The unmissable games to mark on the NFL calendar for 2020

• Rafael Zamorano

  Close

  Since 2007 he has been an NFL editor and columnist for ESPN’s digital platforms. He previously wrote for sites like KFFL.com and SportsNet.com.mx. Follow him on Twitter.

  –

–

We already knew who each team played against in 2020, but now we know when each match will be, so we can mark the most important dates on our calendar.

Of course, we are never going to suggest watching only one game per week … that’s too little. But, if in the worst case scenario, we were forced to choose, here are the recommendations for each of the 17 days of the regular season:

Week 1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. New Orleans Saints
Two future members of the Hall of Fame, in their final years of the NFL, but still playing at a very high level … what more could you ask for to open the season? Yes, I understand that the duel between Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes on Thursday night is quite eye-catching, but they will have the entire next decade to give us epic battles. Tom Brady and Drew Brees? They have to savor the remainder of a pair of runs that follows, practically inch by inch in the NFL’s record book. The distance between Brady and Brees for the most number of passing yards in league history is short, and the distance for the most number of touchdown passes in league history is even shorter.

Week 2

Baltimore Ravens Vs. Houston Texans
Although Mahomes is the quarterback of the future, after winning an award as a seasonal MVP and one as a Super Bowl MVP, it is necessary to find a nemesis that will compete with him throughout the following years. That figure could come out from among the passers of this game: Lamar Jackson and Watson. If anything, we are dealing with two AFC powers who won their respective divisions last year, and who rise up as contenders to topple the Chiefs in the AFC.

Week 3

Kansas City Chiefs Vs. Ravens
The AFC’s top two teams in 2019 are relatively early in the season, and the pressure will be on Jackson’s shoulders, after Baltimore lost on his visit to Arrowhead last year. These are the best-built teams with sustained success in the AFC in mind, and they’re led by the league’s two most exciting players, the ones who turn you on. There is no excuse to miss this shock.

Week 4

Pittsburgh Steelers Vs. Tennessee Titans
The team that usually has a devastating ground attack faces the team that had the most devastating ground attack of 2019, at least when it comes to the backfield. The Titans are embracing the personality of head coach Mike Vrabel and are coming off a surprise appearance in the AFC Championship Game, while the Steelers are looking to return from a down season when they lost their starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. By this time, ‘Big Ben’ will have shaken off the rust of inactivity and Tennessee will have had to answer questions about whether their 2019 was just a “One Hit Wonder” thing.

Week 5

Minnesota Vikings Vs. Seattle Seahawks
Two teams that have been consistently in the NFC playoff competition in recent years, but have failed to get the lug. Both teams come from a relatively recent identity renewal, but in both cases, they have been able to stay at the top of the table. Minny’s roster appears to have an advantage over Seattle’s, but Russell Wilson provides the tip of the scales over the Vikings in the game’s most important position. This duel will be crucial to see if a legitimate competitor to the NFC title held by the Niners comes from here.

Week 6

Los Angeles Rams Vs. San Francisco 49ers
The last two NFC representatives in the Super Bowl, both came out of super Sunday with defeat in hand. The Rams suffered a heavy Super Bowl hangover after falling to the Pats in Super Bowl LIII, and the 49ers want to avoid following that example after stumbling in Super Bowl LIV. If these two teams, in particular the Rams, show good shape, the NFC West could become the league’s best division in 2020.

Week 7

Los Angeles Chargers Vs. Miami Dolphins
Perhaps the plan for both squads will be to be patient with their rookie quarterbacks, but there is no guarantee when it comes to recruits from the top of the first round. Justin Herbert was chosen just one turn behind Tua Tagovailoa and that means that, alongside Joe Burrow, his NFL careers will always be linked and will always be compared. The doubt here will be and Chargers or Dolphins will have already given up their respective veterans to make way for the future of the franchise in the quarterback position.

Week 8

49ers Vs. Seahawks
Again, the NFC West is under scrutiny with this matchup between the two teams that played in the division for much of last season. By now, the Niners will have already answered important questions about the departure of key 2019 players, such as DeForest Buckner and Emmanuel Sanders, but there could be pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo to demonstrate that he can consistently charge the team despite the offensive renewal.

Week 9

Steelers Vs. Dallas Cowboys
The two most popular teams in our country are measured in the regular season only once every four years, so, at least from a local point of view, this will be by far the most followed game of the day. Beyond popularity, they are two teams whose history forces them to be contenders for the title, one that has played between them in the instance of the Super Bowl on three occasions. Pittsburgh aims to fight in the AFC with the return of Roethlisberger, and Dallas has its most talented squad in years.

Week 10

Ravens Vs. New England Patriots
It’s been a long time since someone consistently challenged the Pats for AFC dominance, and while they completely lost the handle on the conference in 2019, it’s time for Bill Belichick to demonstrate why he’s the best head coach of all. the times. Baltimore is singled out as one of the big contenders to win not only the conference, but the full prize, and New England will go through a rebuilding process. However, the Pats have been able to execute their rebuilds very smoothly in recent years.

Week 11

Chiefs at Vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Expectations have never been so high for the Raiders so far in Jon Gruden’s second term, and the move to Las Vegas only amplifies them. Luckily, they don’t have to go far to find a level synodal, as the current NFL champions are in their same division. This game could go a long way in measuring the Raiders’ actual progress under Gruden.

Week 12

Chiefs Vs. Buccaneers
Kansas City again? Yes again. Who can say no to a shootout between Mahomes and Brady? We already know what it is to hunt to become the reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player with the weapons at his disposal, but we still do not know what Brady’s chemistry will be with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, mainly. If the offenses play to their potential, it could be a game with a video game scoreboard.

Week 13

Philadelphia Eagles Vs. Green Bay Packers
Flying relatively low on the National radar, we must not forget that the Eagles conquered their division and made the playoffs for the third consecutive year, while the Packers reached the conference Championship Game. Both teams have a case for going far in 2020 and why not meet again before the Super Bowl. In addition, this match will ensure multiple takes to the benches of both teams to show us rookie backup quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love.

Week 14

Steelers Vs. Buffalo Bills
If at any time the Bills had the way open to conquer the AFC East in the Bill Belichick era, it is now, when Brady is gone. That makes Buffalo, in the eyes of many, the industry favorite, but there’s also a certain feeling of, “Until you see, you don’t believe.” A cold-weather home game against the always tough Steelers could not only verify the validity of Buffalo’s aspirations or not, but also help define the fight for wildcard tickets in the AFC.

Week 15

49ers Vs. Cowboys
Along with Brees’ Saints, the 49ers and Cowboys appear to have, on paper at least, the strongest NFC rosters for 2020. Also, at this point in the campaign, they will almost certainly both be involved in close-knit battles. for their respective divisions: San Francisco with Seattle and, perhaps, Los Angeles, and Dallas with Philadelphia. A loss here could make the difference not only from losing a playoff rest day or not, but it could cost the ticket to the postseason itself.

Week 16

Bills Vs. Patriots
Will there be a new champion in the AFC East after an eternity – this must have seemed to fans of the rest of the teams in this sector – of New England dominance? We don’t know, but this match could be the key. Perhaps the biggest question mark for us from this point on is who will be the Patriots quarterback when Week 16 arrives. The signs point, momentarily, that Jarrett Stidham will open the campaign for New England, but it remains to be seen if he can keep the position at throughout the season, considering the high expectations of the fans for that franchise. If Buffalo has the season some are predicting, they could come to this game with the divisional title in hand.

Week 17

Titans Vs. Texans
We know that Week 17 is all about divisional racing, and last year AFC South delivered one of the most exciting competitions. It could be the case again in 2020, if Tennessee and Houston find a way to repeat their success from last year. The other question will be, after last year they fell in the final ercta, if the Indianapolis Colts, now with Philip Rivers on board, can close the season tight to prevent everything from being decided between Titans and Texans.

– .