In fact, Saints Coach Sean Payton said that more of a concern for his teams have been how they play after the bye week, an emphasis that has been born and nurtured courtesy of the Saints’ 4-5, post-bye record since 2006.
But New Orleans (4-5) has been particularly successful in its pre-bye game since 2006, with a 7-2 record to its credit. Sunday’s game against Washington (3-5) at FedExField will serve as the Saints’ pre-bye game this season.
“We spent some time (Wednesday) talking about playing after the bye,” Payton said. “We kind of laid out the schedule for the next week-and-a-half and when we kind of philosophically change what we do on the bye for the players.