Tag: bye week

2020 Cowboys schedule: Dallas has 5 primetime games

The Dallas Cowboys schedule is now out.

The Dallas Cowboys have known the 13 teams they will face for the 2020 season for some time, now they know the order. The NFL released the full 17-week, 16-game schedule for all 32 teams. Normally the schedule release means fans near and far will start to make their plans on which games they will attend, but not so much in 2020.

Now all eyes will focus on deciphering how the league scheduled around the real possibility not every game will be played and that some stadiums will not be ready, or allowed to open. The official schedule is now out and Dallas has an interesting mix of opponents.  The schedule features a maximum of five primetime games, as America’s Team always brings in maximum ratings for whatever network carries their games.

Three games will be on Sunday Night football, one on Monday night football and their new tradition of playing the Thursday after Thanksgiving will have all eyes oin them.

Dallas opens up with the Los Angeles Rams on September 13 at 7:20 p.m. CT.  The Sunday Night football matchup will potentially be the christening of the Rams new SoFi Stadium.

Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones was instrumental in getting the Rams back to L.A. and getting the new stadium. Dallas christened their return to California in the preseason back in 2016 and now they will be the first team to write on the visitor’s locker room walls in the new digs. Provided of course California lets the game happen in their state and the construction is finished.

The Cowboys face off against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers at home in Week  15 on SNF. Dallas gets their first shot to dethrone NFC East champion Philadelphia in Week 8, and then they’ll rematch against the Eagles in Week 16.

When it’s all said and done, we’ll track the complete slate for the defending NFC East champion Cowboys.

Complete 2020 Regular Season Schedule

Week Opponent Date/Time (CT) Network
1 @ Los Angeles Rams Sun Sept 13, 7:20 p.m. CT NBC
2 vs Atlanta Falcons Sun Sept 20, noon CT FOX
3 @ Seattle Seahawks Sunday Sept 27, 3:25 p.m. CT FOX
4 vs Cleveland Browns Sunday Oct 4, Noon CT FOX
5 vs New York Giants Sunday, Oct 11, 3:25 p.m. CT CBS
6 vs Arizona Cardinals Monday, Oct 19 7:15 pm. CT ESPN
7 @ Washington Redskins Sunday Oct 25 noon CT FOX
8 @ Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Nov 1 720 p.m. CT NBC
9 vs Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Nov 8 325 p.m. CT CBS
10 BYE WEEK
11 @ Minnesota Vikings Sunday Nov 22, 3:25 p.m. CT FOX
12 vs Washington Redskins (Thanksgiving) Thursday, Nov 26, 3:30 p.m. CT FOX
13 @ Baltimore Ravens Thursday, Dec 3 7:20 p.m. CT FOX
14 @ Cincinnati Bengals Sunday Dec 13, Noon CT FOX
15 vs San Francisco 49ers Sunday Dec 20, 7:20 p.m. CT NBC
16 vs Philadelphia Eagles Sunday Dec 27, 3:25 p.m. CT FOX
17 @ New York Giants Sunday Jan 3, Noon CT FOX

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Chiefs’ 2020 regular season schedule revealed

The schedule for the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2020 NFL season has finally arrived!

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2020 schedule has finally been revealed.

We’ve known their opponents for a while now, and we know that strength of schedule has the Chiefs in the middle of the pack among NFL teams. Now we know the exact order in which they’ll face their opponents as Kansas City seeks to defend their Super Bowl title. Early indications are that this is a favorable schedule for the defending champions.

Take look at the full 2020 schedule for the Chiefs:

Week Opponent Time (CT) | Date
1 vs. Houston Texans 7:20 p.m. Thu, Sept. 10th
2 at Los Angeles Chargers 3:25  p.m. Sun, Sept. 20th
3 at Baltimore Ravens 7:20 p.m. Mon, Sept. 28th
4 vs. New England Patriots 3:25 p.m. Sun, Oct. 4th
5 vs. Las Vegas Raiders 12:00 p.m. Sun, Oct. 11th
6 at Buffalo Bills 7:20 p.m. Sun, Oct 15th
7 at Denver Broncos 3:25 p.m. Sun, Oct 25th
8 vs. New York Jets 12:00 p.m. Sun, Nov. 1st
9 vs. Carolina Panthers 12:00 p.m. Sun, Nov. 8th
10 BYE BYE
11 at Las Vegas Raiders 7:20 p.m. Sun, Nov. 22nd
12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3:25 p.m. Sun, Nov. 29th
13 vs. Denver Broncos 7:20 p.m. Sun, Dec. 6th
14 at Miami Dolphins 12:00 p.m. Sun, Dec. 13th
15 at New Orleans Saints 3:25 p.m. Sun, Dec. 20th
16 vs. Atlanta Falcons 12:00 p.m. Sun, Dec. 27th
17 vs. Los Angeles Chargers 12:00 p.m. Sun, Jan. 3rd

How do you feel about the Chiefs’ schedule for the 2020 season? Will the Kansas City become back-to-back Super Bowl winners? Be sure to share your reactions with Chiefs Wire on Facebook and Twitter.

2019 NFL playoff scenarios for Week 17: How the AFC and NFC stack up

A look at the 2019 NFL playoff scenarios for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league heading into the final week of the season.

The Seattle Seahawks have clinched a spot in this year’s playoffs and still have the chance to win the division with a victory over the San Francisco 49ers Sunday night.

Here’s a look at how the rest of the teams in the AFC and NFC stack up for the final week of the regular season, per NFL Communications.

AFC

CLINCHED:

Baltimore Ravens – AFC North division and home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs

Houston Texans – AFC South division

Kansas City Chiefs – AFC West division

New England Patriots – AFC East division

Buffalo Bills – playoff berth

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (11-4) vs. L.A. Chargers (5-10)

Kansas City clinches a first-round bye with:

  1. KC win + NE loss

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (12-3) vs. Miami (4-11)

New England clinches a first-round bye with:

  1. NE win or tie OR
  2. KC loss or tie

OAKLAND RAIDERS (7-8) at Denver (6-9)

Oakland clinches a playoff berth with:

  1. OAK win + PIT loss + TEN loss + IND win + OAK clinches strength-of-victory tiebreaker over PIT*

*OAK clinches strength-of-victory tiebreaker over PIT if ONE of the following teams win or tie:

CHI, DET, LAC OR NE

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-7) at Baltimore (13-2)

Pittsburgh clinches a playoff berth with:

  1. PIT win + TEN loss or tie OR
  2. PIT tie + TEN loss OR
  3. TEN loss + IND win + OAK loss or tie OR
  4. TEN loss + IND win + PIT ties OAK in strength-of-victory tiebreaker*

*PIT ties OAK in strength-of-victory tiebreaker if ALL of the following teams win:

MIN, GB, KC AND MIA

TENNESSEE TITANS (8-7) at Houston (10-5)

Tennessee clinches a playoff berth with:

  1. TEN win OR
  2. TEN tie + PIT loss or tie OR
  3. PIT loss + IND loss or tie

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Chiefs hope to add to Andy Reid’s amazing record of post-bye week success

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid is one of the most dominant head coaches in the NFL with extra time to prepare for an opponent.

The only thing that looks better on Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid than a Hawaiian shirt is extra time to prepare for an opponent.

In Reid’s 21-year career as an NFL head coach, he’s 17-3 coming out of the bye week during the regular season. Two of those losses have come when he has been the coach of the Chiefs, with the most recent loss coming in 2017 to the New York Giants. They lost that game in frustrating fashion with an overtime field goal.

In 2018, Kansas City faced the Oakland Raiders coming off a Week 12 bye, just as they will in 2019. That season they traveled to the Raiders in Oakland and they won the game 40-33. This time the Raiders will be tasked with facing the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

In 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the Chiefs have come away victorious with extra time to prepare for their opponent. In 2019, with the team hoping to return to the AFC championship and then the Super Bowl, they’ll need to continue their dominance following the bye week.

For the Raiders, the upcoming Week 13 game could be the difference between winning the AFC West, being a wild-card team, or even missing the playoffs altogether. You know they’ll be ready to put up their best shot against a hated rival like Kansas City.

Another cool part about Reid’s post-bye record is that it extends to the playoffs. Reid has only had a bye week in the playoffs a total five times in his 21-year NFL career. During each of those five years, he’s gone undefeated coming off of a first-round bye week.

The Chiefs really hurt their chances at a first-round bye week by dropping a winnable game to the Tennesse Titans in Week 10. There’s still a chance that they could get the first-round bye, but in addition to winning down the stretch themselves, they’ll need some teams like the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots to lose some games along the way to the playoffs.

Did Chiefs’ bye week come at the right time?

How have the Kansas City Chiefs performed under Andy Reid following the bye week?

The Kansas City Chiefs won’t be playing today as they have Week 12 off for their bye week. This is actually the second consecutive season in which the Chiefs have had a bye week during Week 12 and face the Oakland Raiders in Week 13. Kansas City won last season’s game 40-33 in Oakland.

This realization got me thinking about whether the Chiefs under Andy Reid do better with an early-season bye week or a late-season bye week. Each season is different in terms of players, schedules, challenges and injuries. However, Reid seems to approach the bye week the same way every season. He gets his players extra rest and spends extra time studying and game-planning for the upcoming opponent.

Here’s a look at when the bye week has occurred in each season since Reid arrived in Kansas City and the team record in games occurring after the bye:

Season Bye Week Record After Bye
2018 Week 12 3-2
2017 Week 10 4-3
2016 Week 5 10-2
2015 Week 9 8-0
2014 Week 6 7-4
2013 Week 10 2-5

Apart from 2013, the Chiefs have had a winning record after the bye in each season. The team has seemingly done their best work under Reid when the bye week occurs in Week 9 or earlier. From 2014-2016 the Chiefs had a 25-6 record after the bye week. During the three seasons when they had a bye week in Week 10 or later, Kansas City had a 9-10 record.

If this trend continues, the Chiefs won’t win out in 2019. However, they could certainly finish the season with a winning record. It’s also entirely possible that the team reverses the trend. This team will certainly face its challenges with getting some more players healthy for the stretch run.

At the very least, it’s nice to know that in general Kansas City has done a great job after the bye week under Reid, with a combined 34-16 record after the over the course of six seasons.

Seahawks exit bye week and enter home stretch of the season

The Seattle Seahawks had one of the latest byes of the NFL season, but now they are rested and ready to take on their final six games.

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The Seattle Seahawks are set to get back to work following their Week 11 bye, the second latest bye week of the NFL season.

While a late bye week can certainly take its toll on the team in the first part of the year, coach Pete Carroll loves coming back from the break with just six games remaining.

“The bye this late though, we can feel it that we’re in the home stretch of the season with six games left,” Carroll said on Monday. “It feels good to have it this late. Just get a good break for the legs and all that coming back and bumps and bruises and all.”

The Seahawks played an intense, physical game of football on Monday night in Week 10 against the 49ers, all the more reason to be thankful the break followed.

Additionally, receiver Tyler Lockett suffered a lower leg contusion that is not expected to keep him out against the Eagles in Week 12, but might have caused him to miss a game last weekend – had they had one.

Bye weeks are welcome at any time during a grueling NFL season, but after Seattle’s rough Monday night game, this team took a much-needed break and is now more than ready to tackle the final six games of the regular season, where they’ll be battling for the top seed in the NFC West.

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NFC West roundup: 49ers sweep Cardinals, Rams beat Bears in Week 11

In Week 11, the San Francisco 49ers completed their sweep of the Arizona Cardinals while the Los Angeles Rams edged out the Chicago Bears.

The Seattle Seahawks (8-2) had a well-deserved bye week, leaving their rivals to battle it out in Week 11. The San Francisco 49ers (9-1) and Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1) faced off against each other in Santa Clara and the Los Angeles Rams (6-4) played the Chicago Bears (4-6) on Sunday night. Both the 49ers and Rams came out victorious, and the Cardinals lost to San Francisco. Here is a more specific summary of how Seattle’s rivals in the NFC West performed in Week 11.

San Francisco 49ers 36 – Arizona Cardinals 26

The 49ers pulled off a memorable comeback victory against their division rival and kept a hold on the No. 1 seed in the NFC while also securing their first winning season since 2013.

The Cardinals raced ahead 16-0 before San Francisco scored 17 unanswered points to take the lead. From there it was a back-and-forth battle until Jimmy Garoppolo threw the game-winning touchdown pass to running back Jeff Wilson with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. The 49ers scored a defensive touchdown on Arizona’s desperation lateral attempt on the final play of the game, making the final score 36-26 and completing a sweep of the Cardinals.

Garoppolo threw four touchdown passes for 424 yards and two interceptions, completing 75.6% of his passes along the way. Kyler Murray threw two TDs and no INTs for only 150 yards but also completed over 70% of his passes.

San Francisco will play the Green Bay Packers (8-2) in a highly anticipated contest on “Sunday Night Football.” Arizona hits its bye week and is all but out of the race for the division and the postseason.

Los Angeles Rams 17 – Chicago Bears 7

A defensive slugfest on Sunday night, the Rams edged out the Bears at home. Both quarterbacks struggled immensely for the most part and couldn’t get into a rhythm. Mitch Trubisky suffered a hip injury and was taken out of the game, leaving Chase Daniel to fill in for him.

The Rams defense outplayed that of the Bears, limiting their opponent to seven points. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald had two sacks and four quarterback hits, while Bears defensive end Khalil Mack did not even register a tackle. Los Angeles did enough on both sides of the ball to secure a win and keep its faint playoff hopes alive.

The Rams get an extra day off as they play the high-flying Ravens (8-2) –  whose quarterback Lamar Jackson has taken the NFL by storm – next Monday night.

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Seahawks planning on Tyler Lockett playing Sunday against Eagles

After recovering from a leg contusion over the bye week, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett could be ready to face the Eagles.

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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett left the Monday night matchup against the San Francisco 49ers with a leg contusion and was unable to fly home with the team after the win.

Lockett spent two nights in a Bay Area hospital for evaluation before returning to Seattle.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll provided an update on Lockett’s status during his press conference Monday afternoon.

“They took great care of him and all that,” Carroll explained. “Everything worked out fine. Now, he’s just on the road back. We’re optimistic about it, but he’s still going to have to do it. The extra days absolutely are helping us here, so we’ll take full advantage of that.”

The Seahawks, who just resumed practice after their bye week, were able to enjoy some much needed time to relax and recover. The additional days off could mean Lockett won’t have to miss a game due to his injury.

“He’s doing better, he’s doing better,” Carroll said. “We’ll know later in the week his status. We’re hoping and planning on him being able to play, but yet, he has to show it to us. So, we’ll see.”

Seattle has an off day Tuesday before returning to the practice field on Wednesday to prep to face the Eagles on the road.

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Pete Carroll hoping Seahawks make positive transition out of bye week

Coming off of a huge Monday night victory over the 49ers, coach Pete Carroll is hoping the Seahawks can make the most of the bye week.

The Seattle Seahawks won’t be taking the field Week 11, enjoying a late bye to rest and recover. Coming off the heels of a huge Monday night victory over the San Franciso 49ers, coach Pete Carroll is hoping the team can make the most of the break.

“Yeah, I think we’re very, very fortunate,” Carroll said on Tuesday. “I always would tell you that they bye came at the right time because it did. It came when they gave it to you. We can make a good transition out of this, I think.”

Although Seattle escaped the San Francisco matchup with very few injuries – save for wide receiver Tyler Lockett – the extra time to recuperate could lead to the return of a number of players Week 12.

“I hate that we didn’t have our meetings today to have the fun of watching the highlights and the film like we like to do and have a good time and all that because the guys got to separate,” Carroll continued. “We just have to recreate that when we come back Monday.”

The Seahawks have a bonus practice Monday afternoon before reporting for the full work week on Wednesday to prepare to face the Eagles in Philadelphia. The game has been flexed to an early start, so adjust your schedules accordingly.

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Shaquem Griffin earns bigger role after Monday night performance

The Seattle Seahawks are planning to find ways to get Shaquem Griffin involved as an edge rusher for the rest of the season.

The Seattle Seahawks are 8-2 through the first 10 weeks of the season, in part because they are able to flash different tricks up their sleeve each week to keep opponents guessing.

Monday night against the 49ers saw Seattle debut two new impact players, safety Quandre Diggs and receiver Josh Gordon, which made it difficult for San Francisco to gameplan without having seen either of them in a Seahawks uniform.

As if that wasn’t enough, Shaquem Griffin, who has been an active member of the special teams all year, made his 2019 debut on the defensive side of the ball against San Francisco — and he was playing a new position.

Griffin played 14 snaps on defense for the Seahawks, all coming on passing downs as an edge rusher. While he did not record any stats, coach Pete Carroll liked enough of what he saw to keep him in that role going forward.

“We’re going to find ways to utilize him,” Carroll said on Tuesday. “It’s really clear, more than it has been, that we might be able to build [him] a role that could be a factor. We have to work at that more so just to use his speed. He’s instinctively a good rusher. He’s just not very big. You have to do special things with him. We’ll put that together and see if we can make that a good complement to what we’re doing.”

Part of the reason Carroll believes Griffin should play more is certainly due to his performance in practice — but it might have more to do with the poor performance of veteran Ziggy Ansah, who has failed to live up to expectations in his first season in the blue and green.

Ansah also only played 14 snaps on Monday, and he was benched after committing a neutral zone infraction late in the game.

The veteran edge rusher has just one sack and three quarterback hits all season, and has struggled to adjust to Seattle’s defensive scheme.

Griffin is not a slam dunk to instantly contribute off the edge, but considering how great at it he was in college, he’s certainly earned at least a look out there. Plus, this allows Carroll to challenge Ansah to improve, knowing his role is no longer guaranteed if Griffin can find a modicum of success getting to the quarterback.

The Seahawks have a Week 11 bye but will be back in action on Sunday, November 24 against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

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