I prefer early games, too as it usually means I am getting my money's worth from NFL Sunday Ticket. I don't like Thursday games as I travel extensively and there isn't a single hotel that offers in-room NFLN. I'll have to find a sports bar in some unfamiliar city this Thursday.
Have you looked into that Slingbox thing that EEI is always shilling? They promote it as being able to put anything that shows up on your TV onto your laptop, in real time anywhere in the world. I don't know much about it; but John Dennis seems to think its wonderful.