The 2021 NFL schedule has been released and most of us are already beginning to circle games on the calendar. There are a handful of great games to be found on the schedule each week of the season, as well as a few clunkers, but it is the primetime schedule that most of us pay attention to. That is specifically what we will be looking at with this piece, although it should be noted that once the flex schedule kicks in, some of these might change. With that in mind, it’s time to take a closer look at some of the best and worst games on schedule so you can plan your bets against their NFL odds.
2021 NFL Schedule: The Best and Worst Games this Season
The Best of 2021
Let’s jump ahead to Week 4 of the season for what might be the most anticipated game of the season. That will see the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Foxboro to face the New England Patriots. It will be the first time that Tom Brady will be back in the building where he became the GOAT, with tickets for this one already going for upwards of $3,000. This will be the Sunday night game in Week 4.
Week 5 also delivers a potentially great game, with the Buffalo Bills set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game. Both of these teams figure to be in the hunt again this season, so this is another great Sunday night matchup.
Next up is Sunday night in Week 12, which is the week of the Thanksgiving Day games. The AFC North was very competitive last season, with more of the same expected this year. We will have the Browns and Ravens going head-to-head in Week 12 in what could well be a battle for the division lead, although I expect the Steelers might have some say in that.
Our final pick for the best of list this season comes in Week 15 on Sunday night in what could be another battle for divisional supremacy. This time, we head to the NFC South, with the New Orleans Saints, who will have a new QB at the helm going against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Worst of 2021
You never really know how good, or bad, a game is going to be, but there are still some matchups on the primetime schedule that don’t make us particularly excited. The good news is that many of these come in the early part of the season, starting in Week 2 with the New York Giants and Washington Commanders squaring off. The Redskins did make the playoffs last season, but they did so with a losing record. The Giants also had a losing record last year.
Week 3 delivers another potentially poor matchup on Thursday night, with the Carolina Panthers going on the road to face the Houston Texans. Both of these teams struggled mightily last season and are in the midst of rebuilding. Not a whole lot to like with this matchup.
We have two very good young QB’s squaring off on Thursday night in Week 4, but they are on teams that probably still need a lot of work. It will be Trevor Lawrence of the Jaguars going against Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that could prove to be a good one, but we are still not entirely sold.
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