The path has been laid forward by the
NFL this week after unveiling the entire regular season schedule for 2025. While various nuggets about the schedule leaked out leading up to Wednesday's release, it is still an avalanche of information that comes across the wire. With that in mind, it's understandably hard to digest each and every facet of an 18-week schedule, but we're here to help ensure you don't miss out on some of the more notable contests on the docket. While there are going to be more than one game that'll garner national attention in a given week, we've combed through each week's slate and identified one contest in particular that stands out above the rest. Of course, because we're looking for the top games each week, there will be a lot of teams rearing their heads multiple times, like the
Philadelphia Eagles and
Kansas City Chiefs. That said, when the slate is a bit more muddled, we'll try to bring other games to the forefront. Let's dive into the games that you should have circled each week this season.
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
This one is pretty obvious. Sure, the opening Week 1 slate is loaded with high-profile games (like Baltimore vs. Buffalo on "Sunday Night Football"), but the opener has the juice. Philadelphia is set to unveil its latest
Super Bowl championship banner and begin its title defense. First up to challenge them will be the Dallas Cowboys, who'll be led by first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Dak Prescott will also be making his return after last year's season-ending injury and will have a new weapon in
George Pickens, so there is no shortage of storylines here.
Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs
We don't have to wait long into the season to get a Super Bowl LIX rematch. After coming up just short of a three-peat and being shellacked in the Super Bowl by Philadelphia, Kansas City will look to enact a slice of revenge when they host the Eagles. This will be the 11th Super Bowl rematch in the following season, and the Super Bowl winner is 7-3 in those games.
There are a few games to choose from in the Week 3 slate, including Lions vs. Ravens on Monday night. However, this matchup between Cincinnati and Minnesota should garner plenty of interest, especially from those in Baton Rouge.
Joe Burrow and
Ja'Marr Chase will head to U.S. Bank Stadium and see their former LSU teammate
Justin Jefferson as they take on the Vikings. On top of this reunion between national champions, it also has the potential for fireworks on offense.
Lamar Jackson vs.
Patrick Mahomes. Need I say more? This is the first time that these two AFC heavyweights will square off against one another since Week 1 of last season. If you remember, the game concluded after an
Isaiah Likely 10-yard touchdown catch was overturned for failing to get both feet in bounds as time expired. For Jackson, this will be an opportunity to build some momentum against Mahomes. Currently, Mahomes is 5-1 against Jackson in their careers. Given that these are two of the top teams in the AFC, this early season head-to-head could also come into play later with tiebreakers for playoff seeding.
"Thursday Night Football" is the top game for Week 6 as we have an NFC West rivalry renewed. The Rams will host the 49ers, and the chess match between Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan will be worth the price of admission. Judging how they took the eventual Super Bowl champs to the brink in the playoffs last year, Los Angeles looks poised to be a serious player in the NFC. Meanwhile, if San Francisco can stay healthy, it is also among the most talented rosters in the conference. This will be an early measuring stick game for these division rivals.
It's not hyperbole to say that the trajectory of the 2024 season changed after these two teams met last season. The infamous game-winning Hail Mary by
Jayden Daniels to propel the Commanders over the Bears helped put Washington on a path toward the NFC Championship. Conversely, Chicago's meltdown helped lead to the eventual firing of head coach Matt Eberflus. On top of that recent history, this is a stellar quarterback matchup between the No. 1 overall pick and No. 2 overall pick from the 2024
NFL Draft in
Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels.
With Buffalo and Baltimore on their bye, Week 7 is a bit muted in terms of its head-to-head matchups. That said, the Monday night tilt between the Buccaneers and Lions should provide plenty of fireworks. Detroit was the No. 1 seed in the NFC a season ago, and there's no reason to think they won't rival for it again in 2025. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are sneakily one of the more talented teams in the NFC, so this is a potential playoff preview in prime time.
If you want to say Commanders-Chiefs on Monday night is a better game than this matchup, I won't fight you. That said, I'm more intrigued with this game, especially if Vikings quarterback
J.J. McCarthy begins the year on a strong note. Here he'll be taking on his former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. That duo won a national championship for the Wolverines not too long ago and now will be adversaries. From a strategic standpoint, I'm fascinated to see how Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter (who was also the DC at Michigan) attack a quarterback they have deep knowledge of.
Week 9: Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills
Any time we get Patrick Mahomes and
Josh Allen squaring off against one another, it's must-see TV, and we're fortunate to have this game
on the CBS slate this season. This will be the 10th career meeting between these quarterbacks. So far, Allen has owned the regular-season contests against Mahomes as he's 4-1. However, even if he adds to that impressive record, it likely won't answer any big-picture questions about his ability to get over hump in the playoffs. There, Mahomes is a perfect 4-0 against Allen, which includes a 32-29 win against Buffalo in the 2024 AFC Championship.
Week 10: Detroit Lions at Washington Commanders
The Lions were the No. 1 seed in the NFC last season, but were one-and-done in the playoffs thanks to Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. Coming out of the bye week, Detroit was lit up by Daniels, who threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 51 yards in the upset win. Washington's defense also got the better of
Jared Goff, who was picked off three times in the loss. As we hit roughly the midway point of the year, this will be a huge statement game for both clubs.
Week 11: Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles
This could very well be a battle for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a preview of the NFC Championship. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles will host the Lions on "Sunday Night Football," and the stakes will be sky high. Given that both of these teams are expected to be atop the NFC standings, this game could prove to be critical in one of them inching closer to securing the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it. For what it's worth, the last time the Lions faced a defending Super Bowl champion, they won (Week 1 vs. Chiefs in 2023).
Week 12 is another rather quiet week on the
NFL calendar, but we do get to enjoy an NFC North showdown between the Vikings and Packers at Lambeau Field. While Detroit sucks up a lot of national attention, this entire division is filled with playoff-caliber talent. Minnesota nearly secured the No. 1 seed over Detroit last season, and Green Bay made it in as a wild-card entry. There's no reason to expect these clubs won't be in the thick of the playoff race this year, and if the Lions take a step back, this could be a slugfest as they jockey for the division crown.
Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys
What better way to spend Thanksgiving than with a belly full of turkey and the Chiefs taking on the Cowboys in Dallas? Both of these teams are premier brands in the NFL, and on top of that, could be a stellar back-and-forth battle between two pass-heavy offenses. While we expect Kansas City to be competitive throughout the season, Dallas will need to carry its weight through the first dozen weeks for this game to have as much juice as possible, but it'll be worth checking out regardless. This is also a bit of a homecoming for Patrick Mahomes, who was born in Tyler, Texas, and attended Texas Tech.
Week 14: Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills
The Bengals were white hot to end the 2024 season, but due to their struggles to begin the year, they just missed out on the playoffs. Despite that, they are still one of the more feared teams in the AFC and should be a threat in 2025, largely thanks to Joe Burrow. His presence gives us a great quarterback matchup in Week 14 as the Bengals head to Orchard Park to face Josh Allen and the Bills. This will be the third meeting between Burrow and Allen, and the Bengals QB is currently 2-0, which includes a 27-10 win over Buffalo in the 2022 AFC divisional round. This early December contest should feel like a playoff game.
Week 15: Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams
As we enter the final full month of the regular season, these games between projected playoff opponents go up a level. Clubs are rounding into top form and continue to elbow one another for seeding. This matchup between Detroit and Los Angeles could be an NFC Championship preview and/or a slugfest as they try to earn a head-to-head tiebreaker for seeding purposes.
Week 16: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders
This will be the first time that these NFC East rivals will face one another this season, and the first time they've squared off since last season's NFC Championship. While the Week 18 matchup could ultimately determine the division winner, this matchup carries just as much weight and could be the deciding game on its own.
Week 17: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Last season, the schedule-makers struck gold by putting Lions-Vikings in Week 18, as that game had the No. 1 seed and the NFC North title on the line. While it's not the final week of the regular season, we do get another head-to-head late in the year that could find us in a similar spot. If J.J. McCarthy can live up to his first-round billing, Minnesota should remain in contention and challenge Detroit for the division. So, this matchup could be a hat and T-shirt affair.
Week 18: Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos
The final week of the season is, of course, filled to the brim with solid matchups. While Commanders at Eagles could take the cake as the top game on the slate, I also believe the Chargers and Broncos matchup in Denver has the potential of being a win-and-in contest. Both of these teams made the playoffs a year ago and only improved their rosters this offseason, so they should again be in the thick of contention. That said, with Kansas City favored to win the AFC West, there may only be one spot in the AFC wild-card race between the two of them.
