May 30th, 2025
By Stephen Juza
Earlier this month, the NFL released the upcoming season’s schedule, and while the opponents were not a surprise (that’s been known for months), there is always anticipation around when certain big games will take place. Who will be playing on Thanksgiving? Who will get the Christmas games? Who is forced to play in the international games? In today’s article, we highlight five games that caught our eye this season.
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September 4th - Cowboys at the Eagles
Where to begin, except for the kickoff to the new season! On September 4th, the Philadelphia Eagles will begin their Super Bowl title defense by hosting the division rival Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles are primed for another championship run after returning many key players from 2024. Meanwhile, the Cowboys will be coming off a disappointing season that led to the departure of head coach Mike McCarthy in confusing fashion. When he was replaced by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, it left many across the league scratching their heads about what the team was thinking.
For Eagles fans, they would love nothing more to start the season off with a big win over the Cowboys. For Cowboys fans, and maybe more so the front office, starting off the season with a shocking upset may be the validation that Schottenheimer wasn’t as risky of a hire as people thought.
September 7th - Ravens at the Bills
Week 1 will continue with another marquee matchup in the AFC between the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills. In the AFC, neither the Ravens or the Bills have been able to topple the Chiefs for conference supremacy and have had to settle for second-best. In 2025, they will have a chance to start their campaign with a key win over a conference opponent, a victory that could lead to a big payoff in playoff seeding in January.
Both teams have been a step behind the Chiefs for several years. Should this be the year Kansas City falters, look for this game to have major implications all season long.
September 14th - Eagles at the Chiefs
During Week 2, we get the highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and the Eagles, where the reigning champs will have to travel to hostile Arrowhead Stadium. It will be an early season test for the Chiefs, particularly for the offense, which has regressed in the last several years. Tight end Travis Kelce has been instrumental throughout his career, but this is likely his final season and the team has struggled to replace his production.
While they have relied on their defense more the last two seasons, it was badly exposed by the Eagles during the 40-22 loss in the Super Bowl. The Eagles defense on the other hand could feast against a Chiefs offense with aging playmakers.
October 13th - Bears at Commanders
While the Eagles and Chiefs represent the best of “now”, the Bears at Commanders will showcase a potential “best of the future”. Former first overall draft pick Caleb Williams and the Bears will travel to Washington to take on former second-overall pick Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. Daniels leapt out of the gate in his rookie season with a record-breaking season, en route to an offensive rookie of the year award and NFC championship appearance. Meanwhile, Williams has struggled so far in his career, with a lack of coaching as a possible source of the blame. Reports came out this offseason of the shocking lack of support the Bears coaching staff gave their starting quarterback, and new head coach Ben Johnson can hope to reverse the trend.
While these quarterbacks were taken 1 / 2 in their draft, comparisons between them will follow their careers. Their October matchup will be their second time facing off against each other, with Daniels and the Commanders winning their game last season 18-15.
November 30th - Jaguars at the Titans
While the Jaguars and Titans may not get many “must see” games this offseason, there is one extra layer of intrigue with this matchup. This will be the first head-to-head matchup of the top two draft picks in the most recent NFL draft: Titans QB Cam Ward and Jaguars CB/WR Travis Hunter. While playing different positions, we may see them compete directly against each other as Ward will be throwing against Hunter in coverage.
Both teams finished 2024 at the bottom of the league, and by November they could be there again, but a division rivalry could be brewing between the top two draft picks.
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