INDIANAPOLIS –This bye week was well-timed for the Indianapolis Colts.

Before facing longtime rival New England in a nationally televised Sunday night game on Nov. 16, the Colts now have a chance to rest and recover a bit. It’s a time to reflect on the first nine games of the season and to begin the final push to the playoffs.

“Obviously a huge win for us moving forward heading into the bye week being 6-3 and having the chance to get away for a little bit,” coach Chuck Pagano said, referring to the 40-24 Monday night victory over the New York Giants.

“The guys will be away for the next four or five days. The coaches will have an opportunity to get away, rest, recharge and reset. We’ll have a chance to look at ourselves a little bit.”

So how important was going into the bye week with that win over the Giants?

“Night and day; Night and day,” Pagano said. “It takes the sting off of getting home at 5 a.m. and then having to come back in here and face the press, do all the things that you have to do and talk to the team.

“Six and three is a heck of a lot better than 5-4. Then to be able to get away and actually enjoy some time off coming off a win. Coming off a loss everybody probably cancels any plans that they had to do anything. It upsets everybody at home, wives and kids, whoever. Everything that they had planned gets canceled.”

Is there a good time for a bye week? Would it be better earlier in the season?

“You’d like to be somewhere right in the middle,” Pagano said. “It gives you an opportunity again to see where you’re at and get some guys back from a health standpoint. You’ve usually got some guys, you’re pretty beat up. You’re never going to feel the way you felt the first day of training camp, we all know that, the guys know that. But midway point and an opportunity again to look at ourselves from a self-scout standpoint and see where we’re at.

“We can all look up the numbers and see where we’re at statistically in all three phases and those kind of things. Really look at ourselves and see where we can make some improvements and see what’s going to help us down the stretch. Then from a player standpoint, get out, get rested, restart, get healthy, all those kind of things. So it’s a good time for us.”

Quarterback Andrew Luck has his plans for the bye week, although he is keeping those plans to himself.

“You certainly have a plan on how to approach the bye week,” Luck said. “I think you do have to get away. Not to say you go sit on a couch and watch a bunch of college football and NFL games. But there is a reason it’s a bye and that’s to rest and rejuvenate. But at the same time, I don’t think you can let your mind wander too far off realizing you’ve got the New England Patriots coming into town a couple weeks from now.

“What’s my plan? I don’t want to give away my plan. I’ll get out of town for a little bit and relax.”

Looking ahead: According to Pagano, no decision has been made on whether safety LaRon Landry will return to the starting lineup against the Patriots in two weeks.

Landry returned last week from a four-game league-mandated suspension for violating the PED policy. He was not active for the Giants game but was activated by the team on Tuesday.

Safety Sergio Brown has filled in for Landry and played well.

“What we’re going to do is kind of just stick with the plan,” Pagano said. “Keep letting (Landry) get his legs underneath him. He started back to practice. Obviously, he was exempt last week. He did a nice job running the card team. He knew he wasn’t going to play and participate in the game.

“When we get back in here Monday, we’ll just continue to put him there, see where he’s at, evaluate him from a physical standpoint, mental standpoint. Any time you’re away from the game and you’re not out there for an extended period of time, it takes a little bit of time to get back. We’ll just evaluate that situation on a daily basis and go from there.”

And what about Brown?

“He’s been solid,” Pagano responded. “I think him and Mike (Adams) have done a nice job working together back there from a communication standpoint and taking care of things in the back end. He’s made plays. He’s been productive against the run, productive again yesterday against the pass.

“Had a couple pass breakups and made a nice play there on a deep ball (against the Giants). Scooped up the sack fumble and almost scored with it. Serg has been productive. He’s done what we’ve needed him to do. Pleased with his play. He’s helped us.”