This year’s NFL schedule features 50 primetime games and 56 nationally-televised games, with one more scheduled to be added on the final Sunday of the season. 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 56 games you’re currently slated to have access to this year regardless of your cable package.
56. Browns at Ravens (Nov. 10, NFLN): This could be our first nationally-televised look at a blue-chip rookie quarterback for Cleveland, but that might not be enough to save us from what might be a one-sided game in Baltimore.
55. Dolphins at Jets (Dec. 17, NFLN): I fear there won’t be much at stake for what is sort of a bland divisional matchup anyway.
54. Lions at Cowboys (Dec. 26, ESPN): There’s a decent chance this game doesn’t matter, especially considering how late in the season it takes place. I already miss Calvin Johnson.
53. Rams at Seahawks (Dec. 15, NBC/NFLN): Would have been better if this were in LA. There’s a chance the Rams won’t have much to play for, although they do routinely give Seattle fits.
52. Jets at Cardinals (Oct. 17, ESPN): I mean, they’re both good teams. Just no real storylines or relationships, and not a lot on the line. Arizona should be a clear favorite.
51. Jaguars at Titans (Oct. 27, NFLN): Thursday night Jags-Titans matchups have ranked dead-last on this list each of the last two years. But now, with Marcus Mariota and Blake Bortles, they’ve at least moved out of the basement.
50. Bills at Seahawks (Nov. 7, ESPN): The potential for a blowout always exists when you’re looking at a home game for the Seahawks. Still, the Bills are a fun young team that should be competitive, so this is by no means a bad Monday nighter.
49. Ravens at Patriots (Dec. 12, ESPN): I do fear Baltimore could be falling out of contention at this point, making this a very tough road game in December. It’s only a good game if they’re in contention and can keep this close at Gillette.
48. Vikings at Bears (Oct. 31, ESPN): Should be a tough (and possibly close) divisional road game for a Minnesota team that will be trying to gain separation.
47. Colts at Jaguars (Oct. 2, CBS): This is the first 9:30 a.m. ET London game of the year. Barring hangovers, I love these games. And you should too. Unless you live on the west coast and don’t have children.
46. Vikings at Lions (Nov. 24, CBS): I’m worried that the Lions won’t be very good in 2016, but they usually play pretty well on Thanksgiving so this should at least be competitive.
45. Eagles at Bears (Sept. 19, ESPN): Our first national look at the new-look Eagles in a matchup that could have playoff implications down the line. Not bad, but it’s still not a particularly sexy Monday night matchup. Chip Kelly moved the needle more than Doug Pederson.
44. Dolphins at Bengals (Sept. 29, NFLN): Here’s our first chance as a nation to ridicule the Dolphins for another extremely strange offseason. And the Bengals are always fun to watch. Not bad for a Thursday nighter.
43. Cardinals at 49ers (Oct. 6, CBS/NFLN): This is a pretty standard early-season Thursday nighter between division rivals, but at least it might be relatively close with San Francisco at home.
42. Broncos at Chargers (Oct. 13, CBS/NFLN): This is a pretty standard early-season Thursday nighter between division rivals, but at least it might be relatively close with San Diego at home. Hey, I only had to change one word!
41. Falcons at Buccaneers (Nov. 3, NFLN): Giving this a little more love than the other two because I think we should all be pretty excited to see what Jameis Winston will do in Year 2. This should be a close, entertaining matchup.
40. Eagles at Cowboys (Oct. 30, NBC): Nothing wrong with a high-profile NFC East matchup, and it’s early enough that neither team’s season will have gone down the drain yet. Still, this matchup had a little more buzz between 2013 and 2015.