Ed Note: The following appears courtesy our partners at This Given Sunday, Bloguin’s NFL vertical. You can catch the weekly Game Watchability Rankings there each and every week.
Week 15 in the NFL is here, and you might be entering the weekend with your own preferences regarding which games to focus on, and which to place on the backburner.
Most of you have your favorites and fantasy players to track. But in case you’re completely neutral or need help breaking ties with regard to what to watch, we’ve ranked all 16 games from most appealing to least enticing.
Can’t-miss games
1. Broncos at Chargers (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): Denver hasn’t been quite right and the Chargers are desperate and at home. This should be a really good divisional game with a lot on the line. Plus, two of the best quarterbacks in football.
2. Cowboys at Eagles (Sunday night, NBC): De facto NFC East title game? Pretty close. Two good, playoff-caliber teams with great offenses in prime time. This should have a playoff feel.
3. Cardinals at Rams (Thursday night, NFL Network): St. Louis is at home and on freakin’ fire, with that scary defense looking to play spoiler against the division-leading Cardinals. Arizona has come back to earth recently, and the Cards will be desperate with Seattle breathing down their neck. Good stuff in an exclusive time slot.
4. 49ers at Seahawks (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): Watch as the 49ers continue to go up in flames. Plus, Seattle’s hitting its stride. The best rivalry in the game today, and if San Francisco hangs around we could have some serious drama.
Games worth watching
5. Packers at Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Watch out for the desperate Bills here against a Green Bay team on short rest, especially with Buffalo at home. Plus, you have to keep tabs on this one just to see what MVP frontrunner Aaron Rodgers is up to.
6. Bengals at Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): One of three games with major implications in the wild AFC North, but this one involves two of its teams, both contenders. Plus, Johnny Manziel!
7. Dolphins at Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): A game that matters to both teams, but I wonder if it’ll be a New England blowout. Plus, the Dolphins just aren’t that good.
8. Steelers at Falcons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Both teams are desperate and fighting for playoff spots, but neither is a Super Bowl contender and there are too many other options in the early time slot for this to be a priority.
9. Vikings at Lions (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): The Lions need this bad and the Vikings have been playing better. Keep an eye if it’s close in the second half.
10. Saints at Bears (Monday night, ESPN): Two extremely talented under-achievers. The Saints are desperate, which is good, and this should be close in Chicago. The problem is the Bears have nothing left to play for.
Games to completely ignore
11. Buccaneers at Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): I know they’re both still alive in the NFC South, but neither is going anywhere. And without Cam Newton, the Panthers aren’t much of a draw.
12. Raiders at Chiefs (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Another game with hardly any major implications to avoid in a busy time slot.
13. Jaguars at Ravens (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Baltimore is in dogfight, but the Jags stand little chance on the road here. Only break the no-watch policy here if there’s an upset alert in the fourth quarter.
14. Texans at Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Oh God, the AFC South again….
15. Redskins at Giants (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): One of two games between teams that are officially eliminated.
16. Jets at Titans (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): This is the other one….
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