I am tasked with writing this article every year and it should be easy, right? Well, it's not that simple when there are so many great matchups to choose from.
I went through the 2020 schedule game by game this morning and ended up with a not-so-shortlist of 34 games. I cried a little inside as I said goodbye to some tremendous contests and whittled my list down to 15.
And then I got super-harsh, hacked away some more and was left with 10 games from weeks 1 to 17. Given how good some of the other games were in each given week, I'm cheating this year and including some honourable mentions along the way.
So here we go...
Week 1 - Tampa Bay at New Orleans
You just knew this game was going to be featured, right? Tom Brady's first contest in a Bucs uniform, taking on Drew Brees in the Superdome. Everyone is jumping on the Tampa bandwagon and this will be a stern early test against a genuine Super Bowl contender.
Honourable mentions - Houston at Kansas City
Week 3 - Kansas City at Baltimore
This could be an early season play for power in the AFC. With just one top seed up for grabs in each conference this year, this could be vital in the final playoff picture. And the star power at quarterback is off the charts here as the last two MVPs of the league, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson face off.
Honourable mentions - Dallas at Seattle and *Green Bay at New Orleans*
Week 4 - Cleveland at Dallas
If the Browns have indeed managed to put together a contender one year later than the Hype Train suggested, this will be a good early-season marker. The Cowboys are loaded with offensive firepower and will fancy themselves as true contenders in 2020. They cannot afford to stub their toes in this one.
Honourable mentions - Buffalo at Las Vegas
Week 6 - Green Bay at Tampa Bay
Remember all that talk in 2018 when we said Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady wouldn't face off again until 2022, unless they met in a Super Bowl? You can throw that out of the window. It's back on! What makes this matchup so intriguing is that both teams are seen as genuine playoff contenders in the NFC.
Honourable mentions - Kansas City at Buffalo and* Houston at Tennessee*
Honourable mentions for Week 8 as none of these make the top 10 - New England at Buffalo &Minnesota at Green Bay & *San Francisco at Seattle*
Honourable mentions for Week 9 - Green Bay at San Francisco
Week 10 - San Francisco at New Orleans
More of the same from 2019 please! This was THE game of the year in the 2019 season and should be a cracker once again in 2020, especially as both will be vying for supremacy in the NFC. The winner of this contest could get the inside track to homefield advantage in the playoffs.
Week 11 - Tennessee at Baltimore
This will, of course, be a revenge game for Lamar Jackson and his Ravens team that was so comprehensively dumped out of the playoffs by the Titans. Tennessee are going to be in the playoff mix again in 2020. Will the Ravens have a plan for stopping Derrick Henry this time around?
Honourable mentions - Arizona at Seattle & Green Bay at Indianapolis &Dallas at Minnesota
Week 13 - Buffalo at San Francisco
If the Bills have been able to mount the playoff challenge that many are predicting, this early December treat could turn into a Monday Night Football classic. Josh Allen has been surrounded by offensive talent in Buffalo but his unit will face a tough test against San Francisco's Nick Bosa-led defense.
Honourable mentions - Dallas at Baltimore &Cincinnati at Miami (could it be Joe Burrow vs. Tua?) &Cleveland at Tennessee
Honourable mentions for Week 14 - New Orleans at Philadelphia
Week 15 - Kansas City at New Orleans
A Super Bowl preview for the Sunday before Christmas? This game will be packed with wall to wall stars of the NFL. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill for KC and Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas and Cameron Jordan for the Saints. This will be a true heavyweight clash in every possible way.
Honourable mentions- Houston at Indianapolis &Philadelphia at Arizona &San Francisco at Dallas
Week 16 - Philadelphia at Dallas
These two clubs look set to be the front-runners in the NFC East and given how tight the race was last year, this contest could decide the division. The only hope is that both teams are healthier and in greater form than when they met around this time in the 2019 season.
Honourable mention - Minnesota at New Orleans (Kirk Cousins back to NO on Christmas Day)
Week 17 - Seattle at San Francisco
These NFC West rivals served up two classics in 2019 and it should be no different this time around. Their Week 17 drama in 2019 changed the whole playoff picture in the NFC and the expectation is that their division race is just as tightly contested in 2020. This game could decide a great deal.
Honourable mention - Tennessee at Houston
