Must-see games
SEPT. 10 L.A. Rams at Raiders
The second of two Monday night offerings has it all. Jon Gruden in his return after nine seasons vs. former protege Sean McVay, coach of one of last year’s surprise teams. The new-and-improved Derek Carr vs. Jared Goff, who broke out a year ago. The Rams made a huge off-season splash with the additions of Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters on defense.
SEPT. 16 Kansas City at Pittsburgh
The Chiefs made an early exit from the playoffs last season by blowing a lead against Tennessee, the ramifications of which included a switch at quarterback from Alex Smith to Patrick Mahomes. For a team with a good track record of reaching the playoffs, Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t delivered a championship in nine seasons. That’s a long time in Steeltown, and the window is closing.
SEPT. 23 New Orleans at Atlanta
Entrenched in an NFC South that also includes Carolina, this game pits two of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL in Drew Brees and Matt Ryan. Brees has won a championship and wants another before riding off into the sunset. Ryan’s legacy will forever be dominated by losing a 28-3 lead to New England in his lone Super Bowl appearance until he delivers a title — and this year’s Super Bowl is in Atlanta.
SEPT. 30 Houston at Indianapolis
What could possibly be intriguing about two teams that combined for nine wins in 2017? Because by this time we should have an idea of whether the Texans’ J.J. Watt and the Colts’ Andrew Luck are hale, hearty and have retaken their place among the NFL’s top players after battling serious injuries. If they are, Houston and Indianapolis can go from hopeless to hopeful.
OCT. 7 Minnesota at Philadelphia
The Vikings took it on the chin in last year’s NFC championship game, with Nick Foles completing 26 of 33 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns against what had been a very good defense. The quarterback figures to be Carson Wentz this time around, and the Vikings made a big investment in Kirk Cousins in hopes Mike Zimmer can be the first Minnesota coach since Bud Grant to reach the Super Bowl.
OCT. 14 Jacksonville at Dallas
The Jaguars gave mighty New England a go of it before losing 24-20 in the AFC championship game. Their game plan? Try and get Blake Bortles to play efficiently with the help of running back Leonard Fournette to allow their superior defense to dominate. The Cowboys will run Ezekiel Elliott directly into the heart of that defense in hopes of taking the pressure off Dak Prescott.
OCT. 21 L.A. Rams at 49ers OCT. 28 Baltimore at Carolina
Will Joe Flacco still be at the reins, throwing short, shorter and shortest with a stagnant offense, or revert to his 2012 form and strike downfield? The Ravens will have determined whether Lamar Jackson is worth a series. The Panthers will contend, but it would behoove the offense to find someone other than Cam Newton to be the leading rusher.
NOV. 1 Raiders at 49ers
The last time the two franchises will face one another with both residing in the Bay Area unless something goes horribly wrong with stadium construction in Las Vegas. Kyle Shanahan, like the Rams’ Sean McVay, worked under Gruden. Derek Carr was the talk of the Bay Area in 2016 and supplanted by Jimmy Garoppolo a year ago. Count on plenty of Raiders fans working their way into Levi’s Stadium for a Thursday night game.
NOV. 11 New England at Tennessee
In Week 10, if form holds, the Patriots under Bill Belichick will have ho-hummed their way to a big lead in the NFC East with 41-year-old Tom Brady leading the way. The Titans took a page from the Patriots book with the hiring of Mike Vrabel as head coach. Vrabel was a core Patriot and should have some idea on what it takes to beat the team that taught him most of what he knows.
NOV. 15 Green Bay at Seattle
Like Raiders-49ers, it’s another example of the NFL doing what it can to avoid presenting bad matchups in Thursday night games. Assuming Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are both healthy and productive, it’s a game between two teams that are a threat to win every week. And also two teams that are so reliant on their quarterback that they’re alsorans without them.
NOV. 25 Pittsburgh at Denver
If all goes according to plan, the Broncos will be Mile High again largely because of their defense. If rookie Bradley Chubb is indeed a premier pass rusher on the side opposite Von Miller, Denver will have a combination similar to Miller-DeMarcus Ware championship at Levi’s Stadium. The Steelers are always in contention around Thanksgiving, and it shouldn’t be any different his season.
DEC. 2 Arizona at Green Bay
An educated guess suggests that Arizona quarterback Sam Bradford is either injured or will have surrendered his status as the firststring quarterback to first-round draft pick and UCLA product Josh Rosen. Nothing better to test the mettle of a born-and-bred California quarterback than a December date on the frozen tundra in a duel against Aaron Rodgers.
DEC. 9 Pittsburgh at Raiders
Does Jon Gruden have the Raiders in the postseason mix? If so, this Sunday night national telecast will give Raiders fans a chance to properly game plan in the Coliseum parking lot to be at their ghoulish best come kickoff against one of their traditional rivals. The cameras will be turned toward the stands nearly as much as on the field.
DEC. 13 L.A. Chargers at Kansas City
New England visits Pittsburgh a few days later, but this Thursday night game pits a Chargers team that was playing the best football in the division at this point a year ago against a Chiefs team that has either sunk or is swimming with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. Coming at Mahomes is one of the NFL’s best 1-2 combos from the outside, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
DEC. 23 Atlanta at Carolina
Could very well determine the champion of the NFC South and would pit a pair of former Most Valuable Players against each other with the Falcons’ Matt Ryan and the Panthers’ Cam Newton. We’ll know if the Panthers have determined whether Christian McCaffrey is a viable traditional running back or gadget back and slot receiver.