The 2021 NFL Schedule was released last night by the league, and we now know the times and dates for the premiere matchups this upcoming season. There is so much to unpack with this release. Great QB Duels. Intriguing rookie debuts. Fierce divisional games.
We will see it all in the 2021 season. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the games and weeks you should keep an eye out for.
Best Sunday Night Football Game:
Week 4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New England Patriots 8:20 PM ET NBC
It can be argued that there are better Sunday night games in terms of game quality (Bills/Chiefs, Packers/Niners). But, no game touches the intrigue of Tom Brady returning to Foxborough off the heels of his first championship season in Tampa Bay.
Brady and Belichick were the top dogs of a nearly 20 year dynasty in a sport where parity reigns supreme. Now we will get to see them face off on opposite sidelines for the first time. Even though it will dominate the headlines, there is much more to this matchup than Brady vs Belichick.
We are also going to watch two of the better defenses in the league face off. We still don’t know if it will be Cam Newton or Mac Jones, but either player will have a tall task in dealing with the Bucs’ pass rush. The Pats will feature one of the better CB duo’s in the league with Stephon Gilmore and JC Jackson, who will be tasked to hold down Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
All of this plus the excitement around Brady’s return to Foxborough should result in a fantastic game.
Best Monday Night Football Game:
Week 17: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers 8:15 PM ET ESPN
The little brother Cleveland Browns finally stood up to their big brother Pittsburgh Steelers and smacked them up in the 2020 playoffs. Now we will see a rematch of this exact game in early January of 2022. This will be a game that more likely than not will have playoff implications.
Cleveland has only gotten better since last year, specifically on the defensive side with the additions of Jadeveon Clowney, John Johnson, and Troy Hill. The Steelers’ defense is still strong despite losing some key contributors as they bring back TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Another reason why this matchup is so enticing as both teams will bring back a playmaker who didn’t see the field in the wild card matchup. For the Browns, they bring back Odell Beckham Jr. and the Steelers will add Najee Harris to the mix.
The Steelers’ needed an additional playmaker on offense, a player who can make a legitimate difference in the run and pass games. Najee showed he was capable of doing that at Alabama, will he be able to do it in a primetime game with AFC North ramifications?
Best Thursday Night Football Game:
Week 8: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals 8:20 PM ET FOX/NFL Network
Crazy to think, but the last time Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers played in the desert this happened.
This game will be a lot different this time around. Aaron Rodgers will still be there (we think). Larry Fitzgerald will still be there (maybe not?) But this will still be a great game, as we will surely see two of the best wide receivers in the game face off in Davante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins.
A one on one matchup between Chandler Jones and David Bakhitari is also possible if Bakhitari recovers from his ACL tear in time. These are two veteran players who have a great deal of talent so watching them battle in the trenches will be as good as it gets.
Both of these talented teams are going to be in the midst of their playoff hunt, and it would not surprise me if they are both at the top of their divisions by the time this game comes.
Playoff Rematches
- Week 1: Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs 4:25 PM ET CBS
- Week 5: Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks 8:20 PM ET FOX/NFL Network
- Week 5: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs 8:20 PM ET NBC
- Week 8: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns 1 PM ET CBS
- Week 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints 4:25 PM ET FOX
- Week 10: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Football Team 1 PM ET FOX
- Week 11: Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills 1 PM ET CBS
- Week 12: Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers 4:25 PM ET FOX
- Week 15: Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams 4:25 PM ET FOX
- Week 17: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers 8:15 PM ET ESPN
If you enjoyed last season’s playoffs then you are in for a real treat. Since we had 3 playoff games featuring teams in the same division, we will now get 10 total playoff rematches. And if the 2020 playoffs weren’t good enough, we also get the 2019 NFC and AFC Championship rematches. The Packers will travel to San Francisco in Week 3 on Sunday Night and the Chiefs will play the Titans in Week 7.
You might want to circle Week 12’s showdown between the Rams and the Packers. The Rams bringing in Matthew Stafford was a signal that they plan on fighting for the #1 seed in 2021. They will face off against last year’s #1 seed and the team that sent them home in the Green Bay Packers. If I had to bet on one game to have the most playoff implications for this season it would be Rams vs Packers.
Holiday Showdowns
Thanksgiving:
- Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions 12:30 PM ET FOX
- Las Vegas Raiders at Dallas Cowboys 4:30 PM ET CBS
- Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints 8:20 PM ET NBC
Christmas Day:
- Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers 4:30 PM ET FOX/NFL Network/Amazon
- Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals 8:15 PM ET NFL Network
Nothing too shocking about the Thanksgiving games, we know the Lions and Cowboys will play home games as the turkey is being served. This will be the 3rd time in the past 4 years that Chicago was chosen to play in Detroit for the first game. This will also be the 3rd time in the past 4 years that the Saints were chosen to play in the night cap.
Christmas Day will really be a great day of football. Something about the Browns and Packers in Lambeau on Christmas just feels right. Two great fanbases in a historic NFL stadium and don’t forget these teams are both coming off 11+ win seasons.
Colts and Cardinals will also be a fun game, as both of these teams should be jockeying for playoff positioning in their respective conferences.
Tony Romo’s favorite game:
Week 14: Buffalo Bills at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4:25 PM ET CBS
Usually, late in the season CBS always gets a game with two powerhouse teams that has monster playoff implications. I dubbed this type of game as “Tony Romo’s favorite game”, as it seems he always brings great energy to a big fight feel. Here are some previous examples.
- 2017, Patriots vs Steelers in a game that decided the #1 seed in the AFC.
- 2018, Steelers vs Saints in a game that secured the #1 seed for the Saints.
- 2019, Chiefs vs Patriots in a game that ultimately gave the Chiefs a first round bye.
- 2020, Super Bowl preview between the Chiefs and the Buccaneers.
This year we get the Bills and Bucs in a late season matchup that features two offenses who love throwing the ball deep. We nearly got this as a Super Bowl matchup, with both teams reaching the Championship games for their respective conference. We will have to wait another 7 months to get this game, but it will be worth the wait.
The Buccaneers’ defense was able to control the most explosive offense we have seen in a very long time. Now they bring back every starter on that unit, in hopes to dominate an elite offense once again.
Josh Allen and the Bills have not had much success against Tom Brady. But, this is a different Josh Allen than the one Brady saw in 2018. Allen has grown as a decision maker and improved his ball placement a considerable amount on his way to being a viable MVP candidate.
This game will have huge consequences for both conferences as it seems like both of these teams will be competing for the #1 seed once again. And who knows maybe we see this game February in LA for even bigger stakes?
Most Stacked Week:
Week 1
- Cowboys at Buccaneers 8:20 PM ET NBC
- Steelers at Bills 1 PM ET CBS
- Seahawks at Colts 1 PM ET FOX
- Cardinals at Titans 1 PM ET CBS
- Chargers at Washington 1 PM ET CBS
- Browns at Chiefs 4:25 PM ET CBS
- Dolphins at Patriots 4:25 PM ET CBS
- Packers at Saints 4:25 PM ET FOX
- Bears at Rams 8:20 PM ET NBC
- Ravens at Raiders 8:15 PM ET ESPN
Once again, the NFL has stacked the card for its opening week. You know it is a major week of games when both networks get premiere games at 4:25. That idea plus the strong 1 PM window and great primetime showdowns is a formula for the most exciting week of regular season football.
We know about all the major games and storylines, but I want to focus on the other games that may not get as much press. Seahawks vs Colts features two franchises who are always in the playoff bubble in addition to the Indy debut of Carson Wentz. Cardinals vs Titans is a very fun game that should feature a lot of offense with Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, AJ Brown, and Derrick Henry on the same field.
There is also a chance that two former Alabama QB’s will face off in Foxborough as Tua Tagovailoa’s Dolphins will face the Patriots who could start Mac Jones Week 1. In another matchup of college teammates, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Maar Chase will try to outdo the other when the Vikings face off against the Bengals.
The game I am most looking forward to is the Steelers vs the Bills. You have two elite head coaches facing off, with teams that are going to be fighting at the top of the AFC. These two teams played last year on a Sunday night in a game that affected the final AFC playoff seeding. They will run this game back, but this time Bills Mafia will be able to pack the stadium.
What games are you looking forward to the most? Let me know on Twitter @James_Costanz.
