Most anticipated games of 2020 NFL schedule
Quarantine Files is a series on LoganReardon.com, tackling different sports topics while we try to live without sports.
The NFL is keeping the sports world alive as we all look for the smallest things to get excited about.
Two weeks ago, it was the highly-anticipated virtual draft.
Now, it’s the release of the 2020 schedule. We still aren’t sure if the schedule will be played as it’s intended to, but it’s another glimmer of hope as social distancing rolls on.
Football nerds like myself see the schedule and can find intrigue in every game.
Lions at Jaguars in Week 6? Maybe Gardner Minshew – the self-proclaimed Jaguar King – will throw for 400 yards against the porous Detroit secondary.
Giants at Redskins in Week 9? Maybe Chase Young – the widely-proclaimed best 2020 rookie – will break the rookie record for sacks in a game (five by Leslie O’Neal in 1986) against the penetrable New York offensive line.
Raiders at Jets in Week 13? Well, you get the picture.
Those are the lowest of the lows, and they’re still fun. It’s sports. Remember those?
Before I get too sad, let’s dive into the best of the best. These are the games to circle on the calendar and clear your schedule. There are a select group of can’t miss games each season. Don’t miss them because you planned dinner with your third cousin months ago.
I picked four games and added one bonus with a caveat. The goal was to not do any repeat teams and not just pick all the primetime games. Let’s begin.
1. Chiefs at Ravens, Week 3 (Monday Night Football)
Mahomes and Jackson will play for the third straight season (USAT image).
OK, so I know I just told you I didn’t want to pick all primetime games. But, come on. This has a chance to be the game of the year.
This is the game that should’ve been the AFC Championship Game last season (thanks, Derrick Henry), and could be it this season.
I can’t believe I even got to the third paragraph without mentioning Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson. So, allow me to gush for a moment. These two – along with Deshaun Watson – are the future of NFL quarterbacks. And the present, for that matter. Mahomes is the reigning Super Bowl MVP, Jackson the former regular season MVP.
Mahomes and Jackson have met twice before, with the Chiefs winning both matchups. Last year, they also played in Week 3, but that game was at Arrowhead. This is Jackson’s first crack at Mahomes on his home turf.
Another important aspect of this game is the first for the No. 1 seed. It’s hard to imagine anyone besides these two earning that coveted top seed. While the seed is always important (at least one No. 1 seed has made the Super Bowl in six of the last seven years), 2020 will be different. An extra Wild Card team will make the playoffs under the new rules, and only one team in each conference will get a bye.
If one of these teams enters this matchup 1-1 and the other is 2-0, the team with the worse record is in as close to a must-win situation as you can get for Week 3.
The Chiefs host the Texans in the opening game of the season, then head to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.
The Ravens host the Browns (the only team besides KC who beat them in 2019), then play the Texans in Houston.
That means we get three head-to-head matchups involving Jackson, Mahomes and Watson in the first three weeks. Did I smile as that thought just popped into my head on Day 65 of quarantine? Absolutely.
2. Buccaneers at Saints, Week 1 (4:25 p.m.)
Brees and Brady will meet twice this season (USAT image).
Jackson-Mahomes was new school. Now, we give you old school. Emphasis on the “old.”
This game will be a treat to begin the season.
Tom Brady vs. Drew Brees. Bruce Arians vs. Sean Payton. Rob Gronkowski’s return. This is almost too good for Week 1.
Their Week 9 matchup in Tampa on Sunday Night Football will probably tell us more about these teams, but you can’t miss Brady’s first game in a Bucs uniform.
Even though these are the two oldest quarterbacks in the league, they haven’t played often. Brees is 3-2 against Brady in his career, but Brady has won the last two matchups (2013, 2017).
This game will set the tone for the NFC South this season. Brady is used to dominating the AFC East, but his new division is loaded with two other All-Pro quarterbacks (Brees, Matt Ryan).
Last season, Brady took a lot of criticism during his worst statistical season since his early years. We’ll see right off the bat if that was a Brady problem or a Patriots problem. The “no weapons” excuse won’t work in Tampa, with Gronk, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin running routs.
As for Brees, this could be the beginning his farewell tour. He signed a deal with NBC Sports for whenever his playing career is done. People usually don’t sign on for a post-retirement job if they are still years away from walking.
Either way, the battle of the elders should be fun.
3. 49ers at Patriots, Week 7 (4:25 p.m.)
Belichick faces his prodigal son for the first time (Barry Chin/Boston Globe).
It might be a homer pick, but this game has all the intrigue for an average fan, too.
Jimmy Garoppolo visits Foxboro for the first time since he was traded in 2017. Lots of rumors suggest Garoppolo was Belichick’s guy, but owner Robert Kraft demanded he keep Brady. Jimmy G is still beloved in Boston.
The Patriots will be coming off their bye week, so Belichick will have 14 days to prep for the defending NFC champions. And at this point, we’ll have a much better idea of what Jarrett Stidham is.
New England plays Miami, Seattle, Las Vegas, Kansas City and Denver before the bye. Not an easy schedule at all, but 3-2 is attainable.
The bye week gives Belichick and Josh McDaniels extra time to ensure Stidham is ready for the stretch run. This game will set the tone for the second half of the season, and could make or break the Pats’ playoff chances. With tough road games at the Seahawks and Chiefs early, then at the Bills and Texans late, winning at home is paramount.
Another wrinkle to this game is Kyle Shanahan. Last time the 49ers head coach played New England was in Super Bowl LI as Falcons offensive coordinator. We all know how that one ended, so he’ll definitely be looking to avenge that loss.
4. Titans at Packers, Week 16 (Sunday Night Football)
Will we see an iconic Lambeau snow game? (USAT image).
The bridesmaids from last season’s AFC and NFC title games meet in the final SNF game of the season.
This is an untraditional matchup (haven’t played since 2016). The Packers have only played the Tennessee Titans five times since they changed their name in 1999.
Regardless, this game should have it all.
Both teams will likely be fighting for playoff seeding. As mentioned above, home-field advantage and that first-round bye are crucial. The Packers and Vikings will be close all year, and Green Bay can’t be losing home games this late. The Titans can’t get caught looking ahead to a potential winner-take-all divisional finale in Houston the following week.
This will also be a reunion game of sorts, as Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was Titans offensive coordinator in 2018.
Best of all, this game will take place at Lambeau Field on Dec. 27. Snow could be falling. It will surely be sub-20 degree temperatures. Just imagine a wild Derrick Henry plowing defenders to the cold, frozen ground.
BONUS: Seahawks at 49ers, Week 17 (4:25 p.m.)
The goal-line, division-sealing tackle in Week 17 of 2019 (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images).
OK, OK. I know I said no repeat teams. I broke the only two rules that I made up. That’s why this is the bonus pick!
This game only makes my list if the division title or a playoff spot is on the line.
Last year, they played in Seattle in Week 17 with the winner taking the NFC West. San Fran won that game, so how ironic would it be if Seattle stole the division in Santa Clara this season?
We’re slowly getting back to the rivalry that these teams used to have during the Legion of Boom vs. Colin Kaepernick days. The league is better when these two teams are rivals.
The script is almost switched in this era, though. It’s a dominant 49ers defense against a scary mobile quarterback in Seattle. Russell Wilson is, of course, miles better than Kaepernick was, but still.
This game could very well determine not only the NFC West, but the bye seed in the NFC.
I can’t wait for football. Is it September yet?