Week 14 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 Eagles (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): The defending champions appear to be peaking at the right time but Philadelphia is 6-0 at home. Great matchup between two great coaches, and a battle of an unstoppable force vs. an immovable object. So many storylines, and two Super Bowl contenders.
2. Cowboys at Bears (Thursday night, NFL Network): Dallas in December, in the thick of the playoff race, on the road against a struggling yet talented team that it has traditionally had a lot of trouble with. This is bound to be entertaining.
3. Patriots at Chargers (Sunday night, NBC): These two teams have an awesome history, and both are in contention as we enter December. Expect a lot of points and a close finish with the Pats on the road and looking to rebound from that loss to Green Bay.
4. Ravens at Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Two good, not great AFC teams battling for AFC playoff positioning. The loser is pretty much done, so this is a good one.
5. Steelers at Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Pittsburgh’s last chance to make a run at the AFC North title. Won’t be easy on the road, but this is likely to be a close game between two solid division rivals. Good quarterbacks, great receivers, superb television.
6. Chiefs at Cardinals (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): Both teams are fighting for division titles after better-than-expected starts to the season. Neither light up the scoreboard, but this is a good defensive battle between two desperate teams.
7. Falcons at Packers (Monday night, ESPN): Watch because Aaron Rodgers is putting together one of the best seasons a quarterback’s ever had. Plus, the Falcons are — unbelievably — still in contention. Wouldn’t even be surprised if Matt Ryan and Co. kept this close after playing extremely well in a victory over Arizona last week.
8. Bills at Broncos (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): Buffalo could be in trouble in Denver, but the Broncos have been a little off lately and the Bills have one hell of a defensive front. Don’t be surprised if they stick around in a must-win game.
9. Colts at Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Trent Richardson’s return to Cleveland doesn’t do much for most of us, but the Browns are still wild-card contenders and they should put up a fight here at home. Plus, at the very least, Johnny Manziel Watch continues.
10. Buccaneers at Lions (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): In Detroit against a Lions team on extended rest, the Bucs are likely to be blown out here. Stay away unless there’s an upset alert, which isn’t completely unreasonable considering Detroit’s history.
11. Panthers at Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Looks like a disaster on paper and it ranks low here because it’ll probably be a blowout. However, if Carolina can somehow pull off an upset, the Panthers would move only half a game back of New Orleans for first place in the NFC South. With Atlanta and Tampa Bay expected to lose, that’s a big, ridiculous deal.
12. Rams at Redskins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): The Colt McCoy storyline is something to keep tabs on, and St. Louis is playing well.
13. 49ers at Raiders (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): I mean, which Oakland team will show up? San Francisco has had a weird season, so you never know here.
14. Giants at Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Once we’re into December, some games don’t even deserve a thought. This is one of ’em.
15. Jets at Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Nothing to see here. Seriously. Like, maybe Teddy Bridgewater’s progress? But you’d have to be a pretty big Bridgewater fan to watch this game in the early-Sunday time slot in December merely for that reason.
16. Texans at Jaguars (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Late-season AFC South divisional games are football death.
