NFL’s best new matchups ranked in 17-game season
One of the consequences of the NFL’s expansion of the regular season to 17 games for each team is an alteration to the league’s scheduling matrix, one that essentially lays out every club’s future opponents in perpetuity.
Every team now will play an extra non-conference game as part of the 17game equation, one that will be partially determined by a team’s finish the previous season.
So what does all that mean for the entirety of the 2021 season? Here are your 16 “bonus” games, ranked worst to first:
16. Panthers at Texans: A few weeks ago, we might have been speculating as to which of these teams quarterback Deshaun Watson would be playing for. It’s now unclear if he’ll even be eligible for what projected as a pretty lackluster matchup anyway.
15. Lions at Broncos: Could’ve been the Matt Prater Bowl ... except he just left Motown for Arizona. Welp. Remember the time when the Lions beat the Tim Tebow-led Broncos 45-10 in 2011 during his first start in Denver? That was fun. “Tebow Time” took off the following week.
14. Vikings at Chargers: Potentially a pretty juicy pairing and a likely favorite of the fantasy community as well given the passing numbers that could get posted here . ... but probably not as captivating as the time Adrian Peterson ran for a record 296 yards against the Bolts in 2007.
13. Falcons at Jaguars: Jacksonville and southern Georgia are pretty much the same thing. We’d also assume Trevor Lawrence’s family and friends from Cartersville, Georgia, will be making the trip to Duval County for this one. The rest of the country’s feelings? “Meh.”
12. Giants at Dolphins: A battle of apples from the Bill Belichick tree as the Giants’ Joe Judge and Miami’s Brian Flores square off ... likely in front of quite a few transplanted New Yorkers likely bound to make this feel more like a neutral site contest or even a Giants home game.
11. Eagles at Jets: Fun fact: The Eagles are 11-0 all time against the Jets. No pressure, Jalen Hurts.
10. 49ers at Bengals: The quarterback of the past, Jimmy Garoppolo – assuming he’s still starting – against the quarterback of the future, Joe Burrow. This will also bring back great memories for Joe Montana ... but not so much for Cincinnati resident Cris Collinsworth – who lost both of his Super Bowl appearances as a player to Montana’s Niners.
9. Bears at Raiders: It would have been preferable if Khalil Mack was making one more visit to the Black Hole rather than his first NFL foray into Sin City.
8. Cardinals at Browns: Headlined by former Oklahoma Sooners Heisman Trophy winners Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield, this could also be an opportunity for the Browns to give new Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt buyer’s remorse.
7. Washington Football Team at Bills: A battle of 2020 division winners featuring two of the league’s fast-rising stars in Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen and Washington defensive end Chase Young ... and presumably a better game than Super Bowl 26.
6. Seahawks at Steelers: It’s been nearly two years since quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s right elbow came unglued against Seattle. He’ll be hoping for a better outcome this time, while Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson can only pray he isn’t “getting hit too much” by T.J. Watt and the league’s premier pass-rushing defense.
5. Saints at Titans: This game will feature two of the league’s premier backs, New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara and Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, who cause their damage in unique ways. Meanwhile, Saints quarterback Jameis Winston can only hope he’s enjoying a career resurrection on par with the one Ryan Tannehill has had in Nashville.
4. Cowboys at Patriots: “America’s Team” versus the Patriots ... Twitter will likely get out of hand between these fan bases during the run-up to kickoff – to say nothing of the other 30 fan bases and legions of casual onlookers who despise both franchises.
3. Rams at Ravens: Two years ago, Lamar Jackson shredded a team coming off a Super Bowl berth 45-6. Last year, the Rams were the stingiest defense in yards and points allowed. Should be interesting to see how Aaron Donald and Co. (plus new quarterback Matthew Stafford) respond in the rematch.
2. Buccaneers at Colts: Tom Brady versus the Colts used to be the first matchup we circled every year the schedule was released. Even without Peyton Manning around, this should still be must-watch TV from Lucas Oil Stadium.
1. Packers at Chiefs: Aaron Rodgers versus Patrick Mahomes. Cheese curds versus barbecue. A rematch of the first Super Bowl ... er, AFL-NFL World Championship Game. And – just maybe – a Super Bowl 56 preview.