Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball:
No, but only because of the cheap SEPTEMBER pile high wins
I started thinking that it does seem like Denver has had an awful lot of early games at home, so I did a little research (I'm bored)......... the last time Denver started a season with three of their first four games on the road was in 1962!!!
including this year, they have had 3 out of their first 4 at home 20 times!!!
of course they eventually have to play their road games, but it's odd how Denver get's the early advantage so often, KC/LA/Oak have started with 3 of 4 on the road 48 times since Denver last did, and the other three teams combined have 21 seasons of the early home games advantage while Denver has had it 20 times themselves.
Originally Posted by BlackOp:
Sooo...Raider/KC/Chargers have started their seasons 3 out of 4, on the road, 48 times compared to Denver's 0 during that same time frame.
Denver 0
Rest of AFCW 48
Nothing to see here...
20 times 3 out of 4 at home for Denver
21 times Raiders/KC/Chargers combined.
Originally Posted by Mile High Mania:
The flipside of that is the road finish to close the season... I'd much rather have 3 out of 4 in Denver to close the season, not open it.
In the end, it all evens out though... no? Like last year, got off to a nice start and then reality hit.
I wonder what the deal is Denver has with the NFL? Clearly there's something there.
Which makes me wonder what other requests teams have made to the NFL that have been honored? I bet if you looked around you'd find some other things like that where one team is an outlier because they asked for it.
Dallas and Detroit always being on Thanksgiving is one of them. They were willing to do it for a long time before it was popular, now the NFL has kept it that way as a reward of sorts since everyone watches today. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mile High Mania:
The flipside of that is the road finish to close the season... I'd much rather have 3 out of 4 in Denver to close the season, not open it.
In the end, it all evens out though... no? Like last year, got off to a nice start and then reality hit.
Last time Denver finished with 3 of 4 on the road was 1997, looks like most of their road games are always bunched in the middle eight games. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bewbies:
I wonder what the deal is Denver has with the NFL? Clearly there's something there.
I think it has more to with betting and Vegas...
The NFL and Vegas both know there is a natural HFA due to the altitude....especially early in the season. Really the only place in the league where visiting teams are actually at a physical disadvantage. Some players cant even play there...
Whatever the reason, the league spends a lot of time developing the schedule...so this is a deliberate choice. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BlackOp:
I think it has more to with betting and Vegas...
The NFL and Vegas both know there is a natural HFA due to the altitude....especially early in the season. Really the only place in the league where visiting teams are actually at a physical disadvantage. Some players cant even play there...
Whatever the reason, the league spends a lot of time developing the schedule...so this is a deliberate choice.
Are there similar trends for MLB, NHL or NBA teams in Denver?
I don't know why it happens, sure... it's fun to play the conspiracy card, but play it out across the rest of the league and you'll likely find a number of teams in similar scheduling situations.
I'd happily take the final stretch at home rather than to kick off the season in that manner. Teams that are tired, beat up and playing in cold Denver in December --- I'd love it. Hell, maybe that's why they set it up like they do.