Opening (again) on the road

This Sunday will mark the 4th consecutive year the Pats open their season on the road. I understand the NFL sets the schedule but 4 years in a row clearly falls outside the norm. I'm left to wonder whether Kraft/BB May influenced the schedule makers. I'm not a conspiratorial kind of guy but having home games in December vs an opening day road trip...I'll buy that for a dollar!

didnt make that connection until now, interesting

True, I'd much rather the Pats play in Florida in September instead of December! At least they are semi-used to the heat as opposed to going there in December when all they know is cold weather.

PatsGuy said:

This Sunday will mark the 4th consecutive year the Pats open their season on the road. I understand the NFL sets the schedule but 4 years in a row clearly falls outside the norm.

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No it doesn't.
There is a 50% chance you open at home.
There is a 6.25% chance you open at home four years in a row.
In a 32-team league, every year there would be, on average, two teams who have opened on the road four times in a row.
Over a decade, 20 of 32 teams will have a four-year streak of road openers.
Every 16 years each team should average one four-year streak.

If they had any influence on it, I think they'd have preferred to open @ SD and get that time zone mindf*** out of the way.

PatsGuy said:

This Sunday will mark the 4th consecutive year the Pats open their season on the road. I understand the NFL sets the schedule but 4 years in a row clearly falls outside the norm. I'm left to wonder whether Kraft/BB May influenced the schedule makers. I'm not a conspiratorial kind of guy but having home games in December vs an opening day road trip...I'll buy that for a dollar!

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Where did we open at in 2011? In 2012 it was at the Titans, and last year was at Buffalo. But who was it in 2011?

@Mia...I just hope we open at home on Thurs night next year....

QB12 said:

Where did we open at in 2011? In 2012 it was at the Titans, and last year was at Buffalo. But who was it in 2011?

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If only there was some source of information that you could access easily from home.
Those encyclopedias are only updated every 10 years...

PatsGuy said:

This Sunday will mark the 4th consecutive year the Pats open their season on the road. I understand the NFL sets the schedule but 4 years in a row clearly falls outside the norm. I'm left to wonder whether Kraft/BB May influenced the schedule makers. I'm not a conspiratorial kind of guy but having home games in December vs an opening day road trip...I'll buy that for a dollar!

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Not really.
Since 2002 (last expansion team to join the league, HOU), 20 of 32 teams have opened their season 4+ years in a row either all at home or on the road, with CHI and DEN doing both.
CIN will play their 5th consecutive OD road game in '14.
CHI will be playing their 5th consecutive OD home game in '14, right after playing 5 cons. OD road games ('05-'09).
DEN will be playing their 4th consecutive OD home game in '14, right after playing 6 cons. OD road games ('05-'10).
NYJ will play their 5th consecutive OD home game in '14.
IND played 7 cons. OD road games from '00 to '06.

However, CLE case is strange. They'll open the season @PIT, which will be only the 2nd time they open on the road since 1999 (2010 @TAM). That's 11 cons. OD home games, and 14 of the last 16. (Like this wasn't odd enough: they own a 1-14 record in these games)
Anybody knows the reason?

SuperStang83 said:

True, I'd much rather the Pats play in Florida in September instead of December! At least they are semi-used to the heat as opposed to going there in December when all they know is cold weather.

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Yeah, this week is supposed to be in the mid 80s and humid for most of the week. The conditions are going to be near identical to what it will be on Sunday.

Maybe this will help.

Wasn't much help to me

The only thing I hate about this years schedule is the Colts game. New England goes into the game coming off a bye.. which is usually a huge advantage, but the Colts have a week 10 bye too.

The Broncos will come to New England in early November on a short week due to a Thursday night match-up with the Chargers, another team that plays them very hard. Like that match-up for the Patriots.

Sticky Caulk said:

The Broncos will come to New England in early November on a short week due to a Thursday night match-up with the Chargers, another team that plays them very hard. Like that match-up for the Patriots.

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I think you may have looked at the schedule incorrectly, SC.

I believe the Broncos game on TNF gives them a 10 day rest period, which would favor them---not us. We play the Bears the week before on Sunday and have the usual 7 day rest period. Obviously, the Broncos don't play twice in 4 days

The DEN/SD game on Thursday night is played on 10/23, whereas their next game vs NE would be in 10 days on 11/2. That gives them a mini-bye week prior to the game of 10 days, whereas we have to play the Bears on 10/26, then DEN on 11/2.

supafly said:

I think you may have looked at the schedule incorrectly, SC.

I believe the Broncos game on TNF gives them a 10 day rest period, which would favor them---not us. We play the Bears the week before on Sunday and have the usual 7 day rest period. Obviously, the Broncos don't play twice in 4 days

The DEN/SD game on Thursday night is played on 10/23, whereas their next game vs NE would be in 10 days on 11/2. That gives them a mini-bye week prior to the game of 10 days, whereas we have to play the Bears on 10/26, then DEN on 11/2.

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Yeah, I should have payed attention to the dates and thought for a second that Thursday game would be a part of week 8.

Why would Kraft and BB want to open in S Floridas brutal heat in September?

PatsWickedPissah said:

Wasn't much help to me

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Did you click the link?