Wait... An exciting Thursday game?

Tonight we saw a first for Thursday night football: A game that was decided in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. With the Patriots blocking a game winning field goal with 5 seconds remaining, sighs of relief and a series of vulgar words strung together could be heard throughout the nation. Ever since week 1, fans, players, and analysts alike have hated Thursday night games because the lack of competition, rest, and energy the players have. Fans (including me) hated watching a blowout game even if their team is winning. Whats the point of watching a team that is  winning by 20 points try and win by 40 points, THERE IS NO POINT.

Good games are what makes the NFL fun to watch, the closer the games are, the more viewers find themselves drawn in to watch. The predicament the NFL is in, is that the games aren't even close enough to watch, and they are loosing viewers on Thursday nights.  I found myself completely agreeing with these NFL fans, we should get rid of these Thursday games. That was, until this game ended. One might pose the question,: "why did you change your mind so quickly?" The data below may help explain.

Week 1:
Packers vs. Seahawks
16 - 36                               Point deficit: 20

Week 2:
Ravens vs. Steelers
26 - 6                                Point deficit: 20

Week 3:
Buccaneers vs. Falcons
14 - 56                              Point deficit: 42

Week 4:
Giants vs. Redskins
45 - 14                              Point deficit: 31

Week 5:
Vikings vs. Packers
10-  42                              Point deficit: 32

The average point deficit from weeks 1-5 was a whopping 35 points.

Week 6:
Colts vs. Texans
33 - 28                              Point deficit: 5
Week 7:
Jets vs. Patriots
25-27                                Point deficit: 2

The average point deficit from the past two weeks has been an amazing 3.5 points.

Deciding to call this a fluke or a turn around is a matter of personal opinion. However, I have seen progress in the way the last 4 teams have played. They have not only increased the intensity on the field but, also leading up to the games in practices. It was only a mater of time until teams figured out how to prepare for such a quick match up in the week and I am under the firm belief that the NFL teams are slowly on there way there. Time will certainly tell if my predictions are correct but looking at the next 3 games, I see nothing but potential to change viewers thoughts on Thursday night games.