Texans get short-week short straw after MNF late game

The Texans finished their Monday night game at 1:24 a.m. ET on Tuesday. After flying home to Houston, they'll have a shorter-than-usual short week before hosting the 49ers at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

For both of the consecutive Monday doubleheaders this season one of the teams playing in the game that ended on Tuesday morning had a game the following Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. In Week 2, the Raiders traveled to D.C. for an eventual loss to the Commanders after a late-night game against the Chargers.

It's an odd quirk that creates an extra strategic disadvantage. It reduces the hours that the late-Monday night team has to get ready to face a team that played on Sunday.

And while the league has resolved the overall short-week debate by clinging to the idea that the in-game injury rate for Sunday-to-Sunday games is the same as it is from Sunday-to-Thursday, teams that play on Thursday almost always play teams that played on Sunday. The total hours for both teams are roughly the same.

For both the Raiders in Week 2 and the Texans in Week 7, the relative gap becomes even larger thanks to the late start - and late finish - to those games.