Not long ago, Thursday games were rarely seen specials on the NFL regular-season menu.
Now, they are regular dishes.
The NFL has scheduled 17 Thursday games in 2013. The NFL Network will air 13 regular-season games on Thursdays in 2013, the eighth season in which the league’s official channel has broadcast games. NBC will air two Thursday-night games: Ravens-Broncos on September 5 and Steelers-Ravens on November 28 -- Thanksgiving night. Fox (Packers-Lions) and CBS (Raiders-Cowboys) will air the other Thanksgiving games. As Mike Florio noted, every team will play at least one Thursday game.
The only teams slated to play twice on Thursday in 2013 just happen to be the teams who kick off the regular season on a Thursday in Denver -- the Ravens and Broncos. Denver also hosts San Diego in the 2013 Thursday finale on Dec. 12.
Home teams are 44-27 (.620) on regular-season Thursdays since the NFL expanded its Thursday slate seven years ago -- about six percent more successful, albeit in a much, much smaller sample size, than all other regular-season home teams have done on other days in this span.
2013 NFL Thursday games
(all NFL Network games begin at 8:25 p.m. Eastern)
Thursday, September 5: Ravens at Broncos (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
Thursday, September 12: Jets at Patriots (NFL Network)
Thursday, September 19: Chiefs at Eagles (NFL Network)
Thursday, September 26: 49ers at Rams (NFL Network)
Thursday, October 3: Bills at Browns (NFL Network)
Thursday, October 10: Giants at Bears (NFL Network)
Thursday, October 17: Seahawks at Cardinals (NFL Network)
Thursday, October 24: Panthers at Buccaneers (NFL Network)
Thursday, October 31: Bengals at Dolphins (NFL Network)
Thursday, November 7: Redskins at Vikings (NFL Network)
Thursday, November 14: Colts at Titans (NFL Network)
Thursday, November 21: Saints at Falcons (NFL Network)
Thursday, November 28: Packers at Lions (12:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
Thursday, November 28: Raiders at Cowboys (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Thursday, November 28: Steelers at Ravens (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
Thursday, December 5: Texans at Jaguars (NFL Network)
Thursday, December 12: Chargers at Broncos (NFL Network)