Comments from Colts players show they have been waiting for bye week

The Indianapolis Colts will finally have their bye week during Week 14 of the NFL season.

The Indianapolis Colts have already had a roller coaster of a season. They started the season with three-straight losses before getting to 1-4, then they won six of their next eight games. This was all accomplished before even having a bye week.

The long-awaited bye week is finally here in Week 14, and the Colts couldn’t be happier. While they will enter the break a game above 500, with plenty of momentum, it is the rest that they are most excited about.

Indianapolis, along with three other teams, will be the last group on a bye in Week 14. This means that the squad has been going nonstop since camp, and as Indy’s record shows, it has been a grind.

Following Sunday’s win over the Texans, Jonathan Taylor put the long stretch into perspective:

"Bye week’s gonna be love. How many games is this? Thirteen? That’s like a whole college season plus the bowl game. Bye week will be definitely, definitely love coming after this week."

Colts players rejoice for the bye week

Taylor, who has amassed 241 carries and 1,348 rushing yards definitely deserves a break, and so does the rest of the team. They’ve all been scrapping every week to dig themselves out of a hole that they created early in the season.

Fans have been able to get a glimpse of the grueling schedule Indianapolis players go through every week on Hard Knocks. In addition to the physical punishment they’ve endured, they’ve also been challenged every other way imaginable and that would explain why this break is so needed.

Because of the Colts players’ efforts throughout the season, they will return from the bye with a great chance to play themselves into the playoffs, and that’s what the sacrifice is all about. Team captain Darius Leonard made sure to remind everyone of that before the team split.

Leonard told media following the Houston game, “The bye week is here. Four games left … When we come back, we have a point to prove and we have a goal we’re trying to reach.”

That goal will start with a Week 15, Saturday night primetime matchup against the New England Patriots. The outcome of that game will have a huge impact on Indy’s playoff chances, so the team must use this week to rest up and get prepared for the grind that awaits them.

3 Colts defenders who must step up to make playoffs

The Colts are close to grabbing a playoff spot, but they need some defensive improvement. Here’s what players can step up to help Darius Leonard.