Week 12 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. Panthers at Cowboys (Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Desperate Dallas at home on Thanksgiving, with Tony Romo back but against a team that is trying to move to 11-0. Throw in Greg Hardy versus his former team and it really doesn’t get much better than this.
2. Steelers at Seahawks (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): I have a really good feeling about this game. Seattle is rattled and suddenly mortal at home, and the Steelers are confident with Ben Roethlisberger much healthier coming off the bye week. It’ll be close and entertaining.
3. Patriots at Broncos (Sunday night, NBC): New England is trying to move to 11-0, it’s a potential AFC championship preview and Brock Osweiler is making his prime-time debut. What more could you ask for?
4. Vikings at Falcons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): It’ll be interesting to see how both NFC playoff contenders respond to tough Week 11 blows. This is a huge matchup when it comes to the playoff race, and it should be close in Atlanta.
5. Eagles at Lions (Thursday, 12:30 p.m. ET, FOX): Detroit has played extremely well on Thanksgiving in recent years and the slumping Eagles won’t likely run away with this on the road on extremely short rest. In other words, expect a close game between two fun teams.
6. Buccaneers at Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Jameis Winston is on fire and the Bucs are actual playoff contenders, while Indy is just trying to hang on without Andrew Luck. If Tampa Bay keeps this close, the fourth quarter can’t be missed.
7. Giants at Redskins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Both are flawed but exciting and both are in contention in the wide-open NFC East. This should be a wild one, especially with the Giants coming off a bye and the Redskins at home (where they’ve been playing extremely well).
8. Bills at Chiefs (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): A pair of AFC wild-card contenders in what might feel like a playoff game. Buffalo could be in tough on the road on short rest against a Kansas City team that has won four straight, so the blowout potential does exist.
9. Bears at Packers (Thursday night, NBC): Fear the blowout here, unless you’re a Packers fan. But if Chicago keeps it close, it’s obviously a much-watch. So fight the tryptophan.
10. Cardinals at 49ers (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): High probability of a one-sided affair here, so it’s only worth monitoring.
11. Dolphins at Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): I guess both are technically playoff contenders and the loser will be in big trouble, but there are a lot of good early Sunday games and I don’t think either of these teams is going anywhere.
12. Rams at Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Blowout potential exists, especially in Cincinnati.
13. Saints at Texans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Nothing that involves Drew Brees and J.J. Watt can be thrown into the trash, but this is a game that should only be monitored until or unless it’s close late.
14. Chargers at Jaguars (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there’s a strong blowout potential here. Jacksonville is a solid team, especially offensively. And at home, the Jags should destroy a defeated and depleted San Diego squad.
15. Raiders at Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Oakland is no longer really a contender and Tennessee never was. Too many good early Sunday games to care about this one.
16. Ravens at Browns (Monday night, ESPN): Poor, poor ESPN. A lot of casual viewers will be skipping this one.
