10) Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers \u2014 Week 2, Sept. 14<\/p>\n
Entering free agency this spring, two-time Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf<\/a> believed he merited his next megadeal. The Seattle Seahawks<\/a> didn\u2019t agree, so they instead traded Metcalf after six seasons to the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> for a second-round draft pick, and exchanged late-round picks. Metcalf got his five-year, $150 million extension. But will he be able to produce? His ceiling will depend heavily on his quarterback. Metcalf will need Aaron Rodgers<\/a> even more after Pittsburgh traded possible partner-in-crime receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>. The competitive potential here hinges on the Steelers\u2019 quarterback answer. If they land Rodgers, Metcalf can aim to remind Seattle his 2024 dropoff was more about an MCL injury than indefinite aging.<\/p>\n 9) Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills \u2014 Week 1, Sept. 7 <\/p>\n This isn\u2019t a Super Bowl rematch, but who can deny how entertaining the Ravens’ 27-25 AFC divisional-round loss to the Bills<\/a> was? These returning AFC contenders feature the top quarterbacks of the 2024 season, a race so tight that voters gave Lamar Jackson<\/a> the first-team All-Pro nod while awarding Josh Allen<\/a> MVP honors. Quarterbacks had not split those awards since 1987, per The Ringer. Expect each of these teams to view their faceoff as a reminder of the playoff hump both have come so close to surmounting before ultimately falling victim to Patrick Mahomes<\/a> and Co. And consider the regular-season match the first faceoff of this duo. Don\u2019t be surprised if a playoff rematch awaits.<\/p>\n 8) Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs \u2014 Week 4, Sept. 28<\/p>\n The Ravens lost to the Chiefs last season with an out-of-bounds touchdown attempt deciding the league season opener. And Baltimore dropped the AFC championship \u2014 and that elusive Super Bowl berth \u2014 to the Chiefs the playoffs prior. Mahomes and Co. will always be a reminder that Jackson\u2019s two-time MVP status and perennial excellent performance has not taken his franchise where he most wants to go. Slaying the Kansas City dragon is his next step.<\/p>\n (Joseph Raines\/Yahoo Sports)<\/p>\n 7) Detroit Lions at Washington Commanders \u2014 Week 10, Nov. 9 <\/p>\n Anyone who watched Dan Campbell\u2019s news conference after the Commanders upset his No. 1 seed Lions in the NFC divisional round will know his emotions were raw<\/a>. Campbell\u2019s red eyes and raspy voice illustrated what he said: \u201cIt hurts.\u201d The Lions were shell-shocked after a five-turnover performance to an upstart Washington squad. Detroit\u2019s 2025 climb will face new obstacles after offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left for the Chicago Bears<\/a> head job and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn took the helm of the New York Jets<\/a>. With a new play-caller, quarterback Jared Goff<\/a> will look to flush his three-interception playoff loss. Both teams will seek to prove 2024 was a foundation builder rather than a mirage.<\/p>\n 6) Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks \u2014 Week 13, Nov. 30<\/p>\n Some of you may be old enough to remember quarterback Sam Darnold<\/a> leading the Vikings to a 14-3 finish last season \u2026 and then not receiving a return offer. The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year deal worth $100.5 million with $55 million guaranteed. Seattle\u2019s goal will be to tap into the playmaking that Darnold showed at the beginning of the season before the regular-season finale vs. Detroit showed cracks that a nine-sack playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams<\/a> further exposed. The Vikings\u2019 attention to their offensive line this spring suggests Minnesota didn\u2019t believe Darnold alone was the problem. It will nonetheless be fascinating to see how Darnold works with a new cast and coordinator, and how 2024 first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy<\/a> debuts for Minnesota in returning from two knee surgeries. Will the Vikings\u2019 QB gamble pay off?<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n 5) Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears \u2014 Week 3, Sept. 21<\/p>\n The Cowboys may still be seeing ghosts from last season\u2019s fall against Ben Johnson\u2019s offense, the Lions thrashing the Cowboys 47-9 in Jerry Jones\u2019 home. Adding to the ghosts lurking in this matchup: Johnson was hired as head coach after the Bears\u2019 in-season firing of Matt Eberflus \u2014 who is now the Cowboys\u2019 defensive coordinator. Who\u2019s ready to see what he cooks up to thwart Caleb Williams<\/a>, the quarterback he drafted first overall? Eberflus\u2019 return to Chicago, the Dallas defense\u2019s chance to solve the Johnson schematic puzzle, and both teams\u2019 big-market interest set up a matchup worth catching.<\/p>\n 4) New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans \u2014 Week 7, Oct. 19<\/p>\n The Patriots\u2019 stock is looking up for multiple reasons, but arguably the top is their hiring of head coach Mike Vrabel. Why was Vrabel available? Because the Titans and team owner Amy Adams Strunk fired him after six years and a 54-45 record \u2026 only to fire the general manager who outlasted him, Ran Carthon, a year later. Vrabel\u2019s reputation for guiding disciplined, tough, physical teams precedes him. The former Patriots player returns to New England with a mission and a chip on his shoulder. Expect that to shine most brightly against the Titans organization that believed it was better without him. And expect Vrabel to arrive with a plan to disrupt Titans quarterback and first overall draft pick, Cam Ward<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3) Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills \u2014 Week 9, Nov. 2<\/p>\n No, don\u2019t start asking about the officiating conspiracy theories this game will invite. The Chiefs have bested the Bills in every playoff matchup between Josh Allen<\/a> and Patrick Mahomes<\/a>, a record of 4-0 for those counting at home. Wildly, the pre-playoff results are the opposite: Allen is 4-0 all-time in the regular season against the Chiefs. Does that mean bettors should pick Allen to win the lower-stakes matchup again? Tough to say. But like the Ravens\u2019 visit to the Chiefs, expect this to be a potential playoff rematch with a deep and sensitive history.<\/p>\n 2) Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets \u2014 Week 1, Sept. 7<\/p>\n One grudge match angle is guaranteed: Justin Fields<\/a>\u2019 chance to show the Steelers they shouldn\u2019t have let him walk at season\u2019s end \u2014 and perhaps they shouldn\u2019t have benched him for Russell Wilson<\/a> after Fields engineered a 4-2 season start. But what catapults this game to our second-grudgiest grudge match is the potential for both quarterbacks to be on revenge tours if Rodgers signs with Pittsburgh after all. The Rodgers-Jets experience failed on multiple levels, including an unceremonious ending where Rodgers felt slighted<\/a> that he flew across the country to be de facto fired by the Jets\u2019 new regime. He has made public his emotions about that meeting. Expect him to fuel the flames again if he suits up for this contest.<\/p>\n 1) Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs \u2014 Week 2, Sept. 14<\/p>\n The Super Bowl rematch isn\u2019t only tantalizing because these clubs most recently faced off on the biggest stage. The game was also arguably the most confounded the Chiefs have looked in the playoffs since Mahomes and Andy Reid began their five-Super-Bowls-in-six-years tear. While the 40-22 result was closer than the Chiefs\u2019 Super Bowl loss to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers four years prior, garbage time hides the reality of the 34-0 deficit Kansas City faced deep into the third quarter. With three minutes to play, Mahomes and Co. trailed 40-6. They were stunned on both sides of the ball. Will Steve Spagnuolo\u2019s defense finally be able to slow the Eagles\u2019 pick-your-poison attack? And will Mahomes find answers to the swarming Eagles defense?<\/p>\n Bonus: The Atlanta Falcons vs. any opponent Kirk Cousins may sign with<\/p>\n For now, Atlanta retains Cousins on its roster. But if the supply-demand imbalance of the league prompts the Falcons to trade Cousins, keep an eye out. The likeliest team to want Cousins (hello, Pittsburgh) doesn\u2019t play Atlanta this year. But maybe injury or the New Orleans Saints losing Derek Carr<\/a> to retirement changes the calculus. Cousins has reason for ire after the Falcons signed him to a megadeal only to blindside him a month later by drafting Michael Penix Jr.<\/a> eighth overall. If Cousins doesn\u2019t get the chance to exact revenge, we\u2019ll leave this matchup in the category of grudge matches we wished we could see this year \u2026 joining Geno Smith<\/a> vs. the Seahawks, Daniel Jones<\/a> vs. the Giants and first-year Jaguars head coach Liam Coen vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> team he left abruptly.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Bonus category, take two: If you haven\u2019t had enough grudges yet, we\u2019re also excited to watch\u2026<\/p>\n Cooper Kupp<\/a> and his new Seahawks team face the Rams with whom Kupp spent eight years and won a Super Bowl. Is Kupp worth the money Seattle was more willing to pay than Los Angeles?<\/p>\n Russell Wilson<\/a> and the Giants take on the Denver Broncos<\/a> who chose to pay a lot of money to cut Wilson last year. Wilson\u2019s Steelers played Denver last year when he was injured, so this would be his first chance to let Sean Payton know how he feels about their divorce.<\/p>\n![\"(Joseph](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/32f37c60-30e4-11f0-adeb-b9543867bb14.jpeg\"\/)
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