Looking very far ahead (divisional round dates)

[Foxyboro]

Okay so I know a thread like this is very premature, and I don't like to jinx anything because a lot of things can change the last 6 weeks of the season. But at this point I'm pretty confident in the Patriots ability to get a 1st round bye at least

My dilemma is that at my work, I have to request off dates a few weeks in advance. So I want to do that as soon as I can.

So this is what we know so far as facts about the 2016 playoff schedule


1. Schedule of games is always: Saturday @ 4:30 pm, Saturday @ 8:00 pm, Sunday @ 1:00 pm, and Sunday @ 4:30 pm

2. Division round is Saturday 1/16/16 and Sunday 1/17/16

3. In the divisional round, the AFC and NFC will rotate each year which conference gets the Saturday night 8:00 slot, as that is the marquee time slot of the weekend. Last year, the NFC has the 8:00 time slot and showcased Carolina@seattle, so the 8:00 game this year will be an AFC game

4. They will never have 2 AFC games or 2 NFC games on the same day. Saturday will get 1 AFC and 1 NFC, as will Sunday

5. This isn't always the case, as there has been exceptions in the past (2009-10 and 13-14 to be specific) but most of the time, the conference with the 8:00 time slot Saturday will usually get the 1:00 time slot on Sunday. For example, last year it went Ravens/pats, panthers/Hawks, Cowboys/packers, then colts/broncos.


So as of now, the current projected bye week teams are the pats, Bengals, panthers, and cardinals

If byes were to stay like this, I think the schedule were to stay like this:

Saturday 4:30 fox- @ Carolina
Saturday 8:00 CBS- @ NE
Sunday 1:00 CBS- @ Cincinnati
Sunday 4:30 Fox- @ Arizona

In my opinion, if Cincinnati and New England both get byes, it's almost a certainty that NE gets the 8:00 Saturday slot (my preference), as I do not see them putting a small market bengals team on that prime time slot over the pats

If it is New England and Denver that get byes, that's where it gets trickier to predict. If this is the case, there's two possible scenarios IMO

Scenario A:
Saturday 4:30- @ Carolina
Saturday 8:00- @ Denver
Sunday 1:00- @ New England
Sunday 4:30- @ Arizona

Scenario B:
Saturday 4:30- @ Arizona
Saturday 8:00- @ New England
Sunday 1:00- @ Carolina
Sunday 4:30- @ Denver

These would be 50/50 IMO


So basically to sum it up is this:

If pats and bengals get byes, 99% chance that the pats play Saturday at 8:00

If the pats and Broncos get byes, 50/50 chance that it's either Saturday or Sunday


I started this thread because I need and would prefer the pats to play on Saturday, as Saturday's are easier to get off work for me.

So what I'm gonna do is take off Saturday the 16th, and pray that it's Cincinnati that gets the bye


What is your guys favorite time slot in the playoffs?

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Pats do not play well in the Sunday 430

Painful memories of 2010 season

 

[Joey007]

Pats do not play well in the Sunday 430

Painful memories of 2010 season

Wasn't Houston in 2012 that time slot? That went well if so

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Wasn't Houston in 2012 that time slot? That went well if so

We lost Gronk for the season, cost us the Baltimore victory

 

[Concussion Protocol]

The one slot I don't think you'll ever see the Patriots play in again is Sunday @ 1. The sun is an absolute game-changer at Gillette that time of day at that time of year. Not sure how this wasn't addressed when the stadium was built, but nobody wants to see a QB squinting and shielding through the first quarter of a do-or-die game like Brady had to against Baltimore in January 2010. 100% guarantee this issue was raised to the league after that debacle.

 

[fgssand]

The one slot I don't think you'll ever see the Patriots play in again is Sunday @ 1. The sun is an absolute game-changer at Gillette that time of day at that time of year. Not sure how this wasn't addressed when the stadium was built, but nobody wants to see a QB squinting and shielding through the first quarter of a do-or-die game like Brady had to against Baltimore in January 2010. 100% guarantee this issue was raised to the league after that debacle.

If it's Sunday at 1:00 this year, no worries - the day will be cloudy. How do I know this? It easy, whatever we need to happen is happening this year so fret not.

That said, I LOVE Saturday night playoff football.....

 

[AzPatsFan]

Okay so I know a thread like this is very premature, and I don't like to jinx anything because a lot of things can change the last 6 weeks of the season. But at this point I'm pretty confident in the Patriots ability to get a 1st round bye at least

My dilemma is that at my work, I have to request off dates a few weeks in advance. So I want to do that as soon as I can.

So this is what we know so far as facts about the 2016 playoff schedule


1. Schedule of games is always: Saturday @ 4:30 pm, Saturday @ 8:00 pm, Sunday @ 1:00 pm, and Sunday @ 4:30 pm

2. Division round is Saturday 1/16/16 and Sunday 1/17/16

3. In the divisional round, the AFC and NFC will rotate each year which conference gets the Saturday night 8:00 slot, as that is the marquee time slot of the weekend. Last year, the NFC has the 8:00 time slot and showcased Carolina@seattle, so the 8:00 game this year will be an AFC game

4. They will never have 2 AFC games or 2 NFC games on the same day. Saturday will get 1 AFC and 1 NFC, as will Sunday

5. This isn't always the case, as there has been exceptions in the past (2009-10 and 13-14 to be specific) but most of the time, the conference with the 8:00 time slot Saturday will usually get the 1:00 time slot on Sunday. For example, last year it went Ravens/pats, panthers/Hawks, Cowboys/packers, then colts/broncos.


So as of now, the current projected bye week teams are the pats, Bengals, panthers, and cardinals

If byes were to stay like this, I think the schedule were to stay like this:

Saturday 4:30 fox- @ Carolina
Saturday 8:00 CBS- @ NE
Sunday 1:00 CBS- @ Cincinnati
Sunday 4:30 Fox- @ Arizona

In my opinion, if Cincinnati and New England both get byes, it's almost a certainty that NE gets the 8:00 Saturday slot (my preference), as I do not see them putting a small market bengals team on that prime time slot over the pats

If it is New England and Denver that get byes, that's where it gets trickier to predict. If this is the case, there's two possible scenarios IMO

Scenario A:
Saturday 4:30- @ Carolina
Saturday 8:00- @ Denver
Sunday 1:00- @ New England
Sunday 4:30- @ Arizona

Scenario B:
Saturday 4:30- @ Arizona
Saturday 8:00- @ New England
Sunday 1:00- @ Carolina
Sunday 4:30- @ Denver

These would be 50/50 IMO


So basically to sum it up is this:

If pats and bengals get byes, 99% chance that the pats play Saturday at 8:00

If the pats and Broncos get byes, 50/50 chance that it's either Saturday or Sunday


I started this thread because I need and would prefer the pats to play on Saturday, as Saturday's are easier to get off work for me.

So what I'm gonna do is take off Saturday the 16th, and pray that it's Cincinnati that gets the bye


What is your guys favorite time slot in the playoffs?

if the AFCCG and NFCCG are plalyed the following Sunday, then playing on Saturday in the divisional round would provide an additional day of rest,

 

[TB_Helmet]

Didn't we play Saturday night against the Tebow Broncos a few years back when Brady threw for 5 or 6 TDs?

That was a nice time slot.