"Thursday Night Football" ... a tradition like no other.
Well, not quite, but "Thursday Night Football" -- entering its eighth season -- seems to get better every year. Make no mistake, these NFL Network-aired games don't exist solely to trip up fantasy owners who are asleep at the wheel. There's some real meat on the bone here, games that "TNF" color analyst Mike Mayock would pound the table for.
So what games jump out at us? We decided to break it down in power rankings form. Dig in.
Miss these, and you're a fake football fan
*New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (Week 12)*
Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles (Week 3)
New York Jets at New England Patriots (Week 2)
With New Orleans back at full strength, we're looking forward to the return of the Saints-Falcons rivalry in earnest. Andy Reid comes back to Philadelphia, possibly to throw a smoothie in Chip Kelly's face. The Jets-Patriots matchup will be the first since the infamous Butt Fumble, a game that sent Fireman Ed into a fortified underground bunker.
You want intrigue? We got your intrigue
San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams (Week 4)
Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings (Week 10)
New York Giants at Chicago Bears (Week 6)
We love the Rams vs. Niners, a sneaky rivalry on the rise. St. Louis went undefeated in the NFC West last season, including a win and a tie against the eventual conference champions. Any game that has RG3 and AP on the same field has our attention. Giants at Bears seems destined to be a 17-14 nail-biter.
Still good enough to forsake family duties
We call Bengals-Dolphins the sleeper pick for game of the year. We like the Titans, potentially in desperation mode, trying to slow down the Andrew Luck MVP train.
Fantasy owners will like these
Philip Rivers vs. Peyton Manning? Richard Sherman vs. Larry Fitzgerald? Steve Smith vs. Darrelle Revis? It's all in play.
Die-hard zone
The only thing keeping the Browns from dropping anchor is my admiration for Marc Sessler.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
