Watchability Stakes: Which NFL Week 2 Games Matter the Most?

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 1 of NFL action is in the books, and things mostly did not disappoint, unless you’re Bryce Young or the Giants.

In the first full week of action, NFL fans got a little bit of everything— a host of close finishes for the 1 pm games, total blowouts, surprise results and expected wins. What does it all mean moving forward?

Compared to Week 1, Week 2 feels more down to earth. The league returns to its usual schedule of one game on Thursday and Monday nights, on top of the packed amount of action on Sunday. One could argue the matchups this week are also not as marquee as those on the initial slate (especially the nighttime games).

With that said, a lot can happen. With Week 2, fans will have a much better sense of what Week 1 results were fluky, and which ones might become more of a trend as the season continues.

Just as The Lead did last week, here is how Week 2 of NFL action grades out from a watchability perspective:

Tier 1: Absolutely can’t miss

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) – Sunday @ 4:25 pm EST

• It’s the rematch of the 2022 AFC Championship. Easily has a case to be a top-three game of the week. Cincinnati is also coming off the troubling loss to New England at home. If a bounceback were to happen, it would need to be at Arrowhead Stadium against Patrick Mahomes and company. As a bonus, there are only three games in the late afternoon window. This is legit the one you can’t miss.

Buffalo Bills (1-0) vs. Miami Dolphins (1-0) – Thursday @ 8:15 pm EST

• Bonus points for this one being a) a division matchup, b) a game between two playoff-hopeful teams and c) the lone game this Thursday night. Buffalo and Miami both came away with season-opening wins, but only one score. Outside the tiebreaker implications, the winner of this has a chance to be the only undefeated team left in the AFC East by the start of Week 3.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) vs. Detroit Lions (1-0) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• The Lions appear high on the watchability list in back-to-back weeks. This is the go-to game for the Week 1 one o’clock slate. Both remain division favorites out of the gate, yet each has the same key question at play here. What do we make of the Week 1 performance? Can Tampa Bay produce 75% of what it did versus Washington, and will Detroit look more dominant after an overtime win against the Rams?

Tier 2: This could be fun

Cleveland Browns (0-1) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• Both the Tier 2 games this week share a common theme. This one gets a slight edge because both Cleveland and Jacksonville have arguably more pressure than the other two teams in this tier. This also has a chance to be a big swing game for the standings given both these teams are eyeing at least Wild Card spots. An 0-2 start for either could be trouble for the loser.

Los Angeles Rams (0-1) vs. Arizona Cardinals (0-1) – Sunday @ 4:05 pm EST

• Similar circumstances as Cleveland versus Jacksonville— division standing and playoff implications plus one team dropping down to 0-2 early. This has a case to be the fourth-best game of the week. L.A. lost in overtime to Detroit while Arizona just ran out of gas versus Buffalo. Week 1 looked promising, but Week 2 looks like an early must-win scenario if either looks to be in the NFC playoffs.

Tier 3: Decent floor, high upside

Atlanta Falcons (0-1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) – Monday @ 8:15 pm EST

• Philly is back in primetime after being the lone Friday night game last week. Beating Green Bay in Brazil remains a great win, but the pressure will remain on against a Falcons team that could fall into a losing deficit of its own. A well-deserved bonus for being the Monday night game, even if Atlanta has bust potential this year given their Week 1 performance.

Indianapolis Colts (0-1) vs. Green Bay Packers (0-1) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• Would’ve been higher had Jordan Love not sprained his MCL late versus the Eagles. The Love versus Anthony Richardson quarterback battle could’ve been a fun one. Like some of the Tier 2 games, high stakes between two teams with one defeat under their belt. The loser would have a rough start trying to contend for the division title.

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) vs. New England Patriots (1-0) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• Seattle’s offense versus New England’s defense. The winner emerges as the early surprise out of the gate this year in a game both teams feel like they can win. It gets buried in a crowded 1 p.m. slate but is at least worth tuning in for.

New Orleans Saints (1-0) vs. Dallas Cowboys (1-0) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• New Orleans and Dallas each crushed their Week 1 opponents (Carolina and Cleveland). An inter-NFC battle has the obvious playoff seeding implications down the line, but this will also be a good litmus test for which team can best replicate some of the Week 1 dominance fans saw.

Las Vegas Raiders (0-1) vs. Baltimore Ravens (0-1) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• Had a case to be a Tier 4 game. But Baltimore’s Week 1 loss means this probably needs to be a win for the Ravens to stay high in the AFC standings down the road. Las Vegas mostly struggled versus the Chargers in the second half, and there are other quality 1 p.m. games to watch over this one.

Tier 4: It could always be worse

San Francisco 49ers (1-0) vs. Minnesota Vikings (1-0) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• One of two games between teams with 1-0 records that are at Tier 4 or lower. Minnesota’s win came against an underwhelming Giants team, while San Francisco smoked the Jets in the second half on Monday night. It’s the best Tier 4 game by a mile.

Chicago Bears (1-0) vs. Houston Texans (1-0) – Sunday @ 8:20 pm EST

• Unfortunate the Sunday night game doesn’t fare better than Tier 4. Yet, Chicago needed a miraculous 17-point comeback just to beat Tennessee at home. Now, the Bears must travel south for a matchup with Houston. Chicago’s early offensive concerns will be something to watch. The two things keeping this out of Tier 5: it’s the lone Sunday night game and fans get the Caleb Williams versus C.J. Stroud quarterback matchup.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) vs. Denver Broncos (0-1) – Sunday @ 4:25 pm EST

• First, from a watchability standpoint, the offenses will be nonexistent for both sides. Additionally, this gets docked given the other two late-afternoon window games are both Tier 2 or higher. But, if you’re in the mood for a defensive slugfest, this is your game to watch.

Tier 5: Snooze Fest

New York Jets (0-1) vs. Tennessee Titans (0-1) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• Both teams underwhelmed for different reasons in Week 1, and this game unfortunately gets lost in a stacked 1 p.m. slate of matchups. Has a case to be Tier 4 if the Jets look underwhelming out of the gate from the standpoints of narrative and playoff implications.

Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) vs. Carolina Panthers (0-1) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• Carolina’s very rocky Week 1 alone makes this a tough watch, also adding in the same answer you’ll hear for all three games in Tier 5: it’s the bottom of the barrel in a busy round of early-afternoon games.

New York Giants (0-1) vs. Washington Commanders (0-1) – Sunday @ 1 pm EST

• Need we say more?