The Arizona Cardinals were set to have one final practice on Wednesday before getting the bye week off. The NFL mandates that players on the bye have off from Thursday until the following Monday. The Cardinals got an early start and will get an extra day.
Head coach Bruce Arians let the players go after the team picture, which they had on Wednesday and joked with reporters, saying, "We made it through the team picture with no injuries, so we cancelled practice."
The players do not have to return until Tuesday. Arians noted the game plan for the Seahawks is almost all done.
The bye comes at a good time. "We probably would have been without a couple of starters had we played this week," he said.
Of course, Arians repeated the message he has given the team each of the last two seasons.
"We're playing the Seahawks," he said. "Don't be that guy. We don't need anybody being a distraction in the next four or five days. Take care of yourself, rest."
The week off also allows for a little bit of reflection. Arians said he likes where the team is, but "could we be better? Hell yeah."
They are 6-2 with eight games to go. They have a 1.5-game lead on the St. Louis Rams and two games over the Seattle Seahawks. They are in control of the division. They play the Rams once more and Seattle twice.
They are also relatively healthy and might have only one injured player next week.
The Cardinals now have a few days away from football. This site doesn't, so don't worry. We've got you covered in the meantime.