4. Bye week isn’t great — or terrible
Week 6 is not an awesome placement for the bye. If the Patriots make the playoffs and do not get a first-round bye — which seems likely considering the bye only goes to the AFC’s top seed in the new playoff format — they will finish the season with 10 straight weeks of games heading into the playoffs. And then they have to try to make a run in the postseason, if they make it. That could be a very physically demanding setup.