Tuesday Cheese Curds: Packers rolling the dice with their post-London schedule

A game in London is exciting, but there’s a subplot to the Packers trip across the Atlantic that I can’t stop thinking about: the bye week.

The Packers had the option to take their bye after their London game, but chose to take it later; instead, they won’t get a week off until December.

I understand Matt LaFleur’s thinking here. In theory, the Packers should be healthier earlier in the season, and taking a week off late in the year could help them be rested and ready for a playoff push. Had they taken their bye in Week 6, the only time off they could look forward to for the rest of the season would be the week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl — or the offseason.

The flip side is playing in Week 6 after an odd week. There’s no way the Packers can have a normal week of practice after getting back from London, and they’ll go into their matchup with the Jets potentially a bit out of sync.

So far, things are trending toward a best-case scenario result. The Packers have been fairly healthy so far this year and seem to be getting healthier. With respect to Adrian Amos and his trip through the concussion protocol this week, the only other starter with any kind of long-term injury is Sammy Watkins, and he’s quickly being made redundant by Romeo Doubs, anyway.

The choice remains a gamble, but it could pay off. As the Packers continue to sort out their issues on offense, they’ll need all the healthy bodies they can get later in the season. A late bye week gives them the best opportunity to maximize their health. Now they’ve just got to take care of business in London.

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