The postponement of the Bucs' season opener from Sunday to Nov. 19 due to Hurricane Irma means Tampa Bay and Miami will both take their bye this week and then play 16 games in a row.
It's a daunting challenge, and this has been met by justified concern from players and coaches -- Dirk Koetter said "nobody wants that," and defensive tackle Chris Baker said asking a team to play 16 games in a row is "crazy." Losing a midseason bye takes away both the actual break -- resting an overtaxed body from even practice for four straight days -- but also the psychological benefit of knowing there's eventually a week's relief from the NFL grind.