It's really hard to say whether Cincinnati Bengals actually benefit from having theirs .
The NFL removed the Bengals from Thursday night primetime play in Week 16 and moved them to a typical Sunday afternoon slot this week.
On the one hand, one of the big criticisms at the beginning of the season was the fact that the team had to play three games in about ten days starting in Week 14. They had a Monday night game on December 9th, a Sunday game on December 15th and then a Thursday game on December 19th. That's over now.
But there's a catch, as The Athletic's has pointed out : “This also includes the fact that they are foregoing a TNF home game in the AFC North, which has been incredibly tough for away teams for almost a decade. Nine wins in a row for the home team from 2015 and twice this year.”
At 4-7 and just about every game on the schedule from this point on has to be a win, the Bengals might have preferred to maintain the 10-game stretch and that significant home-field advantage.
This is especially true against an AFC North team like the Browns, who appear to have new life after beating Pittsburgh in Week 12.
As always, this is all moot if the Bengals could actually get wins. But if they could, they wouldn't be 4-7, they would need a perfect end to the season and even have these kinds of conversations.
