone touchdown came in the third quarter. The score at halftime was tied 9-9, and Washington went up 16-9 after their touchdown. Dallas scored two field goals in the fourth quarter to win the game. I heard something on the radio today that reminded me of winning a game scoring only field goals: “It ain’t flashy, but it gets the job done.”

What will Week 4 bring? Will the Detroit Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, fresh off a win, to go to 4-0? Will the Buffalo Bills beat the Cincinnati Bengals and remain undefeated? Can the Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and hand them their first defeat?

Stay tuned, football fans.