Pittsburgh Steelers Bye Week: Mike Tomlin’s Record After a Bye

I don’t like it when the Pittsburgh Steelers have a bye week.  It doesn’t even feel like an NFL Sunday if the Steelers aren’t playing until next Sunday.  I get the value of a bye week, especially this late into the season but I just want the Steelers to play.  Unfortunately I’ll have to wait another seven days until the black and yellow are back on the field.  The one thing the bye week did provide was me thinking about how the Steelers fare after a bye week.  I’ve always heard that Andy Reid has been great following a bye, which he is 14-2 lifetime.  That lead me to thinking about how Mike Tomlin has done after a bye.  He’s been in Pittsburgh long enough now that his sample size should be pretty valid, so let’s take a look.

2013- at New York Jets, W-19-6

2012- vs Philadelphia Eagles, W-16-14

2011- at Kansas City Chiefs, W-13-9

2010- vs Cleveland Browns, W-28-10

2009- at Denver Broncos, W-28-10

2008- at Cincinnati Bengals, W-38-10

2007- at Denver Broncos, L-31-28

The results are pleasing.  This is Mike Tomlin’s eighth bye week.  In his first seven, Tomlin has a 6-1 record.  He lost after the bye week to the Denver Broncos 31-28 in his first season.  Since then the Steelers have six in a row following the bye.  More impressively than that the Steelers have not allowed a team to score more than 14 points following a bye week for the defense.  Also four of the six wins have been by more than ten points.  Therefore it seems that the bye weeks have been very beneficial to the Steelers.

The Steelers will play the New Orleans Saints at home next Sunday.  The Saints play the Ravens on Monday night this week in New Orleans.  The Saints have been very good after playing a Monday night game.  They have won five straight games after a Monday nighter, so Sean Payton is very good on a short week to prepare. Four of those five wins did come at home, with their lone road win coming at Chicago last season.

Something is going to give next Sunday and frankly I can’t wait to see the Steelers on the field again.