It’s a new cycle of PML Madden, and it’s time to revisit a case study we held last cycle! Does home field matter? With teams having built-in home-field advantages for the 2nd Madden in a row, let’s see how much it matters in PML competition. NOTE: This is as of Week 15 [With Chiefs vs Texans still unplayed]
AFC East (Home/Away):
Bills: 5-2 / 4-3
Jets: 2-5 / 5-2
Dolphins: 2-4 / 2-6
Patriots: 0-6 / 1-7
Home Record: 9-17
Away Record: 12-18
Synopsis: Home is not friendly for the AFC East, but winning doesn’t come easy in general this season for the AFC East. The Jets are the big outlier, with 5 road wins compared to their abysmal home record.
AFC North (Home/Away):
Bengals: 5-1 / 6-2
Ravens: 4-2 / 5-3
Browns: 2-5 / 3-4
Steelers: 1-5 / 4-4
Home Record: 12-13
Away Record: 18-13
Synopsis: The AFC North would clearly prefer to be on the road. The Steelers especially, who are boasting 4 of their 5 dubs on the road.
AFC South (Home/Away):
Jaguars: 3-4 / 6-1
Texans 4-2 / 5-2 [Week 15 home game vs Chiefs pending]
Texans: 3-3 / 2-6
Colts: 0-6 / 3-5
Home Record: 10-15
Away Record: 14-14
Synopsis: Sheesh, well winning at home is not an AFC thing period. The Colts record has a big dent on this, especially with the amount of CPU games they’ve had. But nonetheless, the Colts have all 3 wins this year on the road. Once again, road dog status is the key to winning here!
AFC West (Home/Away):
Chiefs: 4-2 / 5-2 [Week 15 Away game vs Texans pending]
Broncos: 4-3 / 5-2
Raiders: 4-2 / 3-5
Chargers: 1-6 / 3-4
Home Record: 13-13
Away Record: 16-13
Synopsis: A .500 home record is best in conference! The Chargers have no home field advantage is realistic at least, as LA boasts 3 of their 4 wins as road dogs. And the streak lives on for every division in the AFC being better on the road!
AFC CONFERENCE:
Home Record: 44-58
Away Record: 60-58
Synopsis: So…home field clearly does not matter for the AFC. Not only that, the conference is about .500 on the road! This is…well not what I was expecting so far. Let’s see what the NFC holds for us…by the way don’t ask me why the AFC has so many more road games after Week 15, that’s a question for Roger Goodell.
NFC East (Home/Away):
Commanders: 3-4 / 5-2
Giants: 5-3 / 4-2
Cowboys: 4-4 / 3-3
Eagles: 3-4 / 3-4
Home Total: 15-15
Away Total: 15-11
Synopsis: The NFC East being .500 feels fitting given no team here either struggles or dominates at home. The road record being better is now not just an AFC thing.
NFC North:
Packers: 4-3 / 6-1
Vikings: 5-3 / 4-2
Lions: 5-3 / 3-3
Bears: 4-3 / 4-3
Home Record: 18-12
Away Record: 17-9
Synopsis: The division with every team boasting at least 8 total wins, it makes sense they win anywhere. But even the top dog division is better on the road winning percentage wise!
NFC South (Home/Away):
Bucs: 5-3 / 6-0
Saints: 2-6 / 5-1
Falcons: 3-4 / 1-6
Panthers: 0-8 / 0-6
Home Record: 10-21
Away Record: 12-13
Synopsis: My gosh, it’s home field disadvantage here! While the Falcons actually boast 3 of their 4 wins at home, the Saints and Bucs clearly enjoy sleeping in hotel beds more than their own beds. The Panthers can only win in whatever universe a working immersion system and AR system is.
NFC West Home/Away:
Rams: 8-0 / 4-2
Seahawks: 5-2 / 4-3
Cardinals: 4-4 / 1-5
49ers: 2-5 / 2-5
Overall Record: 19-11
Road Record: 11-15
Synopsis: And the final division we have left gives us the only division that actually likes home field and hates the road! The Rams sport the only undefeated home record and the Cardinals gathered 4 of their 5 wins in Glendale.
NFC CONFERENCE:
Home Record: 62-59
Away Record: 55-48
Synopsis: Overall it seems like the NFC is unfazed playing home vs away, but even here being away seems to be an advantage for unknown reasons.
OVERALL PML TOTALS:
Home Record: 106-117
Away Record: 115-106
Final Synopsis: I’m a little worried about how my math didn’t add up to even numbers here, but nonetheless let it be known. Home field is not meaning a lot in PML. Do teams not use their in-game home field advantage to their benefit enough? That’s a question for the members of PML. But for now, relish your road games!
