NFL: Top 10 Games to Watch in 2020
With very little sports news these days, the schedule release for the NFL created a lot of buzz throughout the football community. Let’s break down the top 10 games to watch in 2020 for possible playoff implications, great matchups, and more.
1. Chiefs at Ravens, Week 3 (MNF)
This Monday Night Football matchup is the game of the year. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will travel to Baltimore and make a statement against a tough Ravens team. Will the Chiefs air attack prevail? Or will the Ravens run game dominate the Chiefs defense?
2. Buccaneers at Saints, Week 1
We never thought this day would come, but when the Buccaneers travel to the Superdome to play the New Orleans Saints, Tom Brady will play his first snap out of a Patriot uniform. It will be interesting to see how the Bucs affair with the GOAT under center, but they will have a tough task, facing arguably the best team in the NFL in one of the toughest stadiums to visit.
3. Saints at Raiders, Week 2 (MNF)
Once again, the Saints are a game to watch, but it is where they are traveling to that makes it special. The Raiders will host their first game in Las Vegas in history, and will do it on a national stage, Monday Night Football. The Raiders are a tough team to judge going into 2020, but the Saints are going to be a juggernaut, and the Vegas squad is going to have to bring their best effort to earn their first home win.
4. Seahawks at 49ers, Week 17
This game may be a mirror image of 2019, where the Seattle Seahawks were a yard away from a division title. Instead, the Niners walked away NFC West Champs and earned the number one seed, where they eventually played in the Super Bowl. This game may live up to the same hype it did last year, with similar playoff implications potentially on the line. Does Russell Wilson’s crew overtake the division, or do the 49ers hold on?
5. Bengals at Dolphins, Week 13
Even though the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins are both in rebuild mode, this is one of the most hyped games of the year. This game will feature a matchup of Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa, the top two QB prospects in the 2020 draft. While Burrow was the first pick, Tua has a better roster and overall situation with the Miami Dolphins. Expect Miami to win this game unless Joe Burrow is playing at an MVP level at this point.
6. Vikings at Saints, Week 16 (Christmas)
Not only is this game on Christmas, but it is also on a Friday Night. Not Sunday, Monday, or Thursday, but Friday. The NFL did a good job with this one, especially with the game scheduled. The Vikings will look to repeat what they did during Wild Card Weekend last year and beat the Saints in their house. Both teams are poised to make runs at their respective divisions, meaning this has a chance to be the game of the year.
7. 49ers at Cowboys, Week 15 (SNF)
The San Francisco 49ers will travel to Dallas for their Week 15 battle on Sunday Night Football. The Dallas Cowboys, who have the best offense in the NFC, only upgraded with the selection of WR CeeDee Lamb. On the other side of the ball, the reigning NFC champions are returning the best defense in the NFC despite the loss of LB Deforest Buckner. This will be a very good game, and it will come down to if the Niners’ stout defense can stop Dallas’ exceptional offense.
8. Chiefs at Saints, Week 15
This game may be the preview of the Super Bowl. The Saints are the more complete team but have struggled in big games, while Kansas City thrives under pressure. Two top-five quarterbacks will be featured in Mahomes and Brees, and it will be interesting to see if QB Patrick Mahomes can make yet another statement in his short but decorative career and take down all-time great Drew Brees.
9. Packers at Buccaneers, Week 6
When you think of Brady vs. Rodgers, you think Packers vs. Patriots, but for the first time ever, there is a different matchup. QB Tom Brady is now in Tampa Bay, and will look to improve his 2-0 record against Aaron Rodgers, while Rodgers will look to get his first win off his running mate for the top QB of the generation. Green Bay has the better team, but a questionable draft may cause some turmoil, which may turn for the worst. Rodgers is going to have to hide the distractions with wins on the field, which he is more than capable of doing,
10. Titans at Broncos, Week 1 (MNF)
This game doesn’t have a new stadium opening or a quarterback matchup for the ages. What this matchup brings to the table, though, is more than enough: the first Monday Night Football game of the season, with two of the up-and-coming teams in the AFC. This is just the beginning for Ryan Tannehill, and he is poised to have a big season with a young core on both sides of the ball and star running back Derrick Henry to support him. On the other hand, it’s Drew Lock time now in Denver. After he came in and went 3-1 in the Broncos final quarter of the season, the Broncos added even more weapons, drafting Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler to go along with the signing of Melvin Gordon. Both of these teams are young and complete on both sides of the ball, and will both be competing for a playoff spot in 2020.
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