OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 06: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders drops back to pass against the Denver Broncos at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 6, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
NFLBy Brad Gagnon on

Week 4 of the 2017 NFL regular season is here, beginning with Thursday night’s Bears-Packers tilt, and you might be entering the weekend with your own preferences regarding which games to focus on, and which to place on the backburner.

Most of you have your favorite teams and fantasy players to track. But in case you’re completely neutral or need help breaking ties with regard to what to watch, we’ve ranked all 16 games from most appealing to least enticing.

1. Raiders at Broncos (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): One team started 2-0 with a hot offense. The other started 2-0 with a hot defense. Both crapped the bed in Week 3. Makes for a hell of a Week 4 meeting with major potential divisional implications.

2. Redskins at Chiefs (Monday night, ESPN): The Chiefs are off to the hottest start in football, while the Redskins are coming off a dominant performance against Kansas City’s equally strong division rival. This should be high-scoring and close.

3. Panthers at Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): I get the feeling Cam Newton and Carolina will keep this close. The Pats aren’t quite right at the moment, so we could have another wild finish at Gillette.

4. Rams at Cowboys (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Underrated game of the week, people. Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Demarcus Lawrence. Winner moves to 3-1, loser falls back to .500. This is a fun and fascinating matchup.

5. Titans at Texans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): This could have implications in December, and there will be a lot of big-time players on display.

6. Lions at Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): The winner will be 3-1 and have a nice early edge in the NFC, so this is a pretty damn important early-season divisional game. It’s also likely to be close, as most Detroit games are.

7. Steelers at Ravens (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): This rivalry isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still a battle for the division lead and an early edge in the tiebreaker. Both teams are desperate to send messages, too.

8. Eagles at Chargers (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): We’ll see what the Eagles have in them after that exhilarating win last week. Now they’re all the way across the country for a road game with a desperate and due Chargers team. This could be interesting.

9. Bears at Packers (Thursday night, NFL Network): Chicago pulled off a shocking upset last week, so the law of averages probably indicates they’re in for a major letdown on the road on short rest against a strong Packers team. Typical “meh” Thursday nighter here.

10. Colts at Seahawks (Sunday night, NBC): This would be cool if Andrew Luck were around and the Seahawks had an offensive line. Still two buzz-worthy teams, though.

11. Giants at Buccaneers (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): The Bucs are trying to prove that last week wasn’t a fluke, while the Giants are essentially trying to save their season. Is that enough for me to make this my default late-afternoon game? Nope.

12. Bills at Falcons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): I don’t know if the Bills will keep up here. If they do, check it out in the fourth quarter.

13. Saints at Dolphins (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET, FOX): Let’s be real, both of these teams are finishing 8-8. Worth waking up for? Not if you’re on the west coast, anyway.

14. Jaguars at Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): The only interesting thing about this game is that on Monday we’ll either be asking if the Jags are finally contenders or if the Jets actually aren’t a laughingstock. But that doesn’t mean you should watch it.

15. 49ers at Cardinals (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): Remember when this matchup was awesome? Only a few years ago. Now, it’s worth nothing next to Raiders-Broncos.

16. Bengals at Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): No. Just, no.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.

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