Extra time at the bye week has historically been a good thing for the Patriots in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.
Since Brady took over as the starting quarterback in 2001, the Patriots are 12-4 in games following a scheduled midseason break, which is tied for the third-best record off the bye in the NFL in that span.
Only the Eagles (13-3) and Packers (13-3) have out-performed the Patriots after byes.
But a deeper look inside the numbers after the bye offers a caution flag, because over the past six years the Patriots haven’t won at the same rate.