There are only two teams on a bye this week, with the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys facing mixed fortunes last week going into their bye.
Chicago Bears (4-2)
The Bears got off to a slow start in 2024, only winning one of their first three games. Chicago beat the Tennessee Titans in week one 24-17, but then lost their next two games to the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts.
The Bears have seen an upturn in results in recent weeks, going into their bye week on a three-game win streak after wins against the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Caleb Williams is starting to find his groove, and with that his receivers. The 2024 number one overall pick failed to top 200 yards or register a touchdown pass in his first two games but since then Williams has had three games of over 200 yards plus two touchdowns. In his last four games he has nine touchdown passes and three interceptions.
The Bears’ defence has also been impressive holding opponents to 21 points or under in all six of their games this season. Gervon Dexter leads the team in sacks (4) and QB hits (11). The defence also have seven interceptions and six forced fumbles.
After the Bye: @ Washington Commanders (4-2)
Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
The bye week couldn’t come quick enough for the Cowboys after Sunday’s 47-9 drubbing to the hands of the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys were missing receiver Brandin Cooks, star pass rusher Micah Parsons and defensive play caller Eric Kendricks, who they will be hoping to have back after the bye week.
The Cowboys have now lost two games at AT&T Stadium in which they gave up 44 or more points, the Lions defeat adds to the week two 44-19 defeat to the New Orleans Saints. Dallas' other loss came to the Baltimore Ravens in week three. The Cowboys have beaten the Cleveland Browns in week one, the New York Giants in week four and the Pittsburgh Steelers in week five.
There's an argument to be made that the Cowboys only appear to beat the lesser teams and get beat up off the playoff contenders in the league.
Going forward the Cowboys will have to be a better team if they are to be in playoff contention come the end of the season, Dallas has failed to top 20 points on offense in four of their last five games whilst giving up an average of 30.2 points per game.
After the Bye: @ San Francisco 49ers (3-3)
Coming off a bye
Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)
The Eagles came back from their bye week in a much better position than before it. Wide receivers A.J Brown and DeVonta Smith both returned from injuries in Philadelphia’s 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns. Between the two, they had nine catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)
The Chargers faced off against the Denver Broncos in an AFC West divisional matchup. Los Angeles made the first three quarters of the game look easy – this was despite head coach Jim Harbaugh leaving the game with an illness. Going into the fourth quarter the Chargers had a 23-0 lead, but the Broncos scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to make it a nervy ending for the Chargers.
Tennessee Titans (1-4)
The Titans were the only team to come off a bye week to taste defeat in week six. Tennessee was beaten 20-17 in a close game against the Indianapolis Colts. Tony Pollard impressed for the Titans with 93 yards and a score on the ground, but Will Levis struggled through the air throwing for only 99 yards and failing to complete a pass to receiver Calvin Ridley despite targeting him eight times.
Detroit Lions (4-1)
The Lions were hot off the bye week with a 47-9 thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys. Yet, it was the Lions post-match press conference that was the more subdued. This was due to the season-ending injury of star pass rusher and the NFL sack leader Aidan Hutchinson. The Michigan alumni broke his tibia in the third quarter when attempting to sack Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Overall record for teams coming off a bye week: 3-1
