On a short week before a Thursday night game, the best advice Sean Payton has for his team is recovery.
Whether it’s getting an IV, doing some film work or getting in a lift, the head coach isn’t trying to do anything complicated. The goal is for the team to be physically and mentally fresh.
But if you like analytics, Payton has some other advice for his players — be in the lead at halftime.
“Halftime leads on Thursday generally have a higher percentage of wins than on a normal Sunday. Fatigue can obviously take place, so I think playing well early is important,” Payton said, pointing out that to do that, all three phases just need to stick to what they know best.