Lance Lysowski
Top 10 non-Bills games
1. Eagles at Chiefs (4:25 p.m., Sept. 14): Get a bowl of popcorn ready after you watch the Bills play the Jets. This is a rematch of Super Bowl LIX, featuring two top quarterbacks, and both teams have potentially elite defenses. We also get to see whether Kansas City will throw the ball deep more often in 2025.
2. Steelers vs. Vikings (9:30 a.m., Sept. 28): If you're skeptical, I get it. Pittsburgh's offense may be terribly boring, even with Aaron Rodgers, and Minnesota's second-year quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, hasn't played a regular-season snap yet, but this game will be at Dublin's Croke Park. The 82,300-seat stadium is the fourth-largest in Europe and usually hosts Gaelic football. Let's hope the product on the field is as interesting as the venue.
3. Packers at Cowboys (8:20 p.m., Sept. 28): Micah Parsons' first game in Dallas since his dispute with Jerry Jones led to the pass rusher's stunning trade to Green Bay. The pregame barbs between the two should be great theater. These are two contending teams with good quarterbacks, Jordan Love and Dak Prescott.
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4. Bears at Commanders (8:15 p.m., Oct. 13): Two exciting young quarterbacks, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, and two creative play-callers, Ben Johnson and Kliff Kingsbury, could be a formula for an exciting finish to Week 6. This should tell us whether Chicago is a contender or pretender. Its offensive line may be an issue.
5. Steelers at Bengals (8:15 p.m., Oct. 16): Thursday night football can be a bore, but this is Joe Burrow facing one of the NFL's best defenses in prime time. We also get to see whether Rodgers and Pittsburgh are going to push for a playoff spot. His receiving corps is DK Metcalf, then a bunch of question marks, but Mike Tomlin's teams are usually well-coached.
6. Broncos at Texans (1 p.m., Nov. 2): This is a measuring-stick game for Houston's offense. Can the line hold up against Denver's defensive front? Is C.J. Stroud going to rebound from a challenging season? There are similar questions in Denver, with Bo Nix trying to take another step in Year 2. Fun matchup involving good coaches and quarterbacks.
7. Lions at Eagles (8:20 p.m., Nov. 16): Let's see how Detroit's new coordinators handle the reigning Super Bowl champions. Big prime-time game with playoff implications. Does Detroit take a step back in 2025, or should we consider Dan Campbell's team a contender? Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts deserves more credit for his development as a passer.
8. Bengals at Ravens (8:20 p.m., Nov. 27): Let's hope this one gives us a reason to stay up late after we eat too much turkey on Thanksgiving. Cincinnati's defense may be Swiss cheese, but perhaps Burrow can keep up with Lamar Jackson and Baltimore's offense. The Bengals need rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart to make an immediate impact.
9. Lions at Rams (4:25 p.m., Dec. 14): Matthew Stafford facing his old team with playoff seeding on the line. Los Angeles' defense should be fun to watch, especially second-year edge rusher Jared Verse, and the Rams' offense is stacked with receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
10. Broncos at Chiefs (8:15 p.m., Dec. 25): Is there a chance Denver can push for the division title? It should have the defense to do it. This is also a great coaching matchup between Sean Payton and Andy Reid. Nix needs to be better in his second season.
The Bottom Five
32. Cleveland Browns: An aging offensive line with a 40-year-old quarterback and injuries at important spots on defense. They showed us they didn't plan to be competitive when they traded down at the draft in April to stockpile picks for 2026 and settled for Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, who's not nearly as talented as Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter.
31. New Orleans Saints: First-year coach Kellen Moore will have some creative play-calls, but this is a cap-strapped team with too many holes and, eventually, rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. The receivers are exciting. Rashid Shaheed is a big play waiting to happen, and hopefully Chris Olave can stay healthy. There's not much to like about this roster, though.
30. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward will be better than people expect if he can eliminate the high-risk throws that were too common at Miami, but there isn't enough talent around him yet. The Titans will rely on rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor and veteran Calvin Ridley. This team is more interesting for fantasy football than reality.
29. Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones isn't the answer at quarterback, and running back Jonathan Taylor isn't enough to save them. The Colts will have trouble blocking for both with guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly gone, but their defense should improve with the additions of safety Cam Bynum and cornerback Charvarius Ward. This may be so bad that everyone gets fired in Indy.
28. New York Jets: They're on the rise under first-year coach Aaron Glenn, but there's not enough talent on the roster yet. The offense is intriguing with Justin Fields at quarterback. He has just one proven receiver, Garrett Wilson, and some aging veterans on the offensive line. It will take a few drafts for the Jets to have the talent to contend in the AFC East.
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