The schedule-makers did the Vikings a favor by setting them up at home for their lone prime time game of the season. Said favor is even bigger considering the game is on a Thursday night.

Of course the alternative was to play this game in Tampa, but the league probably didn't want one of their showcase games of the week to be played in front of stadium with empty seats and to be blacked out in the local market – as many games have been in Tampa the last few years. Nonetheless, the Vikings have to be pleased with the advantage this week's game gives them… and make no mistake, it is an advantage. The numbers speak for themselves. This is the first season in NFL history that the league has scheduled a Thursday night game every week of the season. The decision to go with Cee Lo Green on the NFL Network bumper music is hopefully a one-and-done deal, but it appears the Thursday night games themselves are here to stay. Home teams have benefitted greatly from the Thursday night schedule, winning five of the six games played on Thursday nights this season. The only loss: the woefully-underperforming Panthers (who are 1-5 and just fired GM Marty Hurney on Monday) lost at home to the defending Super Bowl champion Giants in Week 3. Of course, there was probably no way the Panthers were going to win that game regardless of day or location. Note: they moved the Week 1 Thursday night game to Wednesday night so as not to compete with President Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention. The Giants lost at home in a surprising win by the Cowboys that first Wednesday. Counting that game, home teams are 5-2 in mid-week games this season. That's still a solid winning percentage for home teams, even considering the Giants/Panthers aberration. Thursday night home-field dominance is nothing new. Going back to last season, home teams are 13-4 on Thursday nights. That's a .760 winning percentage compared to a .615 winning percentage (64-40) enjoyed by home teams overall this season. In a league of parity, a seemingly small thing such as a condensed schedule favors the home team. NFL players and coaches are creatures of habit. When the game is on Sunday, they know what to be ready for – reviewing game film on Mondays, rest and community work on Tuesdays, practices Wednesday-Friday, etc. When the game is on Thursday, it's completely different. And for the road team, having to hop on a plane the day you're usually practicing for the first time all week can screw everything up. There's less time for coaches to game plan and less time for players to heal from injuries. The Vikings now need to take full advantage of the scheduling benefit, get to 6-2, and take a few days off… because the same schedule makers that gave them a Thursday-nighter at home also back-loaded their schedule. For those Vikings fans who haven't peeked ahead, the second half of the season kicks off with a game in Seattle – perhaps the toughest venue in the NFC, maybe even the entire NFL, in which to win as a road team. Then they have a winnable home game against the Lions followed by their bye in Week 11. After that: road games in four of the last six to finish the season -- at Chicago, Green Bay, St. Louis, and Houston with home games against the Bears and Packers to break up the road trip. The combined record of the Vikings' post-bye week opponents: 27-13 (.675). Ouch! In other words, enjoy the comparatively primrose path while it lasts and enjoy the national spotlight Thursday night because the road is about to get rocky. Bo Mitchell is the VP of Content at SportsDataYou can follow Bo on Twitter at @Bo_Mitchell