NFL Week 1 Viewer's Guide: Dolphins-Patriots Among Top Matchups
Each week we will be counting down the Sunday-Monday games in terms of viewer appeal, and we start with a Week 1 slate with a lot of good matchups, including the one pitting the Miami Dolphins against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
So here we go:
15. Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. — Jacksonville should be really bad in 2020 after losing so many high-profile players in the offseason (sound familiar, Dolphins fans?).
14. N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 1 p.m. — There's certainly a curiosity factor here because of Jets head coach Adam Gase, but this doesn't look like a competitive game.
13. Chicago at Detroit, 1 p.m. — Sure, it will be interesting if Mitchell Trubisky can make coach Matt Nagy look smart for going with him as his starting quarterback, but these clearly are the two worst teams in the NFC North.
12. Las Vegas at Carolina, 1 p.m. — This would be a lot more fun if it was in Vegas and that awesome new stadium.
11. Philadelphia at Washington, 1 p.m. — After what could only be described as a turbulent offseason, the Washington Football Team finally hits the field with their new unis, new head coach and new opening-day starting quarterback (Dwayne Haskins).
10. Seattle at Atlanta, 1 p.m. — Solid opener between a team that closed out the 2019 season on a strong note and, well, a team that Russell Wilson.
9. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Giants, 7: 10 p.m. Monday — ESPN truly could have done better for its first Monday night game of the season. The one curiosity factor is the return of Big Ben.
8. Dallas at L.A. Rams, 8:20 p.m. — We got our first look (albeit fan-less) at the gorgeous Sofi Stadium and our first look at a Cowboys team expected to big things in 2020.
7. Tennessee at Denver, 10:20 p.m. Monday — We start to find out if former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill can duplicate his breakout 2019 performance.
6. L.A. Chargers at Cincinnati, 4:05 p.m. — This ranks high only because of the Joe Burrow factor.
5. Arizona at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m. — This is a sneaky great game because there are some (cough, cough) who think the Cardinals are going to be very good in 2020.
4. Green Bay at Minnesota, 1 p.m. — The Jordan Love era begins in Green Bay. Just kidding. This battle features that two teams that should fight out for the NFC North title.
3. Cleveland at Baltimore, 1 p.m. — Lamar Jackson against any team would make this fun to watch, but the Browns should be much better in 2020 with new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
2. Miami at New England, 1 p.m. — The Dolphins begin Year 2 of the Brian Flores era where the rebuilding first season ended against a New England team starting its post-Brady era.
1. Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 4:25 p.m. — Was there a doubt? Tom Brady begins his Buccaneers career against Drew Brees and the stacked Saints in an early NFC South showdown.
