Bye Week Blues: Titans Trip to London Creates Difficult Decision
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans will travel across the pond for a Week 6 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in London, England this upcoming season. In the past, teams would automatically take their bye after their international game, but now given the choice, the Titans face a difficult decision.
The obvious thing the titans could do is take their bye directly after the game. They will most likely be in a physical matchup with Baltimore that could take it's toll on their bodies more than a normal regular season game would. Combine that with the extensive travel and you could see why sticking with historical precedent and taking the bye in Week 7 could be the move.
However, the Titans have the option to decline that route and take their bye at a different time. That is a gamble though because it could mean the Titans bye comes before the trip to London. With an international game and the majority of the season remaining after Week 5, you run the risk of running your players' fitness down. Something Mike Vrabel will surely be thinking about.
The reward of the gamble would be the chance at a later bye week. One in Week 10 or later. Why is this ideal? The answer is simple, if you are a team that wants to win games and have a chance to make a playoff push, you need your best players healthy late. Having a bye week later in the season gives you rest after bodies are more worn down.
Having a bye week in the first eight weeks of the year just isn't as helpful. When the season wears on later and the weather gets colder, that is when bodies really start to wear thin. Having a bye too early can hurt you, as you could argue it did the Titans last season when their bye was in Week 6.
What the Titans decide to do will be interesting to see. The full 2023 NFL schedule will be released at 8pm ET on Thursday May 11. So, we will get our answer soon enough.
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