The 2023-2024 NFL regular season is imminent, so The Game Haus is presenting the best primetime games at each slot. Two games have been chosen from Thursday Night, Sunday Night, and Monday Night Football for this quick list.
The AFC North is one of the few divisions in recent football history that has a playoff case for all four teams to be made. Week 11’s matchup features the two favorites for AFC North division winner right in the middle of the season, when playoff resumes start to really take shape.
Last time the Bengals and Ravens met was in the playoffs, when a fumble at the one yard line by backup quarterback Tyler Huntley was returned 99 yards by Sam Hubbard for a touchdown that secured the victory for Cincinnati. Just one week prior to that, the Bengals had beaten the Ravens following the infamous “Damar Hamlin game,” which was never finished, screwing up playoff seedings for the AFC.
Lamar Jackson got paid big-time in the offseason, and Joe Burrow will likely get the same treatment. Regardless of that, both teams have Super Bowl aspirations, and the first step to the big game is positioning themselves well in playoff seedings. The AFC North title race comes into shape in Week 11 on a Thursday, which makes this matchup can’t-miss viewing.
The Jets and the Browns are both going to be scratching and clawing within their divisions for a shot at a title. Both sit in incredibly tough divisions with juggernaut teams at the top, looking down on some upstart and new-look franchises ready to knock them off of their respective perches.
Conversely, both of these teams could fall victim to their tough divisions, making this game a do-or-die matchup to keep their postseason hopes afloat. These factors could make this game incredibly entertaining to watch.
Aaron Rodgers and the Jets have one of the toughest starts in football, meaning they could realistically need to have a flawless back-half of the 2023 campaign to play deep into the winter. The Browns are one giant question mark of a franchise surrounded by teams that could all make the playoffs with relative ease. They’re tiptoeing the line of “afterthought” in the North.
Both squads are going to have something to prove in Week 17, and, if theory holds, nothing will be absolutely decided before these two teams kick off. They both will need to win this one.
There’s no doubt football fans can already hear the announcer banter and see the video packages in their heads right now. Hamlin and the Bills return to the field that featured one of the most shocking sports moments in decades, against the same opponents.
While the Bengals and Bills did meet up again in the playoffs, culminating in Cincy beating Buffalo quite handily, it’s a whole different ball of wax this season. The Bills feel their championship window slipping away from them as expectations grow higher and higher. The Bengals need to have the number one seed in the AFC this year, because they want to finally host the Championship Game in their house.
This matchup is relatively early in the season. Both teams can recover from a potential loss. But when the Hamlin situation is taken into account, and so is the fact that six other teams will be rooting heartily for their division-mates to lose, then this game is near the top of the must-see list, bar none.
Choosing this matchup was tough, as it sort of hangs on conjecture moreso than most of the others on this list so far. But if the stars line up to make this game exciting, then this game will covered relentlessly and hyped up by all sports media during the weeks ahead.
The Packers aren’t expected to be competitive this season, due to Jordan Love getting his first crack at the starting role. Most betting outlets have their win total at a measly 7.5. But this preseason has changed people’s tunes about Green Bay. Not just because Love looks sharp, but so do his very young receivers and tight ends. Add on that the defense has eight first rounders on it, and they feature one of the best running back duos in the league.
Everyone knows the Chiefs will be well off to the races by Week 13, barring something catastrophic. They’ll be looking to make more ground to lock up the number one seed in the AFC yet again, with the Packers looking more like speed bump than a pothole.
But if the Packers really do impress, and the AFC West is actually competitive with Kansas City this year, then this could very well be Love’s coming out party.
Fans will remember Love’s only other NFL start came against the Chiefs in 2021, when the Kansas City brass saw fit to put his family at the very top of the stadium. He could be looking to silence his critics by slicing up the defending champs, and the team that handed him his first NFL lumps.
Divisional matchups to begin the season always have people highly-strung approaching the kickoff of the season. This divisional matchup, however, features one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game on his brand new team, under the bright lights of primetime, against one of the favorites to win the AFC.
NFL kickoff weekend doesn’t get much bigger, or much more important than this. Rodgers has one chance to make a first impression as a Jet, and even with the compliment of weapons that he has, he has an equally impressive opponent.
The Bills need to send a message that the AFC East still belongs to them, and the Jets (as mentioned above) have an absolutely brutal start to their season, so an AFC East victory gets them feeling better going into that stint.
No NFL fan will miss the opportunity to keep an eye on this game. It’s maybe the best start to a season that anyone could ask for.
There is no choice but to put the Super Bowl rematch on a list like this. It might actually be required by law.
What’s to say about this one other than it may not only be a Super Bowl rematch, but a Super Bowl LVIII preview as well. Both teams seem a bit unstoppable (for now, at least) in their conferences. The NFC got a lot weaker, and the Chiefs refuse to slow down their winning ways.
The Eagles should be extremely fired up for this game, as many feel the Super Bowl was decided by the referees in the fourth quarter of the game. Meanwhile, Kansas City has the opportunity to lay a real beatdown on Philly in this one, taking a step toward proving they were always going to win that game, regardless.
If it does end up being a preview, then much will be made about this game in the two weeks between the Championship Games and Super Bowl. It will be dissected and picked apart and studied and analyzed, making it inherently one of the games to most look forward to watching.
Stay tuned for more breaking NFL content, including offseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.
Featured image courtesy of NFL.com
You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Ben! “From Our Haus to Yours“
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
