David Helman
NFL Reporter
It’s a fun thought, but predicting the NFL schedule feels like so much wasted energy. Thirty-two teams playing 272 games across five days of the week over the course of five months? Who could possibly expect to nail more than a handful of pointless predictions?
So, while we wait for the unveiling of the 2025 schedule, which drops on Wednesday, May 14, let’s try a different approach. Rather than try to predict what I think the NFL will do, I’m instead going to argue for what I think they should do with some of their biggest matchups.
This is an especially fun year for marquee matchups. Two of the strongest divisions in the league, the AFC North and NFC North, square off against each other. The AFC West and NFC East also play each other, creating plenty of headline matchups. And if that wasn’t enough, the last three NFL MVPs — Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes — all play each other this fall.
It’s a lot to choose from. Here’s what I’d like to see the league do with 12 of its tentpole games for the coming season.
There are a ton of good matchups on the Eagles’ schedule to choose from, but none better than this — the NFC Championship Game that could have been. Detroit and Philly were the class of the NFC last season, but they never actually met in the playoffs. What better way to celebrate the Eagles’ new championship banner than a matchup between two teams that once again figure to factor heavily into the race for home-field advantage?
Week 1 international game, São Paolo: Chiefs vs. Chargers
I’ll be honest, I’m not always sold on the NFL’s philosophy that more is better, but I was a big fan of last season’s Friday night opener in Brazil. After a seven-month wait for the season to start, fill up opening weekend with as much football as possible.
The Chargers have been tapped as this year’s São Paolo team, and who better to help them grow the game in South America than the Chiefs? Kansas City is already used to opening the season on Thursday night, so kicking over one day to Friday should be no sweat.
The Chiefs have owned the AFC West for a decade, and they haven’t dropped a game to the Chargers since 2021, but don’t let that fool you. These games are always good, with seven of the past eight being decided by a touchdown or less. Sounds like a perfect Friday night to me.
It’s been a long time since this was a rivalry worth getting excited about, but that’s about to change in a big way. Not only has Jayden Daniels reignited one of the league’s most storied franchises, but he has reawakened one of the nation’s biggest TV markets. Combine that with the Cowboys’ unending popularity, and you’ve got serious ratings potential on your hands.
This would actually be Daniels’ first matchup against Dak Prescott, as the veteran quarterback missed both Cowboys-Commanders games last season because of injury. Add all of that together — with Tom Brady back in the booth — and it’d be a heck of a first America’s Game of the Week.
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The Seahawks’ Monday night win over Denver a few years ago was so memorable, I’d like to do it again. This time, we’ll put the shoe on the other foot. Sam Darnold finally enjoyed breakout success in Minnesota before the Seahawks offered him a $100 million contract. It’d be so fun to see him kick off this new era in Seattle against his old team, and the intrigue is even higher because J.J. McCarthy will likely be making his first start for Minnesota.
These two teams played one of the best games of the 2024 season in December, and I bet this one would be equally fun.
Thanksgiving Day (3 games)
Bears at Lions: This feels inevitable. It was a bonkers sequence on Thanksgiving in Detroit that cost Matt Eberflus his job last season, and that led to Ben Johnson becoming the Bears’ new head coach. Of course, Johnson’s return to Ford Field, where he was the Lions’ offensive coordinator for three years, would come on Thanksgiving Day. If I’m setting the matchups, I want these holiday games to have as much intrigue as possible, and this would certainly qualify.
Packers at Cowboys: It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cowboys host an NFC East opponent on Thanksgiving, but they’ve done that four of the past five years dating back to 2020. I’m ready for something new — although I still want something juicy. Why not invite one of Dallas’ old school NFC rivals? The Cowboys and Packers have history as old as the Ice Bowl — and as new as that shocking wild-card beatdown in 2024. Beyond that, they’re both third-place finishers in their division who want more this season. What’s not to like?
Ravens at Bengals: The NFL doesn’t always schedule a division rivalry for prime time on Thanksgiving, but I think it should. You can’t guarantee what any team will look like in late November, but a division rivalry is always likely to raise the stakes. And which division rivals are playing more entertaining games right now than Cincinnati and Baltimore? The past seven matchups in this series were decided by an average of 5.8 points, and both of last year’s games were instant classics. Give me Lamar versus Joe on a national holiday.
We’ve learned over the years that people will find a way to watch any NFL game that’s on, no matter the time. I still don’t want to “waste” a marquee matchup on Black Friday, when many people aren’t going to park themselves in front of the TV for a second consecutive day of football. Instead, how about a sneaky good matchup?
The Patriots and Titans are both prime candidates for breakout seasons, thanks to their young stars at quarterback. Recent history tells us we shouldn’t be surprised if this matchup looks much more fun in November than it does in May. Plus, there’s serious revenge-game vibes with Mike Vrabel now coaching in New England after spending six years in Tennessee.
Christmas Day (3 games)
Eagles at Chiefs: There’s always some risk involved with scheduling this big of a game so late in the season, but the upside is worth it, considering they played in two of the past three Super Bowls and the matchup still entails the best QB in football taking on the best roster. Waiting until Christmas would also make this a great measuring stick for the playoffs, which will be just two weeks away. The result could swing the MVP race or set the expectations for who will win Super Bowl LX.
49ers at Rams: I’ll say it again: Every big holiday should include at least one division rivalry, and this is one of the best. Nine of the past 12 Niners/Rams games have been decided by one possession, and both teams should be in contention to win the NFC West in 2025. Another bonus is that, by playing this game at SoFi Stadium in L.A., we’ll be guaranteed at least one Christmas game that isn’t affected by winter weather.
Buccaneers at Bills: I’m hoping winter weather plays a part in the Christmas nightcap, however. Snow games are fun, and few fan bases do snow games better than Bills Mafia. This is an interconference matchup between two teams with very little history, but that won’t matter. The Bills and Bucs both have high-powered offenses, so I like our odds of seeing a lot of points and a lot of snowballs thrown into the night air.
One of the best subplots for 2025 is the stakes surrounding the upcoming generation of quarterbacks. Twelve of the league’s prospective Day 1 starters are 25 or younger, and six of those guys have already been named to a Pro Bowl. A Friday night standalone matchup between two of those six Pro Bowlers sounds like a great way to wrap up the Christmas festivities.
David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
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