The Lions are must-see TV in prime-time now.
That might be the best tribute to Dan Campbell, who has led Detroit to a 27-7 regular-season record the past two seasons. Detroit also is an amazing 10-2 in prime-time games under Campbell, and that go-for-broke style always makes for great television.
Perhaps that is why Detroit will be part of two of our top-five prime-time games for the 2025 NFL schedule across Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football. Detroit is looking to break that Super Bowl drought, and they will have multiple chances to show they are worthy of that label.
Last year, four of the five games we selected were decided by seven points or less, with the lone exception being the Week 1 matchup between the Jets and 49ers. Still, that was Aaron Rodgers’ full-game debut with New York. Will he have another one this season? That remains to be determined.
Will that be the case again this year? A look at the best (and worst) prime-time games on the NFL schedule, which was released Wednesday.
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Best prime-time games of the 2025 NFL season
1. Lions at Chiefs (‘SNF,’ Week 6)
This will be a popular Super Bowl pick, and of the Chiefs’ three Sunday Night Football games this is their best one. Remember the last prime-time matchup between these teams? Detroit won 21-20 in the 2023 season opener – which set the tone for that franchise’s full-fledged turnaround under Campbell. Will Detroit be in the same spot here without coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, who took the head-coaching jobs with the Bears and Jets, respectively?
Kansas City was 4-0 on games designated as Sunday Night Football last season, with dramatic victories against the Ravens, Falcons, and Chargers. This promises to be one of the best games of the season.
2. Packers at Steelers (‘SNF,’ Week 8)
There is one obvious caveat here. Will Aaron Rodgers be in a Steelers’ uniform and play against his former team for the first time? If that’s the case, then this will be the most-watched prime-time game of the season. Even if he’s not, the rating will be high between these two classic franchises. Green Bay is looking for a third straight playoff appearance with Jordan Love, and the Steelers are trying to get back to the postseason for the third straight season, too. The Packers have lost their past six games at Pittsburgh.
3. Lions at Eagles (‘SNF,’ Week 11)
Here’s the other Lions’ game on this list, and it’s a great coaching matchup between Campbell and Nick Sirianni, who is 48-20 the past four seasons and coming off his first Super Bowl victory. Philadelphia beat Detroit 38-35 in the teams’ last meeting in 2022, but that was before both teams were built to be Super Bowl contenders. It should be a high-flying matchup with different styles. The Eagles ranked second in the NFL in rushing offense last season. The Lions were second in passing offense. It’s deep enough into the season that home-field advantage in the playoffs could be on the line.
4. Ravens at Bills (‘SNF,’ Week 1)
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen were the center of the NFL MVP debate last season, which Allen won before leading the Bills past the Ravens 27-25 in the AFC divisional playoffs. It’s a fantastic first SNF matchup. The teams have split the past six meetings, but Buffalo has won the two playoff games. Henry had 199 yards and three TDs in Baltimore’s 35-10 victory against the Bills in Week 10 last season. This is a tone-setter for the AFC playoff race, and it might be a separator in the race for home-field advantage later.
5. Commanders at Chiefs (‘MNF,’ Week 8)
Monday Night Football gets on this list with the matchup between Washington and Kansas City. The Commanders surged to the NFC championship game last season behind Jayden Daniels, whose breakout performance was on MNF in a 38-33 victory against the Bengals last season. Washington also faces Chicago on MNF in Week 6.
The Chiefs were 2-0 on Monday Night Football last season, and both games were victories against NFC opponents. This will be a fun matchup with high-scoring potential, and Mahomes will be against his former college coach Kliff Kingsbury, now the Washington offensive coordinator.
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Worst prime-time games of the 2025 NFL season
1. Giants at Patriots, ‘MNF,’ Week 13
The December schedule starts with two teams that combined for seven victories last season. Will the Patriots be a playoff team in Year 1 under Mike Vrabel? Will Brian Daboll get off the hot seat with the Giants? These teams ranked 30th and 31st, respectively, in the NFL in scoring last season. Barring a huge turn-around, this could be a snoozer, with the Giants quarterback situation being the biggest storyline.
It’s worth knowing that North Carolina’s football season will end two days before that game. How many Bill Belichick references will we get during this game?
2. Panthers at 49ers, ‘MNF,’ Week 12
The Panthers squeezed in a Monday Night Football game, but it’s an odd cross-country matchup to put in prime time knowing the 49ers likely will be heavy favorites. San Francisco averaged 44 points in the past two meetings against Carolina, and that included a 51-13 blowout in 2019. What will the spread on this matchup be?
3. Giants at Eagles, ‘TNF,’ Week 6
We understand the Saquon Barkley revenge angle, but that already played out. Barkley had 176 rushing yards and three TDs when he faced the Giants in Week 6, and Philadelphia limited the Giants to 16 points in the two meetings last season. It’s early enough in the season that Russell Wilson might be the starter for the Giants here, but this feels like a mismatch that might be easy to turn off.
4. Jets at Patriots, ‘TNF,’ Week 11
Glenn and Vrabel will need time to lead turn-arounds, and perhaps by Week 11, there will be improvements. That said, these teams played on TNF last year and the Jets topped the Patriots 24-3. That was with Rodgers on the field, and it was not all that compelling outside of the East Coast.
5. Seahawks at Cardinals, ‘TNF,’ Week 4
We’re not a huge fan of division games on the Thursday Night Football window in the first place, and the Seahawks-Cardinals matchups have not been a competitive series the past three years. Seattle has won the past six meetings, and five of those games were decided by double digits. Sam Darnold will be on the spot early in the season, and it’s now-or-never time for Kyler Murray.
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