Few things in life are more enjoyable than a good primetime NFL game.
For about three hours, the entire football world turns its eyes to one game, and one game only. The greatest teams, the biggest stars and the best broadcasting crews have given us some unforgettable nights of football.
With the NFL Schedule Release set for Wednesday night, I thought it would be fun to highlight a few upcoming matchups that I think deserve the big stage of primetime football. Here are five NFL primetime games I’d love to see in 2025.
Lions At Rams on Sunday Night Football
This is a matchup that we’ve seen on Sunday Night Football for the past two seasons, and I would love to see round three this year.
While they’re not in the same divison, there is no love lost between the Lions and Rams. The Jared Goff-Matthew Stafford trade in 2021 has led to an intense rivalry forming between the two teams. Oh, and the play on the field has been pretty good too.
The past two games in this matchup have been some of the most entertaining football I’ve ever watched. The Lions have narrowly won both games thanks to 3rd-down heroics from Aidan Hutchinson, gutty performances from Jared Goff and a nasty rushing attack. But don’t count out the Rams. Stafford has played some of the best football of his life against his old team, and gives LA a puncher’s chance in this one.
This is a matchup of two of the best teams in the NFC. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth have done an excellent job in the booth for the previous two games. Let’s do it again this year!
Chargers At Raiders on Sunday Night Football
3 words: “What’s your deal?”
Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh have been bitter rivals for well over a decade, and make this matchup must-see TV. These two coaches always seem to find a way to compete against each other. They clashed in college at USC and Stanford, in the NFC West with the Seahawks and 49ers and now in the AFC West with the Raiders and Chargers.
I also think this could end up being a very pivotal game in the playoff race. The Chargers are looking to maintain their momentum in year 2 under Harbaugh after an 11-win season in 2024, and the Raiders could be one of the surprise teams of 2025 after a stellar offseason.
While SoFi Stadium is an incredible venue, I would love to see Allegiant Stadium get the primetime nod here. The Raiders have an incredible, passionate fan base that has been starving for a winning team to cheer for. They might finally have one. This could be one of the most heated games of the 2025 season, and deserves the bright lights of Sunday Night.
Bears At Commanders on Monday Night Football
There are so many juicy storylines in this matchup. I would be shocked if this game wasn’t in primetime.
This is a rematch of one of the wildest games from last season, which featured a miraculous, game-winning Hail Mary from Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown. It was one of the biggest turning points of the season for both teams, catapulting the Commanders to an unlikely run to the NFC Championship Game and starting an epic collapse for the Bears.
This game will also be the second matchup between Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, who were the 1st and 2nd overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. How have these teams, and quarterbacks, developed since their meeting back in October of 2024? Here is a great chance to find out.
One more thing that excites me about this matchup is getting to see Ben Johnson take on the Commanders. The newly-hired Bears head coach was heavily courted by Washington back in the 2024 offseason, but turned them down, opting to stay in Detroit for one more year. Commanders executives were reportedly upset with how Johnson handled the situation, and Johnson was reportedly not sold on the Commanders’ leadership.
There’s a lot of ingredients for what could be a really chippy, emotional and exciting game in Landover.
Bengals At Vikings on Monday Night Football
Get your popcorn ready and expect a lot of points.
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase head to US Bank Stadium for the first time in their careers to take on their good friend and college teammate Justin Jefferson. This could be one of the highest-scoring games of the entire season and is fit for the big stage of Monday Night Football.
Both of these teams are loaded on offense, with two of the best receiving corps in the league sharing the field. The Bengals’ great offense and porous defense have led to them being in countless shootouts over the past few seasons, many of them coming in primetime. Meanwhile, the Vikings run an aggressive, blitz-heavy defense that could give the Bengals’ receivers plenty of 1 on 1 looks against an inexperienced group of Vikings corners.
This could quickly turn into a fun back-and-forth of Jefferson and Chase trying to outdo each other on every drive. The previous two games between these teams were both overtime thrillers. This would be a great way to cap off a week of football.
Panthers At Patriots on Thursday Night Football
Let’s end with a unique one.
On paper, Panthers vs Patriots might not sound like an exciting matchup, but I think there’s a lot to like about this game. These are two young teams that seem to be on an upward trajectory.
The Panthers, and Bryce Young in particular, played some excellent football down the stretch last season. I think they could be playoff dark horses.
The Patriots spent big this offseason, and look to have a much-improved roster around Drake Maye. With new head coach Mike Vrabel and a nice coaching staff, I think they could surprise some people with how many games they win this year.
This feels like a perfect Thursday Night Football game. Young and Maye are two quarterbacks that I’m pretty high on and enjoy watching. Tetairoa McMillan vs Christian Gonzalez is a fun WR vs CB matchup. It features two teams that rarely play each other. While neither team may be seen as a legit contender, I think they’re both pretty interesting, and deserve a little time in the spotlight.
Hey, no one thought that Browns @ Broncos would be one of the most entertaining games of last season, but it certainly was. I think this one would be a nice surprise.
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