Welcome to the “Watchability stakes” – a ranking of the weekly matchups ahead in the NFL. Games are tiered based on three factors: narrative, implications and general intrigue. You will be seeing The Lead’s NFL game watchability rankings at the start of the week to get you ready for football action.
Week 13 of this NFL season marks a special time for many fans. The holidays are almost here which means the 2024 season is well beyond its halfway mark and fans get a well-deserved treat with the slate of games this week.
The highlights: three Thanksgiving Day games and one Black Friday game in addition to the usual Sunday and Monday slate. Talk about a feast.
Coincidently, Week 13 also brings arguably the most polarizing weekly rankings of all the games coming your way. A whopping nine games are either Tier 4 or Tier 5, but there are still five that are at least Tier 2 and higher. There are plenty of marquee matchups (mainly in the later games), but plenty of games where the heavy favorite still needs to handle business to stay afloat in the standings too.
As per usual, here are your rankings for the Week 13 games:
Tier 1: Absolutely can’t miss
Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) versus Baltimore Ravens (8-4) – Sunday @ 4:25 pm EST
- Undoubtedly the highlight of the Thanksgiving week slate. Philly continues to produce nothing but wins and sits right at the top of the NFC. Baltimore is firmly in the thick of the AFC picture. Considering this is the only Sunday late-afternoon game in Week 13, it’s an absolute must-watch.
Tier 2: This could be fun
Miami Dolphins (5-6) versus Green Bay Packers (8-3) – Thursday @ 8:20 pm EST
- Talk about a game where its stock has grown dramatically higher in the past month. Green Bay’s slow start looks like a thing of the past, while the Dolphins are quietly inching closer .500 after a bad beginning to the year. Both teams face key stretches for either making the postseason or what seed they could get, making this one of the more consequential games of the week.
San Francisco 49ers (5-6) versus Buffalo Bills (9-2) – Sunday @ 8:20 pm EST
- It’s not quite over yet for San Francisco, but the 49ers are again below-.500 and just got smoked by the Packers this past week. Up next is a Sunday night game versus Buffalo, who will look to continue their momentum and possibly send the 49ers home for good.
Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) versus Atlanta Falcons (6-5) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST
- Our third of three Tier 2 games where an AFC and NFC opponent at least in the playoff conversation will face off against each other. Los Angeles and Atlanta each sit in the Wild Card portion of the standings, and it’s that time of the year when every win matters.
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) versus Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST
- Pittsburgh still sits atop the AFC North, but an inter-divisional matchup with the Bengals puts the Steelers in another tough game. For Cincinnati, it’s officially now or never for its playoff hopes.
Tier 3: Decent floor, high upside
Arizona Cardinals (6-5) versus Minnesota Vikings (9-2) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST
- Arizona fell short on the road to Seattle but comes into its next game still firmly in the race to win the NFC West, where the standings remain gridlocked. Minnesota continues to rattle off wins and will host one of the conference’s playoff hopefuls.
Chicago Bears (4-7) versus Detroit Lions (10-1) – Thursday @ 12:30 pm EST
- The losses have been there, but Chicago is at least playing better lately and could look to play the spoiler against Detroit. Gets a slight bump into Tier 2 for this game kicking off the Thanksgiving Day slate.
Tier 4: It could always be worse
Tennessee Titans (3-8) versus Washington Commanders (7-5) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST
- Washington’s skid continues but the schedule should be a bit easier from here. That starts at home versus Tennessee, whose record is way below-.500 yet continues to play good teams fairly well.
Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) versus Kansas City Chiefs (10-1) – Friday @ 3 pm EST
- Not the best Black Friday game out of the combinations available, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find fans complaining about an extra day with an NFL game on the calendar.
Seattle Seahawks (6-5) versus New York Jets (3-8) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST
- Seattle got a much-needed win but will now head to the East Coast to face a Jets team that is pretty much set to miss the postseason. There are a million ways this game can play out.
Houston Texans (7-5) versus Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST
- Houston needs an insurance win to make sure it can secure the AFC South. Jacksonville will look to prevent that from happening.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6) versus Carolina Panthers (3-8) – Sunday @ 4:05 pm EST
- Likewise, Tampa Bay must win to stay within striking distance of the NFC South. Carolina often looked unimpressive, particularly this season but has at least been competent over the past few weeks.
Tier 5: Snooze Fest
New York Giants (2-9) versus Dallas Cowboys (4-7) – Thursday @ 4:30 pm EST
- It’s a classic matchup every year, especially on Thanksgiving Day, but it comes as both teams are underwater compared to the rest of the league in 2024. Still deserves to at least be the best game in Tier 5.
Cleveland Browns (3-8) versus Denver Broncos (7-5) – Monday @ 8:15 pm EST
- Battle of the defenses in a game where whoever gets to 20 points likely wins. Considering the significance to Denver’s playoff hopes, it’s not the worst Monday night football game… but it’s not the best, either.
Los Angeles Rams (5-6) versus New Orleans Saints (4-7) – Sunday @ 4:05 pm EST
- Two below-.500 NFC teams square off in the Sunday late-afternoon window, but it will take more than winning this week to stay in contention for a playoff bid.
Indianapolis Colts (5-7) versus New England Patriots (3-9) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST
- Indianapolis and New England took tough losses last week and now face off. Plenty of other games on Sunday carry way more significance.
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