How much will early bye week affect Steelers down the stretch?

The Steelers were forced into an early bye week, but how much will that affect us in the long run?

The early bye week the Steelers were forced to take was not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. We were on a roll, winning our first three contests.  Having to abruptly and unexpectedly change our normal game week preparation could have a detrimental effect on the rest of the season.

The question is this:  Will the early bye week have an effect on the Steelers down the stretch and if so, what will that look like? At its core, the question is hypothetical, yet we can probably draw some realistic conclusions based on the nature of an NFL season.

The Steelers may lose momentum because of the early bye week

So when I say the Steelers may lose momentum, I am obviously looking at it from the standpoint that it could go either way.  I think that’s true with anything related to the unknown.  What we do know is that we had no choice in taking an early bye week.

Who knows what would have transpired had we played the Titans as scheduled.  Although we are undefeated thus far on the early season, we are not playing flawless football.  Maybe we would have lost against the Titans or maybe we would have won and would have remained undefeated.

The point is this: We will never know because we were not afforded the opportunity to find that out.  Instead, the Steelers had an unexpected week off.  I am not a professional athlete, but I would suspect that when the 2020 schedule came out, every player and coach circled the original bye week and reconciled the fact that they would be off that week.

A Week 8 bye is much better than a Week 4 bye, which is what the Steelers had to endure.  I just think that the abruptness of the change in bye weeks will somehow curtail the momentum that we were able to build through the first three weeks of the season.

Injuries become a greater risk because of the early bye week

I realize injuries are a risk any time you step onto the field, whether it be in practice or in a game, but the fact the Steelers will now have to play 13 straight regular-season games lends itself to a greater risk of injury.  I don’t think there’s any way around that, other than having a week or two of practice in helmets and shoulder pads, a.k.a. shells, with no contact, maybe only ‘thud’.

So if the Steelers opt for a ‘light’ practice week or weeks, that may ‘dull the edge’ we have played with through the first three games of the season.  I really hope that having to play 13 consecutive regular-season games will not lead to a deluge of injuries.

The Steelers will need inner fortitude to come out on top over the next 13 games

Look, the Steelers are professional athletes who are paid to perform a job.  That job is to play a football game against another team that is dictated by a schedule. I think it goes without saying that the Steelers possess a tremendous amount of resolve, which we will need as we press forward in the 2020 season.

With that said, the Steelers, like every other NFL team, would prefer to adhere to a routine.  That routine was abruptly and unexpectedly altered and altered not in a good way for Pittsburgh.  While I think it’s unfair that we were forced to accept an early bye week, the Steelers will face this challenge as we have always faced any challenge: with ‘grit’ and determination.