Week 4 of the 2018 NFL regular season is here. 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 regarding what to watch, we’ve ranked all 15 games on the schedule from most appealing to least enticing.
1. Vikings at Rams (Thursday night, FOX/NFLN): The Thursday night schedule has really kicked it up a notch this season, and this is no exception. These are two of the top five teams in the NFL. The Vikings are probably fired up, while the Rams are quite banged up. Should be superb if Minnesota can hang around on the road on short rest.
2. Browns at Raiders (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): How will Cleveland follow its first win in two years? Will Jon Gruden’s Raiders drop to 0-4? Throw in that it’s Baker Mayfield’s first career start and this is the ultimate must-watch on Sunday.
3. Ravens at Steelers (Sunday night, NBC): Pittsburgh is just hanging on right now, while Baltimore has a chance to go into the Steelers’ house (where they usually play well) against a rival on short rest and make a huge September statement. No way this isn’t close, and these matchups are usually dramatic as hell.
4. Chiefs at Broncos (Monday night, ESPN): A national look at early-season MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes and prime defensive player of the year candidate Von Miller in a huge early-season divisional matchup. And in Denver, there’s a good chance it’ll remain close.
5. Dolphins at Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Miami is looking to make a statement. Unless the Patriots run away with this, it’s worth monitoring early and prioritizing late.
6. Saints at Giants (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): New Orleans is always a lot of fun, and this won’t likely be a blowout on the road against a Giants team trying to battle back from a rough start. Expecting lots of points and another firework-filled finish.
7. Buccaneers at Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Two early-season darlings in what should be a close game. Plus, there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding both teams at the quarterback position.
8. Lions at Cowboys (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Desperation makes for entertaining football, and both Detroit and Dallas are trying to avoid 1-3 starts. You get the feeling there’ll be a fun finish here.
9. Eagles at Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Philly has been hurting, while the Titans have been finding ways to win. Keep tabs in case Tennessee puts up a fight at home.
10. Bengals at Falcons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): I doubt either team pulls away, but with both teams hurting and hailing from different conferences, this just isn’t as shiny as several other early kickoffs.
11. Texans at Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Could be a close game and a good finish, but neither team looks like a contender.
12. Jets at Jaguars (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Sam Darnold has lost his rookie luster and the Jaguars aren’t overly exciting. Tune in if this is close late.
13. Bills at Packers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): The blowout potential is a little too high here. Probably safe to ignore this unless it’s close down the stretch.
14. Seahawks at Cardinals (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): Neither team is likely going anywhere. And even if Seattle becomes a contender, this isn’t an attractive matchup.
15. 49ers at Chargers (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): This game became an afterthought the moment Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a torn ACL on Sunday. Even if the Chargers let the C.J. Beathard-led 49ers stick around, does it matter?
