This year’s NFL schedule features 49 primetime games and 54 nationally televised games, with one more scheduled to be added on the final Sunday of the season and two more TBD games scheduled for the penultimate Saturday of the year.
There’s also a chance that as many as eight Sunday night games will be flexed between Week 5 and Week 16. But working only with what we know right now, we’ve gone ahead and ranked the 54 games you’re currently slated to have access to this year, no matter what part of the country you are living in.
54. Texans at Jets (Dec. 15, NFLN): Too late in the year to care about the Jets, so this might not be worth your Saturday attention.
53. Browns at Broncos (Dec. 15, NFLN): Same deal with Cleveland and Denver, for that matter, but there is a lot of intrigue attached to the Browns this year.
52. Patriots at Bills (Oct. 29, ESPN): Good for Buffalo for landing a Monday nighter at home, but the Bills were a flash in the pan and a lucky playoff team in 2017. This could be a blowout.
51. Dolphins at Texans (Oct. 25, FOX/NFLN): Miami isn’t likely to do much this season and this could be one-sided if Houston is healthy.
50. Broncos at Cardinals (Oct. 18, FOX/NFLN): Couple years ago, maybe…
49. Ravens at Bengals (Sept. 13, NFLN): With both teams coming off so-so seasons, this divisional matchup isn’t what it used to be.
48. Steelers at Buccaneers (Sept. 24, ESPN): Not a lot to this one, but both teams have plenty of talent and Tampa Bay should keep it close at home in September.
47. Ravens at Steelers (Sept. 30, NBC): With all due respect to the AFC North, this rivalry has also faded.
46. Chiefs at Seahawks (Dec. 23, NBC): Weird late-season cross-conference matchup between two teams that could go either way this year. Could be gold, but also a potential flex-out.
45. Jets at Lions (Sept. 10, ESPN): The first part of the opening week MNF doubleheader loses a lot of luster if the Jets aren’t debuting a shiny new quarterback, so the jury is still out on this one.
44. Giants at 49ers (Nov. 12, ESPN): Tough to tell where the Giants will be at come mid-November, but this is still likely to be a star-studded matchup.
43. Giants at Falcons (Oct. 22, ESPN): “Tough to tell where the Giants will be at come late-[October], but this is still likely to be a star-studded matchup.” That’s the Giants in a nutshell.
42. Seahawks at Bears (Sept. 17, ESPN): Nobody’s sure what to make of these teams after busy and very polar offseasons, so we could get plenty of answers in this Week 2 Monday nighter.
41. Jets at Browns (Sept. 20, NFLN): Considering the youth on both rosters, this matchup between two rebuilding teams is perfect for a September Thursday nighter. I’ll be looking forward to this one, even if it won’t have major implications.
40. Vikings at Seahawks (Dec. 10, ESPN): Seattle might not be the same, but the Seahawks will still likely challenge one of the top NFC Super Bowl contenders in what should be a big December home game.
39. Packers at Seahawks (Nov. 15, FOX/NFLN): This matchup might have lost some luster compared to previous years, but it’s still Aaron Rodgers in Russell Wilson’s house.
38. Chiefs at Broncos (Oct. 1, ESPN): Our first national look at both Patrick Mahomes and Case Keenum as starting quarterbacks in Kansas City and Denver should be fun.
37. Colts at Patriots (Oct. 4, FOX/NFLN): This one’s risky in case Andrew Luck still isn’t healthy for Indianapolis, but if Luck is back this rivalry could be restored. Not a bad Thursday night gamble.
36. Titans at Cowboys (Nov. 5, ESPN): I think both teams are going to be contenders this year, and Marcus Mariota is a natural draw.
35. Eagles at Giants (Oct. 11, FOX/NFLN): NFC East matchups are almost always entertaining, so this works on a Thursday.
34. Patriots at Lions (Sept. 23, NBC): The Patriots move the needle, and this’ll be Matt Patricia coaching against his former team in only his third game in Detroit.
33. Bears at Lions (Nov. 22, CBS): There’s a chance both NFC North squads will be good this year, so the Thanksgiving opener has lots of promise.
32. Panthers at Steelers (Nov. 8, FOX): Cam Newton vs. Ben Roethlisberger is fireworks. And may possibly meet for the final time.
31. Bears at Packers (Sept. 9, NBC): The new-look Bears should be respectable in Mitchell Trubisky’s second year, and you can’t go wrong with Aaron Rodgers in the first Sunday nighter of the season.
30. Redskins at Saints (Oct. 8, ESPN): Amazingly, this is our first national look at the Alex Smith-led Redskins. Could be wild at the Superdome, as those games often are.
29. Giants at Cowboys (Sept. 16, NBC): These are almost always exciting, and the two fan bases make for an interesting scene on Twitter.
28. Redskins at Cowboys (Nov. 22, FOX): NFC East, baby. This is a solid late-afternoon Thanksgiving game.
27. Cowboys at Eagles (Nov. 11, NBC): Just another variation of NFC East entertainment.
26. Redskins at Eagles (Dec. 3, ESPN): And another…
25. Saints at Panthers (Dec. 17, ESPN): A potential do-or-die NFC South matchup featuring Drew Brees and Cam Newton to wrap up Week 15.
24. Titans at Chargers (Oct. 21, CBS): Two exciting AFC playoff contenders who are prime candidates to take big step forward in 2018 meet in the first early London game of the year.
23. 49ers at Seahawks (Dec. 2, NBC): Wonder if this’ll have big playoff implications to kick off the final month of the season. Regardless, it’s Richard Sherman’s return to Seattle.
22. Saints at Cowboys (Nov. 29, FOX/NFLN): Both star-studded teams should be fighting for playoff positioning at this point.
21. Cowboys at Texans (Oct. 7, NBC): Assuming Houston has Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt, the battle of Texas could be a potential Super Bowl preview on SNF.
20. Titans at Texans (Nov. 25, ESPN): Both should be contenders in the AFC South, and this is a hell of a young quarterback matchup.
19. Jaguars at Titans (Dec. 6, FOX/NFLN): This is an annual Thursday night contest, but it’s no longer a joke. Jacksonville and Tennessee have two of the most exciting young rosters in the NFL, and there could be a lot at stake in the AFC South here.
18. Chargers at Chiefs (Dec. 13, FOX/NFLN): Big potential playoff implications in the AFC West. These are usually good matchups.
17. Raiders at 49ers (Nov. 1, FOX/NFLN): This could be the last-ever battle of the bay. And for the first time in years, both teams should be contenders.
16. Steelers at Raiders (Dec. 9, NBC): Could be big playoff implications as the Raiders countdown the games in Oakland.
15. Broncos at Raiders (Dec. 24, ESPN): This Christmas Eve Monday nighter will be the final regular season home game in Oakland Raiders history. Fitting opponent.
14. Falcons at Saints (Nov. 22, NBC): The Thanksgiving nightcap could have big stakes in the NFC South as we enter the home stretch.
13. Falcons at Eagles (Sept. 6, NBC): Who’ll be quarterbacking the defending Super Bowl champions in what should be a high-scoring opener between two NFC contenders? It’ll be intriguing either way.
12. Chiefs at Patriots (Oct. 14, NBC): Kansas City always gives New England hell and if both teams can replicate what they did last year, we’re in for a treat.
11. Chiefs at Rams (Nov. 19, ESPN): Two contenders that made a lot of big changes and struck a deal involving Marcus Peters in the offseason. Good one for Mexico City.
10. Rams at Raiders (Sept. 10, ESPN): The second part of the opening week MNF doubleheader features the league’s most hyped team and Jon Gruden’s re-debut in Oakland.
9. 49ers at Packers (Oct. 15, ESPN): Our first national look at Jimmy Garoppolo and the high-buzz 49ers. And again, can’t go wrong with Aaron Rodgers leading the Packers.
8. Packers at Vikings (Nov. 25, NBC): This could have huge NFC North implications as we wrap up November. Plus, it’s Aaron Rodgers vs. Kirk Cousins.
7. Steelers at Jaguars (Nov. 18, NBC): Considering how wild their playoff tilt was last year, this’ll be one of the highest-touted rematches of 2018.
6. Eagles at Jaguars (Oct. 28, NFLN): The last London game of the season might be the best one in the history of the international series. Two of the five most talented teams in football here with London getting the Super Bowl champs.
5. Rams at 49ers (Oct. 21, NBC): The expectations are super-high for the NFC West-based California rivals.
4. Packers at Patriots (Nov. 4, NBC): Can’t go wrong with two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in a potential Super Bowl preview.
3. Saints at Vikings (Oct. 28, NBC): Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins gave us a barnburner last year, but now they both have more support as part of Super Bowl contenders. Please, let this be a rematch of the Stefon Diggs game.
2. Vikings at Rams (Sept. 27, FOX/NFLN): Oh man, FOX is getting hooked up with its first Thursday night game. This is a potential NFC championship game preview. Two fun, extremely talented teams.
1. Eagles at Rams (Dec. 16, NBC): I think these are the best two teams in the NFL. Week 15 in prime-time? Yes please…
