Week 2 is giving us the good stuff, and not just in prime time.
While the Thursday night matchup is excellent and the games Sunday and Monday evening are quality, we also have some good action on the afternoon schedule.
For starters, the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals in the late window, with Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow squaring off? Yes, please. There’s also the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts meeting at Lambeau Field, with Green Bay trying to survive the most impactful injury of Week 1 to quarterback Jordan Love.
Finally, who pulls an upset this week? Is it the Minnesota Vikings at home? What about the Las Vegas Raiders, who are trying to prevent falling into the dreaded 0–2 bucket?
We run down the best 10 games of the weekend, starting in Charm City.
10. Las Vegas Raiders (0–1) at Baltimore Ravens (0–1)
Watchability score: 3.8
This might be a blowout. We may look back as the turning point of this game being the national anthem. Or, the Raiders could hang tough by getting pressure with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, and Gardner Minshew II (who beat the Ravens with the Indianapolis Colts last year) managing the game effectively.
Whoever loses is in trouble.
9. San Francisco 49ers (1–0) at Minnesota Vikings (1–0)
Watchability score: 4.3
This was a tough one to rank. On one hand, Minnesota and San Francisco are both 1–0 and coming off resounding victories over teams from New York. On the other hand, the 49ers are clearly one of the league’s best, while the Vikings have a no-name secondary and Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback.
If the Niners play well, this should be a runaway. But many thought that when San Francisco came to Minnesota last season.
8. Indianapolis Colts (0–1) at Green Bay Packers (0–1)
Watchability score: 5.0
There’s legitimate intrigue here. The Colts and Packers are each looking for their first win of the season, and Green Bay is doing it with Malik Willis at quarterback after Jordan Love’s knee injury in Week 1.
If Indianapolis loses, it has serious questions and will face an uphill battle in what’s expected to be a tough division. For Green Bay, an 0–2 start and weeks ahead of being without Love could spell doom.
7. Los Angeles Rams (0–1) at Arizona Cardinals (0–1)
Watchability score: 5.7
This is quietly a very important game. The Rams and Cardinals both lost in Week 1. Los Angeles is dealing with a crush of injuries and faces the 49ers in Week 3. A loss to Arizona, and it’s a dire situation for the Rams.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals were plucky in the opener, losing in the final minutes against a tough Buffalo Bills team on the road. If Arizona can even its record, a showdown in the desert with the Detroit Lions next weekend isn’t as scary.
6. Atlanta Falcons (0–1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1–0)
Watchability score: 6.1
What are we going to see from Kirk Cousins on Monday night? Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cousins couldn’t move, constantly throwing off his front foot to avoid driving off his repaired right Achilles tendon.
Against the Eagles, Atlanta will look to get on track before coming home to host the Kansas City Chiefs. But it won’t be easy, with Philadelphia’s offense looking explosive after the offseason addition of running back Saquon Barkley.
5. Cleveland Browns (0–1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0–1)
Watchability score: 6.3
From a standpoint of desperation, no game is going to be more intense. The Browns and Jaguars both lost in Week 1, and the loser here faces a steep challenge to get back into the playoff race in the loaded AFC.
The biggest question—if it even is one at this point—is whether Deshaun Watson can do anything other than beat his own team with terrible play. If he can’t, the Jaguars should win, and Cleveland has to start seriously thinking about turning to Jameis Winston.
4. New Orleans Saints (1–0) at Dallas Cowboys (1–0)
Watchability score: 6.9
Are the Saints for real? Few teams have been less talked about than New Orleans entering this season, with most people viewing them as an afterthought even in a weak NFC South. But after hammering the Carolina Panthers 47–10, is there reason to reconsider?
Speaking of reconsidering priors, the Cowboys went into Cleveland and smashed the Browns, notching six sacks while scoring 33 points. Dallas looked the part of a contender, and now the defense gets to go home and pin its ears back against Derek Carr.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1–0) at Detroit Lions (1–0)
Watchability score: 7.8
In a rematch of last year’s NFC divisional clash, the Lions and Buccaneers are playing for what could be a key tiebreaker down the line. Tampa Bay was placed on the proverbial backburner this summer after the Falcons made significant additions, but the Buccaneers looked great in Week 1.
For the Lions, this is an opportunity to get off to a 2–0 start after playing a pair of tough teams at home. Look for Amon-Ra St. Brown to make a difference, as he caught eight passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in Detroit’s playoff victory over Tampa Bay in January.
2. Chicago Bears (1–0) at Houston Texans (1–0)
Watchability score: 7.9
It’s C.J. Stroud and Caleb Williams. It’s the surprise team from a year ago against the team hoping to shoot up the standings this year. And it happens in primetime on Sunday Night Football.
Williams has plenty to prove after being atrocious in his debut, completing just 14-of-29 passes for fewer than 100 yards. If he can step up and get a win against Houston on the road, the hype for Chicago will be significant.
1. Cincinnati Bengals (0–1) at Kansas City Chiefs (1–0)
Watchability score: 8.5
Is there a better nontraditional rivalry in the NFL right now than Bengals–Chiefs? The two sides are about to play their sixth game against each other since January 2022. It’s incredible. So far, score three for Cincinnati, including the ’21 AFC title game at Arrowhead.
But this feels a bit different. The Chiefs have reloaded their offense and beat the Ravens in Week 1 while Cincinnati is coming in after an awful loss to the New England Patriots. If Kansas City walks away victorious, it’s 2–0 with a fairly easy schedule ahead.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Week 2 Watchability Index: Top 10 Games to Watch.
