Did Colts’ bye week come at worst possible time for momentum?

The Indianapolis Colts have a bye in Week 14 but is that a good thing for the team?

When the Indianapolis Colts started the season 1-4, there was worry that a promising team would soon be out of contention before the season even reached the halfway mark.

Since that point, Indianapolis has won six of its last eight games, produced an MVP candidate in Jonathan Taylor, become one of the top offenses in the NFL, and following their bye week, they’ll be in a position to play themselves into the playoffs.

Following the Week 13 win over the Houston Texans, Colts players were rejoicing at the sight of the team’s bye week. They’ve been going non-stop since camp and were ready for a well-earned break.

While Indianapolis certainly deserves some time off, it’s fair to ask, could the bye week do more harm than good after the team has built so much momentum?

Could bye week stall the Colts momentum?

Indianapolis was stacking one quality performance after another and it’s pretty evident that each game was used as a building block for the team to keep climbing to new levels. A week off could disturb that rhythm and Indy isn’t in a position to handle setbacks.

They are in a tight playoff race and will need nearly every one of their remaining four games to have a chance at the playoffs. Also, their first two games following the bye week are against the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, the two best teams in the NFL.

While the bye week is unavoidable, the Colts must make sure they don’t allow the time away to disrupt what they had going. Fortunately, that usually isn’t a problem for Frank Reich-led teams in Indianapolis.

Colts usually perform well following bye under Reich

Since Reich took over Indianapolis in 2018, Indy is 3-0 in games following a bye week. He and the leaders on the team have done a great job of getting the team to refocus and remember the task at hand after their annual mini-break.

Returning to the facility and immediately locking back in will be crucial to the Colts’ success. They will play in their biggest two games of the season in the coming weeks, so they can’t do anything during this downtime that will jeopardize their chances of winning. A loss could mean the end to their playoff hopes, so Indy needs to keep the magic alive through the bye week.

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