Cowboys’ bye week came at the perfect time for them. Here’s why.

An enormous part of the NFL offseason for fans and even players, is the release of the schedule for the upcoming season. Every fan wants to know who their team will face Week 1, or when the rivalry games are. Perhaps the most important thing to be gleaned from the now 18-week slate, is at what point the bye week falls.

Almost every player and coach will say they want the bye week later in the season. Week 10 through 13 is most ideal so teams can heal up and recalibrate their strategies for the stretch run. There are some seasons where this isn’t true though, and for the Dallas Cowboys the bye week hitting a bit early is at the exact ideal time in 2021.

Dak Prescott injury emphasizes the need for the bye week

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As soon as Prescott came to the podium in a walking boot following the team’s overtime victory over the New England Patriots in Week 6, this became the top reason the bye week is at the perfect time.

All teams that lose their starting quarterback are gonna have issues, but for certain teams it’s exemplified. Prescott is playing at an elite level and is an MVP candidate. He has only played in one game this season where he didn’t throw at least three touchdown passes and only once has his passer rating been under 100. He is averaging 300 yards a game, and has a four-to-one touchdown to interception, and Prescott just broke the record for the most passing yards ever on a Bill Belichick lead team.

But if the Cowboys didn’t have a bye, they might have been finding out if Cooper Rush has improved or not. The Cowboys could’ve played a game Week 7 without their starting QB, but because of the timing of the bye week, Prescott could be back under center against the Minnesota Vikings.

Players working back towards availability

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A 5-1 record could help distract from the fact that the Cowboys have been hit hard by the injury bug and not just among backups.

Safety Donovan Wilson returned against the New England Patriots, but was limited to only 14 snaps. Second round pick, cornerback Kelvin Joseph, and third string tight end Sean McKeon have been designated to return from IR. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong and cornerback Maurice Canady are questionable to return against the Minnesota Vikings, and the Cowboys are hoping wideout Michael Gallup can make it back for the next game as well.

In addition to these player’s possible returns, longer injuries such as Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and tackle Neville Gallimore get another week of rehab without missing another game.

The timing of the bye has matched up very well for Dallas to get back multiple players and work them back into the game plan. This not only helps with team depth, but they can lower some current players snap counts, keeping them fresher in games so they can be more impactful.

The Belichick impact

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New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is a defensive mastermind. The week prior to playing the Cowboys, the Belichick defense stifled Tom Brady and the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His game plan helped hold Brady to barely over 50 percent completions and no touchdowns. They held a powerhouse Bucs offense to one touchdown and not even 20 points.

Belichick is the best of all time at taking what an offense does best away. Whether it was squeezing the defensive line into to the middle to stuff inside runs, or double teaming Dalton Schultz on third downs to take away Prescott’s security blanket, the coach will show opponents a great strategy to stopping their own offense.

The NFL is a copycat league, and teams will look at what worked well for the Patriots against this Cowboys offense and try to implement it into their defensive game plan. The bye week allows the Cowboys coaching staff to dive into these strategies and attempt to counter them in future games.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or at Youtube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast.

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