NFL

I appreciate it because I just pretend Thursday night football doesn’t exist most weeks

Sometimes it's about how the teams match up, more than how good they are. Two crappy records could equal a entertaining game.

I will forever associate TNF with Jags Titans. All of them.

So there seems to be this idea that the NFL has strong motivation to put really good games on Monday and Thursday nights, simply because they are prime time slots. Probably because places where it's discussed r/nfl, sports shows, etc are made up over above average NFL fans who will watch any game they can. The more typical fan is probably much more inclined to watch their favorite team, which is typically their local market team as well as games on Sundays. MNF and TNF run late on weekdays when people are busy and have to work or go to school the next day.

The most likely explanation for the shit games in those times lot, which is nothing new, is that the NFL has found marquee match-up provide a bigger ratings boost in the SNF and 4:30 national slot. Where as MNF and TNF show similar viewership regardless of game quality. Big market teams will continue to get MNF because a team's specific fans are probably the largest sector of viewers for that slot so it's more important to have a large fan base than a good team in terms of ratings.

The NFL and their broadcast partners are really good at making money via football broadcasts, so it's pretty nieve to think they are not making decisions like this purposefully, and that it is not in general a successful strategy.

Yesterday I woke up and was like "Oh, tomorrow is TNF, who is playing? CAR & CHI? Yeah I'm not watching that."

But I know when I get home from the gym I'll turn it on.

Tonight's game is why the NFL put TNF on a streaming service

Titans v Jags is always nice on TNF...

we at least got a 99 yard TD run out of one of them.

Holy shit I remember exactly where I was for that Texans Jags game - I just didn't watch it because of the match-up. But I 100% know where I was standing when I checked lol

It's the sicko game of the week.

I’m going to this game in person tonight. I am quite excited to see how ugly this game is going to be. If Young, the #1 pick, loses to UDFA Bagent, I will never let my little brother, who is a Panthers fan, live this down.

Tonight, we are all Panthers fans.

The worst NFL game is 10000% more entertaining than anything else on a Thursday.

I don't think it's going to be as bad as people think. As someone who is well versed in bad football - this Bears team is pretty watchable. They move the ball well and play hard. It's also kind of cool watching the number 1 overall rookie go against a D2 rookie who worked his way into a starting job.

Better than giant games.

If Inside the NBA is on with Chuck and friends, that usually takes priority over TNF unless the Raiders are playing, particularly when it’s not a load management game.

This is going to be one hell of a tank bowl.

Quit crying and laugh.

I believe TNF is about watching bad football.

This is some Sicko's Committee shit and I'm here for it.

This will unironically be one of the best games of the season

Thank you for reminding me that the game isnt worth watching. Now I can work late without feeling im missing out.

I'm in the UK, so because of timezone issues I usually watch TNF/SNF/MNF in the morning, UK time. It's one of my little rituals during the NFL season.

I'm also a Bears fan, and absolutely hate watching them. It totally ruins my morning football enjoyment when the game I wait all week to watch is the fucking Bears.

Who remembers that MNF game a few years ago (2018?) that was Rams vs Chiefs, and there was so much scoring it was almost like a college game lol. Both teams had 50+ points, it was nuts. TNF seems like the opposite of that potential every time lmao

What’s wild is how popular the NFL has become in spite of it being a worse product each season. It must be the legalized gambling. Too many penalties and lengthy reviews, tv networks over produce games with like 96 camera angles. No one needs 3 different replay angles of a run up the middle for 3 yards. Replays are for extraordinary plays, not every play. American attention spans are a joke, apparently. The main reason for watching is to see a gruesome injury that can be replayed from 7 angles.

I will happily watch the grossest movie on the Joe Bob Briggs show and feel less sick than this game will make me.

Don't talk down on minor league hockey like that. The ECHL/AHL are way more entertaining than this piece shit will be. The NBA wins my TV tonight.

I need both defenses to show up. I need this to be something like 10-10 or 13-10 in the final minute. Al is already fed up and has been talking shit since the mid 3rd quarter.

Then here we go...a special teams mishaps. Carolina is in position to kick a field goal to send it to overtime. Al is beside himself with rage. The kick goes up and in.

Al promises "I'm not going to say another word because this game is bullshit" and forces Herbstreit to finish the game by himself.

The game ends tied at 13

I can't wait to suffer with the rest of you.

Honestly, some of the best night games I've ever seen were between two bad teams. It's when you've got one bad and one good team that it's shit.

Hey, that's future HOFer Matt Schaub to you, pal.

Thursday football should be played on one Thursday per year.

Since the league won't do that, having bad teams is the best possible option. I agree, embrace the suck.

I think this game would be greatly improved if Al Michaels enters into a crossover promo with a gambling site, and shares all of his bets on the game in real time and openly reacts to his props getting hit or missed.

We all know Herbstreit worships at the alter of football too much to gamble on it, so the combination of an actually engaged Al Michaels and a squirming Herbstreit would go a long ways to making this football game not suck.

The best thing about tonight is how many times Michaels just unloads about what a crap matchup this is.

I think my favorite TNF game was Giants-Eagles in 2020. It was Daniel Jones vs. Carson Wentz. I knew it was going to be comical and the game did not disappoint. The best of the night was the Daniel Jones 80 yd run where he tripped.

Happy to oblige

TNF is great for this, I'd much rather watch two awful teams play sloppy, penalty filled football than watch a good team like the Eagles kick the shit out of someone like the Panthers. It's way more entertaining watching two awful teams struggle to find out who is worse.

Putting two terrible teams together makes one hell of a game!

What a sports evening for me. TNF has a combined record of 3-14, and then my Sharks are playing the Oilers, who have a combined 3-18-2 record.

Might be more exciting than the Chargers Jets game on Monday.

My favorite Thursday game was the 49ers / Rams in 2017. Rams had 1 win and 49ers had 0 wins.

Final score was 41-39, Rams win. But the 49ers had a successful onside kick, and were driving for a FG at the end. But a great 3rd down conversion pass got called back for a very iffy OPI basically icing the game. Even with the loss we could blame the refs and were hoping for better things. A very exciting game in any case. I was at the stadium and it was lit.

if there was a sicko flair, i would wear it with pride

week 9 2018 pitted the 2-7 49ers against the 1-6 raiders.

it was 14-3 by two minutes into the 2nd quarter, after which point the 9ers scored another twenty points and the raiders scored another....zero