Thursday, 4 a.m.
A team doesn’t want a bye when it’s on a winning streak. It doesn’t want a bye too early in the season. It doesn’t want a bye when the defense is dominant, or the offense is red hot, or the coach has unlocked his team’s potential.
When you’re the Tampa Bay Bucs, however, this is a perfect time for a break.
The losing streak worsens. The injuries mount. The defense is befuddled. The don’ pass rush is invisible. The receivers don’t receive. The tacklers don’t tackle.
Heck, it kind of figures that the Bucs would be an underdog to the bye week.
So, yeah, this is a good time to take five, to let a few wounds heal (a few won’t), to get ready for an easier (on paper) stretch of the schedule.
Prediction: Bucs finish 9-8.
In this week’s NFL games:
New Orleans 28, Cleveland 14.
Baltimore 27, Pittsburgh 21.
Miami 31, Las Vegas 17.
Denver 30, Atlanta 24.
Buffalo 34, Kansas City 31.
And in the college games:
USF 17, Charlotte 16.
LSU 35, Florida 20.
Clemson 27, Pitt 14.
Texas 38, Arkansas 20.
Georgia 24, Tennessee 21.