Finding a fair answer to Ravens-Texans scheduling wasn’t easy.
As the afternoon dragged on and the NFL powers-that-be stressed out and searched for a sensible solution, it became more clear that the “fallback” plan of moving bye weeks and keeping the schedule “in tact” might be the ONLY solution.
For the Ravens and Texans, it means tomorrow BECOMES the bye week.
Obviously, it’s more punitive to these two teams than anyone else, having basically forfeited the chance to go rest for a few days in the middle of a grueling season. Perhaps John Harbaugh will allow the Ravens a quick escape from tonight through Wednesday morning, but it’s not the same as a bye week on Nov. 9th, that’s for sure.
The Cincinnati Bengals will be the only other affected party and it will essentially move their bye week back by three weeks, moving their game from Nov. 9th back to Oct. 26 with the Texans in Houston (assuming the stadium isn’t still trashed). Marvin Lewis would probably welcome a bye in November vs. October, but he clearly has bigger fish to fry at 0-1 with the way they played last week here.
And it’s not like Roger Goodell is giving the Browns or Steve Bisciotti or Bob McNair a lot of options here. Common sense kicked in and they “did what they needed to do.”
I applaud them, even though any remote hope of the Ravens’ postseason pipe dreams are diminished slightly by the fact that they’ll be playing 15 straight weeks beginning next Sunday against Cleveland. Same deal for the Texans, 15 in a row.
But we do get to enjoy one more week of being undefeated! (This is a weak attempt at gallows humor.)
So, on the face of it, this is the easy solution. Just switch the schedule and wish the folks of Houston a speedy recovery.
But rest assured Matt Stover and the NFLPA had a voice in this but it was a “no win” for anyone and kind of crazy to think the league could round up the Texans tomorrow and get them someplace to play a football game on Monday, especially considering the “real life” issues the people of the Houston area will face in the coming days and weeks.
And the two organizations — Baltimore and Houston — will certainly be conceding a major competitive issue by essentially never getting a bye, but this was the best the NFL and the NFLPA and all of the related and interested parties could negotiate under duress.
The Texans might not have a normal moment for months considering the condition of their city and their stadium.
Feel to comment below…
But this will be made “official” very shortly…
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