Colts will be challenged by a late bye week once again

The NFL schedule was released and the Indianapolis Colts learned that they will have to play 13 straight games before their Week 14 bye.

Last season, the Indianapolis Colts had a Week 14 bye. That was the last bye week in the NFL season and the teams like Indy that had to play 13 weeks straight didn’t hide their frustration.

Unfortunately for the Colts, they will be faced with the same challenge in the 2022 season. It was revealed on Thursday that Indy’s bye week isn’t until Week 14.

Again, that’s the last possible bye week of the season and the Colts will have to battle staying healthy as well as remaining mentally locked in through their first 13 games.

Colts will be challenged with a Week 14 bye

Last year, Indianapolis was 7-6 at the Week 14 bye but was 5-1 in the six games right before the break. However, they were very honest about how grueling the schedule had been.

Jonathan Taylor compared the 13 straight weeks to a college season with a Bowl game. Isaiah Rodgers tweeted that he really needed the break mentally and spiritually.

Darius Leonard was incredibly candid and said that when he first saw where the 2021 bye week was scheduled, “it was terrible.”

A late bye week isn’t something that teams enjoy. Besides having to play 13 straight games, there also isn’t much of a break between training camp and the season.

That means players are going nonstop from late July, into the preseason and regular season, and don’t have a real break until December.

That takes a toll on players mentally and physically, but it’s something the Colts are going to have to overcome.

Last season, the problem was early for Indianapolis. They emerged from camp a bit battered and started the season slowly. They were eventually able to find their stride without a break.

Also, the bye week didn’t kill Indy’s momentum. The Colts came out of the bye and won their first two games over tough opponents. It was after that when they hit a wall, but that was just a matter of being locked in.

Indianapolis will have to be locked in all year this coming season. In the 13 weeks before the bye and the four weeks after it. If Indy does that, it should be in the playoffs and the late bye could turn from a disadvantage into a benefit.

Game-by-game predictions for Colts 2022 schedule

The NFL schedule has finally been released and we know every game the Indianapolis Colts will have in the 2022 regular season. Let’s predict the results.