Week 4 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. Bears at Falcons (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): Desperation in early October? Chicago and Atlanta are both better than 2-4, but that’s the record the loser of this game will carry into Week 7. Two good teams in what could be a high-scoring conference matchup. Great quarterbacks, fantastic receiving duos. And you know this’ll go down to the wire.
2. Giants at Eagles (Sunday night, NBC): Not convinced either team is for real? Let them battle it out in another classic NFC East duel. Expect plenty of points in a great offensive matchup.
3. Patriots at Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): I mean, it’s for the AFC East lead. And the Bills have played New England tough in the past, especially at home.
4. Panthers at Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Not only is it a battle of two felines who won their respective divisions last season, but it’s Cam Newton vs. Andy Dalton. Fun matchup between two of the best players from the 2011 draft.
5. Colts at Texans (Thursday night, CBS/NFL Network): Great offense against a superb defense. I mean, can’t complain about Andrew Luck vs. J.J. Watt. Problem is these Thursday games have been terribly lopsided all season. Expectation level has been lowered.
6. Cowboys at Seahawks (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): Hey, Dallas is one of only three teams at 4-1. Nobody’s got a better record. Sure, they’ll probably get crushed in Seattle, where everyone in the NFL goes to die. But if the Cowboys are hanging around, this is a must-watch in the second half. Remember: Seattle has struggled a bit lately and is coming off a short week.
7. Chargers at Raiders (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): Of course this could also be a blowout, but at least it’s in Oakland. Plus, give this some attention merely in order to see the great things Mike McCoy and Philip Rivers are doing on offense.
8. Ravens at Buccaneers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): This one is being rated higher than you’d expect because Baltimore is unpredictable, especially on the road, and Tampa Bay has been half-decent ever since that embarrassing blowout loss to the Falcons.
9. 49ers at Rams (Monday night, ESPN): St. Louis probably isn’t healthy enough, but the 49ers have been unpredictable and are going on the road. You never know with these divisional games, especially when they involve the sneaky Rams.
10. Packers at Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Miami’s a bit of a mess but at least the Dolphins are at home and coming off their bye. Problem is the Packers are also well-rested after playing on Thursday night last week. Green Bay is hot, too, so this could be a blowout. Even if it isn’t, nothing special between teams from separate conferences.
11. Broncos at Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Could be fun seeing Peyton Manning torch that defense, but this’ll probably be a blowout and won’t be worth checking out unless New York works a miracle.
12. Redskins at Cardinals (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): Washington has really become a depressing football team, and while the Cardinals are good, they aren’t entertaining and might be down to their third quarterback. Meh. Should be one-sided, too.
13. Lions at Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): We know these teams will win a combined 12 games this year, so why bother? And that’s especially the case here, considering we won’t have Adrian Peterson and might not have Calvin Johnson.
14. Steelers at Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Wouldn’t be surprised if this game is close in the fourth quarter, but neither team will be better than 8-8 this season and it’s not a unique matchup. No sex appeal here.
15. Jaguars at Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Basically, if two AFC South teams are playing each other, it’s usually safe to ignore.