NFL Schedule Release: Ranking the best Thursday Night Football games

Thursday Night Football has been a polarizing addition to the NFL schedule, but it looks like it’s here to stay. The league has successfully commandeered programming for a few days of the week, and football fans can’t get enough. We’ll take a look at the Thursday Night Football games, and rank the games starting from the worst to the best.

It’s not often that Thursday night rematches stick in someone’s memory, but the league decided to run Chicago and Washington back again on the same day in 2023. Justin Fields’ stock has significantly risen since that prior matchup, and he might be able to carry the contest by himself. It’ll be interesting to see who Washington starts under center in that matchup.

Football fans like to wager on the over for point totals, but there seems like a very good chance these two teams will not exceed that pre-determined number. Tennessee has been a ground and pound team for several years, and might double down on that strategy if rookie quarterback Will Levis starts this game. Pittsburgh has also traditionally been a methodically paced team.

The Rams are going to be a difficult team to figure out heading into 2023. They still have a ton of talent, but a lot of it is concentrated among veteran players who spent a lot of last season injured. It’s possible Los Angeles could still be in the mix in Week 16, or well out of the hunt. New Orleans figures to be relevant in a weak NFC South division.

The storyline for this game dates back to the blockbuster trade these teams made before the 2023 NFL Draft. Carolina acquired the number one pick and selected quarterback Bryce Young, while the Bears received a trove of picks and talented wideout D.J. Moore. Both franchises are looking to take the next step with their young signal callers.

The Chiefs and their fans will be ready to rock, but the uncertainty around the Broncos is one of the largest question marks heading into the NFL season. Denver should be locked in since this is a division game, but it remains to be seen whether their execution will improve under new head coach Sean Payton.

Tampa Bay lucks out somewhat from the standpoint that this game is earlier in the campaign, but it’s still going to be daunting for them to come away with a victory. It’s very possible that Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask will be in a difficult spot against a well-oiled Buffalo team. The Bucs will have to hope that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin can break a few chunk plays.

From an anticipation perspective, this game may not jump off of the page. However, it will be an entertaining matchup between two teams who will be looking to take advantages of subpar divisions that they play in. The Louisiana Superdome will still be buzzing for this game, and it’ll be fun to see how Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence handles the environment.

There’s a very good chance this game will feature some key turnovers that determine the outcome of the game. Both head coaches are well known for their defensive exploits, as Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin will pull out all the stops to confuse the opposing quarterback. It might very well come down to a field goal as time expires.

From top to bottom, San Francisco has one of the best rosters in the NFL. The 49ers also know how to put their supreme ability in a position to succeed. New York doesn’t quite have the same weapons to work with, but they’ve shown to be well coached during their time under Brian Daboll. It could be an important early season statement for the Giants.

These franchises find themselves in unfamiliar territory, as it’s Green Bay who is looking to usher in a new quarterback. Detroit seems to have found some stability under passionate head coach Dan Campbell, who has gotten his players to buy in. This game could serve as further confirmation that a changing of the guard in the NFC North is upon us.

New York hopes to be on the precipice of securing a playoff spot in Week 17, while Cleveland is crossing their fingers that Deshaun Watson will show signs of his old self. Both fanbases are known for being down on their luck, and a loss at this critical juncture of the campaign would serve to cripple morale.

The Chargers are one of the most exciting teams in the NFL, as Justin Herbert is widely viewed as one of the next star quarterbacks. Los Angeles has shown that they are a solid regular season team, but Las Vegas has played them tough in these divisional games. New Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is used to being in the mix late in the season.

This is going to be a pivotal game for seeding in the NFC playoffs, and both Seattle and Dallas figure to be just a cut below the favorites in their respective divisions. This contest may make all the difference in the Wild Card race, and who ends up facing the lowest seeded division winner in the NFC.

This game will be played on Black Friday, the first time the NFL has scheduled a contest the day after Thanksgiving. It should be an excellent tilt, as the Dolphins and Jets will meet for the first time in the 2023 season. The two teams split their matchups in 2022, with Miami defeating New York in Week 18 last year to clinch a postseason berth.

The Thursday Night football schedule starts off strong, with the Vikings visiting the defending NFC champion Eagles. It’s going to be fun to see how Philadelphia defends elite pass catchers Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson. Minnesota will also have their hands full with the Eagles’ elite rushing attack.

These two teams have had just about enough of one another, as the Bengals and Ravens met three times last season in games that decided the division champion and who would advance in the postseason. Even with Tyler Huntley at quarterback for the playoff game, Baltimore found a way to hang with Cincinnati, and this contest should be just as competitive.