My Theory on why Bills have a lack of Primetime Games.

[LABILLBACKER]

48 minutes ago, DrDare said:

it s very simple, every time we got the shot at it, we lose

 

each time, that ruined our likely hood of getting more

 

now we finally won it! and have  cool QB. things are gonna change

The better Josh gets the easier it will be for the NFL to market the Bills. It wouldn't surprise me to see us get a MNF, SNF and TNF game next year. Draft Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman in the first 2 rounds and we'll become very desirable to the Shield.

[BillsfaninChicago]

There was an old Urban Legend back in the day on the BBMB that it was because Ralph didn’t want to stay up that late to watch the games. The funny thing was people actually believed it on there.

[CaptnCoke11]

1 hour ago, MAJBobby said:

I used to think it was tied to being a Small Market. I do not believe that anymore as other Small Market teams get On Primetime regularly. 
 

so then I use to think well it is because they haven’t been good. While that can still somewhat hold water I am starting to think otherwise because I see bad teams on Primetime all the time. 
 

So my theory is Leverage. And Leverage is something I would not put past the NFL at all.   The Powers to be are clearly upset that we are still playing in an older stadium. Even with New ownership the same thing comes up all the time from around the league about how we need a Stadium solution. It is the topic at every owners meeting and routinely mentioned by The Commish. 
 

I would not put it past the NFL ONE BIT to be not putting Bills on Primetime (or featured on their network during the talk shows or training camp rotations etc etc) until they have that nice new Shiny Stadium. 
 

what are you thought?

I’m sure the stadium plays a small part but for the most part it’s all performance based.  Play better and they’ll get some night games.  

[Formerly Allan in MD]

It's simple.  When you lose four straight Super Bowls and following that do little that catches anyone's eye for decades, you won't be on prime time TV very often.  And it doesn't help that the few occasions you were on during that interim, you generally produced snoozeable efforts.

[Chandler#81]

There’s no theory involved at all. We suck. When you suck, NO ONE wants to see you play. The NFL is a business. Their clientele (fans) want nothing to do with perennial losers.

 

We just fooled ‘em this year.

 

Thats all it is.

[PromoTheRobot]

4 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

That’s an interesting thought. A lot of it used to have to do with the amount of Bills fans that travel for games. The Bills have a lot of season ticket holders that travel hours to games. They used to request that they be limited for that reason and they worried about flex scheduling for the same reason. I’d expect a couple next year. 

 

I think it's a big positive having all your games at the same time each week. My boss is a Pats STHer and he's always complaining about the night games. He'd kill for a home schedule like the Bills 

Edited December 1, 2019 by PromoTheRobot

[Buffalo Boy]

1 hour ago, Just Joshin' said:

I am in the minority, I presume, that I do not care if they get Prime time games or not.  Especially if means they need to travel for a Thursday night game.

Completely agree.

I LOVE Sundays at 1 pm. I don’t like 4 pm, hate the evening games and want no part of Monday or Thursday nights.

However, I did love the Thanksgiving game.

I wish they would get rid of the Dallas and Detroit hosting it tradition..

[Kirby Jackson]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I think it's a big positive having all your games at the same time each week. My boss is a Pats STHer and he's always complaining about the night games. He's kill for a home schedule like the Bills 

I kind of prefer it too. We play both West divisions next year so we are definitely looking at a more diverse schedule time wise. 

[Mr. WEO]

Yikes on this wacky theory.  It's too convoluted to even consider.

 

As everyone has pointed out, these games are booked on a hunch based on projected viership/ratings....and absolutely nothing else.

[Augie]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I think you might be onto something. I know I have said it before but don't be surprised if they send the Bills to London for a home game next year too. 

 

THAT is a real punishment, but then we kind of did that to ourselves with the Toronto nonsense. 

 

I think if we win consistently this corrects itself. The league is all about making money, and that means ratings. Show the teams that will drive ratings. Could there be some other more minor factors? Sure, but I think that is the real driver here. 

[klos63]

1 hour ago, MAJBobby said:

I used to think it was tied to being a Small Market. I do not believe that anymore as other Small Market teams get On Primetime regularly. 
 

so then I use to think well it is because they haven’t been good. While that can still somewhat hold water I am starting to think otherwise because I see bad teams on Primetime all the time. 
 

So my theory is Leverage. And Leverage is something I would not put past the NFL at all.   The Powers to be are clearly upset that we are still playing in an older stadium. Even with New ownership the same thing comes up all the time from around the league about how we need a Stadium solution. It is the topic at every owners meeting and routinely mentioned by The Commish. 
 

I would not put it past the NFL ONE BIT to be not putting Bills on Primetime (or featured on their network during the talk shows or training camp rotations etc etc) until they have that nice new Shiny Stadium. 
 

what are you thought?

So why a primetime game on Thanksgiving against America's team, 2nd game of the day. Can't get much more primetime than that.

 

For years Ralph didn't want home games on MNF because the fans were embarrassing themselves and the team on national TV.  The fact that we've stunk for most of the last 20 years and haven't had a decent QB were probably the biggest factors and I can't blame the NFL at all.

[PoBills33]

After the ratings we got Thursday my guess is we will have a few primetime games next year.

[Seasons1992]

Back between 1990-1994, my dad would ONLY buy primetime game home tickets. I definitely remember going to at least 2-3 a season, if I remember correctly, during that time.

 

Get good, play late. I believe it's as simple as that.

[The Wiz]

53 minutes ago, Leonhart2017 said:

There was an old Urban Legend back in the day on the BBMB that it was because Ralph didn’t want to stay up that late to watch the games. The funny thing was people actually believed it on there.

I like that reasoning better than the others. 

[bigK14094]

I don't like the prime time games.........I like daylight games.

[djp14150]

1 hour ago, LeGOATski said:

Probably is part of it.

 

The NFL clearly wanted to hype the Browns before the season and they got plenty of prime time attention this year.

 

I think a lot of it just has to do with star power. The Bills have some great players, but just not national stars. That's why the Thanksgiving game was huge. It showed how good the individuals were (Josh, Oliver, etc) on the national stage.

 

 

If that hat was the case then why give the browns duch a difficult first 7 games

 

from their first 7 games...4 teams made the playoffs in 2018. The other 3..jets were looked at as WC contenders, Tennessee finished 9-7 last year, and SF was also considered a WC team with their QB healthy.

 

 

 

the reason is....Buffalo hasn’t been a regular playoff team. 

 

It was was a slap in the face in 2018 thry didn’t get any big tv spots after being a WC team.  Usually the playoff  teams from the prior season gets on non Thursday national TV

 

The NFL knows Buffalo is not a small market because of the Canadian population not counted. Include the Canadian population it’s easily a top 10 market.

 

seeing the bills fans take over Tennessee stadium they should realize the Bills have a national following just like Steelers, Raiders, snd cowboys

 

next year buffalo plays both west coast divisions...likely national game would be KC or SEA.  SF games on 425.

 

another driver in national games is playoff rematch games.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1st&ten]

The Bills will be on prime time next year when they win the Super Bowl.

[LeGOATski]

1 minute ago, djp14150 said:

 

 

If that hat was the case then why give the browns duch a difficult first 7 games

 

from their first 7 games...4 teams made the playoffs in 2018. The other 3..jets were looked at as WC contenders, Tennessee finished 9-7 last year, and SF was also considered a WC team with their QB healthy.

 

 

 

the reason is....Buffalo hasn’t been a regular playoff team. 

 

It was was a slap in the face in 2018 thry didn’t get any big tv spots after being a WC team.  Usually the playoff  teams from the prior season gets on non Thursday national TV

 

The NFL knows Buffalo is not a small market because of the Canadian population not counted. Include the Canadian population it’s easily a top 10 market.

 

seeing the bills fans take over Tennessee stadium they should realize the Bills have a national following just like Steelers, Raiders, snd cowboys

 

next year buffalo plays both west coast divisions...likely national game would be KC or SEA.  SF games on 425.

 

another driver in national games is playoff rematch games.

This just seems to support my theory. It doesn't matter how good the team is. They're not trying to give any team particularly easy schedules (that's really not possible in the NFL).

 

It's just about star players.

[TigerJ]

The ratings on the Dallas/Buffalo game along with Buffalo's uptrend are going to put the Bills in prime time next season.

[Mike in Horseheads]

I'm very happy with Sunday at 1pm games. I'll never get the infatuation here that we have to be on at night, tell that to ticket holders that have to get home and go to work the next day