Green Bay Packers given ideal timing for bye in Week 11

The Green Bay Packers’ bye comes in Week 11 this season, the latest they’ve had since the bye was introduced almost 30 years ago.

Getting good luck with the bye week hasn’t often been the case for the Green Bay Packers in recent years.

Twice in the past six seasons (2013 and 2016), the Packers have had to deal with the earliest possible bye in Week 4. Considering Green Bay made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game in 2016, it meant the team had to play 16 games in a row without a break. That’s tough.

Even last year’s week off in Week 7 was slightly on the early side. The season prior it was Week 8, which is fine.

Ideally, the bye week comes in the second half of the season ahead of the final stretch of games. And that’s exactly when the Packers get theirs this year.

With five games at Lambeau Field in the opening seven weeks, five of their final nine games will be on the road. That makes the Week 11 rest even more important as it breaks up a five-game stretch that includes four games away from Lambeau. It will also give the Packers a chance to get healthy and prepare for an important six-game stretch that includes games against all three division opponents, two on the road.

This is the latest bye week the Packers have had since the week off was introduced in 1990. The last time they had a break as late as Week 10 was back in 2012.

Only four teams have a later bye week than the Packers — the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings are all off in Week 12.

The Packers will have the extra week to prepare for the San Francisco 49ers, who they visit in Week 12. The 49ers have their bye all the way back in Week 4.

Ideally, the Green Bay Packers will enter Week 11 with a strong record and relatively healthy. With the week off, they get close to 100 percent and spend the week off preparing for the final playoff push in late November into December.