http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/...le-release

 

<p style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(72,73,74);margin-left:40px;">No short weeks for Jaguars and Browns

<p style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(72,73,74);margin-left:40px;">While that prime-time slight for Cleveland will be interpreted as an insult by many, it's actually a competitive advantage when you consider it objectively. The Browns and Jaguars are the only teams this season that won't face a short week and who won't have to tweak their weekly schedules at all to accommodate alternate game days or times.

<p style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(72,73,74);margin-left:40px;">When it went to a full season of Thursday night games in 2012, the NFL indicated it would ensure every team played at least once on Thursday for fairness. But in a for-profit entertainment business, a level playing field isn't going to trump ratings. The 2017 season will mark the first time since then that a team didn't play at least once on Thursday.

<p style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(72,73,74);margin-left:40px;">You could argue that the Browns, who are 29-83 since the start of the 2010 season, and the Jaguars (30-82) are simply brought to a level playing field by getting this break. But no matter how you look at it, it's a scheduling gift from the NFL.

 

The benefit of not having Thurs night game hasn't yet been mentioned.

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