Week 6 NFL game viewability rankings

Week 6 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 15 games from most appealing to least enticing.

1. Saints at Patriots (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): Two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Two mastermind head coaches. Two teams that are a combined 9-1. Cross-conference matchups don't get sexier than this. 

2. Redskins at Cowboys (Sunday night, NBC): They played two thrilling games last year, with Washington winning both. "America's Team" vs. RGIII, who has now had a bye week to rest that new knee. Plus, first place is on the line in the terrible NFC East. 

3. Packers at Ravens (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Neither team has been quite right this year. Injuries have been a factor, and the Ravens took some major hits in the offseason. Still, this is interesting because the loser will be in major trouble, especially if it's Green Bay. The 2-2 Pack are on the road, and Baltimore still has a good defense. 

4. Colts at Chargers (Monday night, ESPN): Can Andrew Luck and Co. keep rolling? They won in California just a few weeks ago, and that was against the 49ers. San Diego is unpredictable, so this is a pretty sweet matchup. 

5. Bengals at Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Buffalo has arguably outplayed all three of its home opponents this season, so this is another dangerous game for a Cincinnati team that has lacked consistency despite all that talent. Expect this to be a close game. 

6. Steelers at Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): I don't care about the Steelers but I can manufacture enough interest in the suddenly-decent Jets to keep an eye on this game. Geno Smith is coming off what might have been a breakout performance, but he'll have to follow that up with an encore against a veteran Pittsburgh team coming off a bye.

7. Giants at Bears (Thursday night, NFL Network): A few weeks ago, this looked like a promising matchup between two playoff-caliber teams. Now, it's the worst team in the NFC against another team looking to avoid a three-game losing streak. Neither are eliminated yet, though, and Eli Manning and Jay Cutler are fun quarterbacks to watch, especially when they're desperate. This might be better than it looks.

8. Raiders at Chiefs (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Chiefs are 5-0. That alone is reason to key an eye on a game like this, especially within the division. Because divisional games are always up for grabs…unless they involve the Jaguars.

9. Jaguars at Broncos (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): I'm giving this one extra points merely because the most lopsided matchup in NFL history is mildly intriguing. 

10. Titans at Seahawks (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): Tennessee's probably going to get pummeled on the road, but this is still a matchup between two teams with winning records. 

11. Cardinals at 49ers (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): San Fran should win big at home. This isn't a game to look at until the fourth quarter, if at all. 

12. Eagles at Buccaneers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Mike Glennon vs. Nick Foles? No thanks. 

13. Panthers at Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Two 1-3 teams with plenty of flaws, both of whom aren't touching the playoffs. There's almost nothing interesting about this game, aside from the fact Adrian Peterson and Cam Newton are entertaining as hell.

14. Rams at Texans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): St. Louis is really bad, but the Texans have been shooting themselves in the foot. Watch for an upset alert in the second half, especially if Matt Schaub is a disaster. But early on, this game shouldn't be on your radar. Houston should still win handily. 

15. Lions at Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Wow, FOX really gets screwed with its batch of early games this week. This is only a bit interesting because either Detroit or Cleveland will move to 4-2. But I think we're still looking at two teams that will finish out of the playoffs, and Calvin Johnson might sit out again. Ignore this unless it's tight late.

 

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com (covering Super Bowls XLIV, XLV and XLVI), a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Bloguin, but his day gig has him covering all things NFC East for Bleacher Report.

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