playing on Thursday Night is an unfair advantage the next week (1 Viewer)

[Lash]

just a harmless hypothesis we'll see how the rest of the year pans out (and obviously Detroit and Seattle will probably ruin my hypothesis next week)

3 more days for the team to prepare too much to overcome in a league of parity

DEN and CLE played the first thursday game, then BOTH went on the road the next week and won games despite being underdogs @ATL and @BUF respectively - those teams havent lost much at home this year i dont think

NYJ and NE played the next thursday, then BOTH went on the road the next week and won games despite being underdogs - NYJ won @ undefeated TEN and NE won @ MIA who embarrased NE the first game

CIN and PIT this past thursday and BOTH are underdogs this week - CIN vs BAL and PIT @ NE ...

 

[KevT]

3 more days for the team to prepare too much to overcome in a league of parity

Might be an advantage the following week, but it's a disadvantage the current week they play the Thursday game for the same reasons. Less time to rest/prepare for one week and more time to prepare the following week. You see it evens itself out.

 

[Gary Davenport]

They're Professional Players coached by Professional Coaches, all of whom are paid an obscene amount of money to play/coach a game.

Sack up for the short week and then enjoy the long one. If life was fair we'd all work less and make more.

 

[Mikey16x]

Yeah the obvious answer which I expect everyone to throw at you is the Thursday game itself is a major disadvantage.

 

[Ozymandias]

Yeah the obvious answer which I expect everyone to throw at you is the Thursday game itself is a major disadvantage.

Yes, but it is a disadvantage for both teams. However, the longer time to prepare is, presumably, an advantage to only one team. But does this "longer time to prepare" hold true for the weeks following the bye week? I doubt it makes much difference.

 

[Cheesedawg]

Interesting observation for sure. Might be a good trend to watch for those who like to find live underdogs to back.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

just a harmless hypothesis we'll see how the rest of the year pans out (and obviously Detroit and Seattle will probably ruin my hypothesis next week)

3 more days for the team to prepare too much to overcome in a league of parity

DEN and CLE played the first thursday game, then BOTH went on the road the next week and won games despite being underdogs @ATL and @BUF respectively - those teams havent lost much at home this year i dont think

NYJ and NE played the next thursday, then BOTH went on the road the next week and won games despite being underdogs - NYJ won @ undefeated TEN and NE won @ MIA who embarrased NE the first game

CIN and PIT this past thursday and BOTH are underdogs this week - CIN vs BAL and PIT @ NE ...

Nothing wrong with a theory like this. I'm interested to see how it pans out in Week 14:Philly on the road at the Giants

Dallas on the road at Pittsburgh

The other four host home games:

Minnesota at Detroit

Cleveland at Tennessee

New England at Seattle

St. Louis at Arizona

 

[Doug Drinen]

From 1990--2007, teams that played on Thursday were a combined 74-78-0 in their next game.

This doesn't tell the whole story, of course, but it's worth noting. If there truly is a real and significant Thursday effect, then there must be some other schedule-related effect that causes this losing record. I don't know what that might be.

 

[Doug Drinen]

From 1990--2007, teams that played on Thursday were a combined 74-78-0 in their next game. This doesn't tell the whole story, of course, but it's worth noting. If there truly is a real and significant Thursday effect, then there must be some other schedule-related effect that causes this losing record. I don't know what that might be.

Update: here is at least a partial explanation. Of those 152 games, the had-a-Thursday-game-last-week team was at home in only 70 of them and on the road in 82

 

[gonzobill5]

I think its a decent point, the "any given sunday" mantra has been in full effect this year. any slight advantage can make all the difference.

i'm also curious about how high scoring these games have been. Going back to last season they have averaged over 53 total points per game. They have been fantasy gold.

 

[gianmarco]

From 1990--2007, teams that played on Thursday were a combined 74-78-0 in their next game. This doesn't tell the whole story, of course, but it's worth noting. If there truly is a real and significant Thursday effect, then there must be some other schedule-related effect that causes this losing record. I don't know what that might be.

Update: here is at least a partial explanation. Of those 152 games, the had-a-Thursday-game-last-week team was at home in only 70 of them and on the road in 82

I have another partial explanation. The Lions play at least one Thursday game every year.

 

[theplayer11]

3 more days for the team to prepare too much to overcome in a league of parity

Might be an advantage the following week, but it's a disadvantage the current week they play the Thursday game for the same reasons. Less time to rest/prepare for one week and more time to prepare the following week. You see it evens itself out.

HUH? Both teams have a short week when they play on Thursday...no advantage

 

[thejag]

Interesting tidbit: New England has three consecutive opponents who play on Thursday the previous week: Pittsburgh, Seattle and Oakland. If this season's trend continues, the latter two (both on the road) could be real trouble to the Pats (already expecting a tough, great game today).

 

[Doug Drinen]

From 1990--2007, teams that played on Thursday were a combined 74-78-0 in their next game. This doesn't tell the whole story, of course, but it's worth noting. If there truly is a real and significant Thursday effect, then there must be some other schedule-related effect that causes this losing record. I don't know what that might be.

Update: here is at least a partial explanation. Of those 152 games, the had-a-Thursday-game-last-week team was at home in only 70 of them and on the road in 82

I have another partial explanation. The Lions play at least one Thursday game every year.

Good point. But so do the Cowboys. From 1990--2007, the Lions and Cowboys combined winning percentage is 49%.

 

[Lash]

well NE was absolutely no match for a rested PIT team

but CIN sorta threw a wrench in my hyposthesis

maybe I can change the wording to "if you are over .200 winning percentage, playing on Thursday Night is an unfair advantage the next week"



p.s. that way when SEA and DET lose next week i can still say the hyposthesis has merit

 

[CalBear]

It's just a function of small sample size and population bias. It's like how everyone was saying before this week that no West Coast team has gone to the East Coast and won a game this year. That's not because it's hard to do, it's because all the West Coast teams suck and are playing on the road against better teams.

 

[renesauz]

well NE was absolutely no match for a rested PIT teambut CIN sorta threw a wrench in my hyposthesis maybe I can change the wording to "if you are over .200 winning percentage, playing on Thursday Night is an unfair advantage the next week"p.s. that way when SEA and DET lose next week i can still say the hyposthesis has merit

I was actualy thinking the opposite. Cincinatti has no other reason for even being in that game so long.

 

[T.A.]

From 1990--2007, teams that played on Thursday were a combined 74-78-0 in their next game. This doesn't tell the whole story, of course, but it's worth noting. If there truly is a real and significant Thursday effect, then there must be some other schedule-related effect that causes this losing record. I don't know what that might be.

Update: here is at least a partial explanation. Of those 152 games, the had-a-Thursday-game-last-week team was at home in only 70 of them and on the road in 82

But how are they vs. the spread?

 

[comfortably numb]

How are teams the week after their BYE, playing against teams that were not on a BYE?