Exec’s Insight Might Be Why Patriots Didn’t Get Bye After London Game

The Patriots schedule didn’t come with any major revelations, but there was one odd aspect that could make things difficult in Jerod Mayo’s first season.

A clear takeaway from New England’s schedule is there will be a lot of traveling this season. That’s highlighted by a Week 7 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London. One questionable aspect pertaining to that matchup is the Patriots don’t have a bye week after the international game.

It’s not a requirement for teams to have a bye week after an international game, but it makes logical sense given the effects travel can have on the body. NFL vice president of broadcast planning Mike North on Thursday provided insight into the scheduling it might explain why the Patriots’ schedule is laid out the way it is.

“I would say the majority of clubs now are starting to look at these international games as truly routine,” North said in a conference call, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “They used to go over for the whole week, and now they’re kind of going over Friday-Saturday and just really staying in their routine and coming back to a home game and looking for that bye to slide later in the season.

“Clubs are given the option — if they want the bye, to tell us, and we’ll do what we can to accommodate that.”

North referenced the Germany game from last season and said any team would want a bye in Week 11. So it seems like New England might have been comfortable with the turnaround from an international game to a home matchup against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium in Week 8. It’s unknown if the Patriots wanted a Week 14 bye specifically, but it could have played a factor in how their schedule was laid out.