Ed Note: The following appears courtesy This Given Sunday.
Week 2 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.
1. Seahawks at Packers (Sunday night, NBC): Seattle is in turmoil coming off a second straight crushing loss and without star safety Kam Chancellor. And now they have to go to Green Bay to play a smoking Packers team in search of revenge. This is a potential NFC championship game preview with a ton of potential drama.
2. Patriots at Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Both AFC East rivals were lights out in Week 1 and you know the Ralph Wilson crowd will be a huge factor as Buffalo looks to send another message Sunday. This is a must-watch early game.
3. Cowboys at Eagles (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): Chip Kelly and Co. look to avoid an 0-2 start, but they’re at home as DeMarco Murray faces his former team. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cowboys fare against Murray and without Dez Bryant, and there should be plenty of fireworks between these two playoff-caliber rivals.
4. Broncos at Chiefs (Thursday night, CBS/NFLN): This isn’t as sexy now that Peyton Manning has a noodle arm, but it should be interesting to get a prime-time view of just how far the 39-year-old quarterback has fallen.
5. Titans at Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Marcus Mariota encore should be fun, especially if it comes against Johnny Manziel.
6. Chargers at Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Two playoff-caliber AFC teams coming off impressive Week 1 victories and looking to make statements within their respective divisions. Lots of offense and a good quarterback matchup, too, so this is worth checking out.
7. 49ers at Steelers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): The 49ers try to make another statement, but this time they’re on the road taking on a Steelers team that is well rested and has a lot to prove after a tough Week 1 loss to the defending champs.
8. Falcons at Giants (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Is Atlanta a real contender? What about the Giants, who have to recover from that debacle in Dallas? Expect a lot of offense between two good quarterbacks and two high-profile teams.
9. Lions at Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): The loser will be in a major NFC North hole, so this is an early-season desperation game for two talented offenses. Definitely worth monitoring during a great early set of games.
10. Buccaneers at Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Another early-season intra-divisional desperation game, but there’s a good chance this’ll be a blowout in favor of New Orleans. Worth watching on and off for Jameis Winston, though.
11. Jets at Colts (Monday night, ESPN): Indy will be looking to make a statement make at home on national television after a tough opening game in Buffalo, but the typical Monday night blowout is a distinct possibility here.
12. Ravens at Raiders (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): Probably a Baltimore blowout, but something to check out if the Ravens start slow on the road for the second straight week. Cowboys-Eagles is the only late start that really matters.
13. Cardinals at Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Arizona always starts hot and this should be a tough road contest. Jay Cutler also brings some suspense, but that’s still not enough to make this a premier game.
14. Texans at Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Cam Newton and J.J. Watt could have a fun battle here, but that’s not enough to save this in a crowded time slot.
15. Rams at Redskins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Nice Week 1 win for St. Louis, but the team isn’t particularly good or interesting and Washington still stinks. Neither team is going anywhere and the RG3 trade storyline isn’t enough to make this worth watching.
16. Dolphins at Jaguars (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): It’s been years since any sort of “battle of Florida” was interesting in the NFL. This doesn’t qualify, either.
