The Bye week doesn't appear to be important anymore.

[FortressX]

But why ?
It seems so counter intuitive yet the stats since the Steelers beat the Seahawks to win the SB favor the teams that play Wild Card Weekend.
Steelers
Colts
Giants
Steelers-had the bye
Saints-had the bye
Packers
Giants
Ravens/49ers

 

[coolguy]

But why ?
It seems so counter intuitive yet the stats since the Steelers beat the Seahawks to win the SB favor the teams that play Wild Card Weekend.
Steelers
Colts
Giants
Steelers-had the bye
Saints-had the bye
Packers
Giants
Ravens/49ers

And yet the patriots have never went to the superbowl without one.

 

[zipster9]

And yet the patriots have never went to the superbowl without one.

Getting there is one thing. Winning it is another.

Winners of SB were from the lower seeds..

Hopefully, Niners break that trend..

 

[scout]

Had the Patriots won yesterday, BB would have been the only coach to have ever brought one team to a Superbowl six times. It did not happen, it must be a difficult feat. I would not trade places with any other team in the NFL.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Avoiding key injuries is important.

More often than not, having one game helps those odds.

But, football being what it is, sometimes even with one less game played you can lose your most important offensive mismatch (Gronk) and your most important defensive back (Talib), tying your hands.