NFL tries to concentrate the bad draws against each other Darin Gantt on April 21, 2015, 9:13 PM EDT
The NFL has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that they can promote anything.But they’re also pretty good at hiding the bad inventory on a low shelf.Since each team gets a prime time game this year, the NFL has at least done some damage control by making the, shall we say, “less-attractive commodities” play each other.As noted by Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, five teams got just one prime time game each: The Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Rams and Raiders.Four of those were concentrated into a pair of, cough, sorry, cough must-see games — a Jaguars-Titans clash on Nov. 19, and a Bucs-Rams game on Dec. 17. Both games are part of the group to only be shown on the NFL Network, as opposed to the eight Thursday games which CBS will carry also.The Raiders get their only appearance on Christmas Eve against the Chargers, meaning we already know who is on the naughty list.Granted, any of those five teams could exceed expectations, particularly the Rams, who have been competitive without a quarterback for some time.Otherwise, lumping the unappealing teams together at least allows the league a chance to have competitive games, even if they resemble a pair of one-legged men in an extra point-kicking contest. From the 15. With narrow goalposts. And a swirling wind.link
