The schedule for the 2020 NFL season has officially been released and there are plenty of games that you will want to be watching. Let’s take a look at some matchups that we have already circled on our calendar.

Brady to make Buccaneers debut against Saints

For the first time in 20 years, Tom Brady will not be suiting up for the New England Patriots. The schedule makers haven’t thrown Brady a softball to start things off either as he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open up the season against the New Orleans Saints. Brady, who will be 43 by the time the season starts, will have to hit the ground running as the Saints have won the NFC South three years in a row and look to make it four straight, led by Drew Brees. During his 20-year career, Brady has faced off against the Saints just five times, going 4-1 in those games with an 11-3 touchdown to interception ratio. Brady’s lone loss against the Saints came in 2009 when he threw for only 237 yards and two interceptions in a 38-17 loss to the eventual Super Bowl Champions. Despite Brady holding a 4-1 edge over the Saints, it’s Brees that has a 3-2 head-to-head advantage over the 42-year-old. On top of the win in 2009, Brees beat Brady as a member of the San Diego Chargers in 2002 and 2005 giving him the edge.

With both quarterbacks looking to pick up a big win in the division, expect a lot of fireworks from these two high-powered offences to open the season.

 

Jackson vs. Mahomes Part 3

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The 2019 NFL MVP taking on the 2019 Super Bowl MVP, what more could you ask for? In Week 3 the Baltimore Ravens will face the Kansas City Chiefs in a matchup that is must-see television on Monday Night Football. Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes have both taken the NFL by storm since becoming full-time starters in the 2018 season. In 2018 it was Mahomes leading the league with 50 touchdowns on his way to wining NFL MVP; Jackson followed that up with 43 total touchdowns of his own in 2019 and winning his first NFL MVP. Jackson and Mahomes have already gone head-to-head twice in their young careers, with Mahomes and the Chiefs getting the best of the Ravens in both games. In 2018 the Ravens were 1:30 minutes away from beating Kansas City, and in typical Mahomes fashion he rolled right on a fourth-and-nine, threw down-field across his body and connected with Tyreek Hill for a 48-yard pass setting up a touchdown. The Chiefs would kick a field goal in overtime to win the game and in 2019 Mahomes went for 374 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-28 win.

Look for Jackson and the Ravens to try to get over the Mahomes hump this year in a massive Week 3 matchup that could have playoff seeding implications.

 

NFC Championship rematch

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It was a game that Green Bay Packers fans would like to forget. The 2019 NFC Championship game saw the San Francisco 49ers run all over the Packers on their way to a 37-20 win, punching their ticket to Super Bowl LIV. Raheem Mostert made his mark on the game, rushing for 220 yards on 29 carries, averaging 7.59 yards per attempt. The 49ers scored early, and they scored often and led 27-0 at halftime; by the time Green Bay’s offence got going it was too late and the damage had been done. Aaron Rodgers managed to throw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, but his two interceptions were a problem. The 49ers enter the season amongst the favourites to get back to the Super Bowl and despite trading away Deforest Buckner and losing Emmanuel Sanders to free agency, Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel enter their second seasons looking to take even bigger leaps than they did in their rookie campaigns. In Week 9 Rodgers and the Packers will get their chance at redemption as they return to Levi’s Stadium with hopes of a different outcome on Thursday Night Football.

 

Beckham Jr. takes on the Giants

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For the first time in his career, Odell Beckham Jr. will take on the New York Giants, his former team. In Week 15 the Cleveland Browns will travel to New York for a date with the team that drafted their superstar wide receiver. The wideout spent five seasons with the Giants where he had 5,476 receiving yards, 390 receptions and 44 touchdowns in 59 games. This won't be Beckham’s first trip back to MetLife, however, as Cleveland took on the New York Jets in 2019 in what was arguably his best game of the season; Beckham went for 161 yards on six catches and a touchdown – including his 89-yard catch and run in the third quarter. But this trip back might mean more to Beckham as he takes on his former team. In 31 career games at MetLife Stadium, Beckham has 206 receptions and 24 touchdowns. During a Sunday Night Football game in 2015, Beckham caught the attention of the sports world with one of the best – if not the best – catches of his career. Eli Manning fired a pass to Backham, and with a defender all over him, as he fall backwards with one hand reached up and brought in the pass, stumbling into the end zone for a once-in-a-lifetime TD catch. After that play, Beckham’s star was on the rise and things looked good for him and the Giants. The team made the playoffs in 2017, however injuries and some off-field issues saw the 27-year-old shipped out of town to Cleveland.

Beckham is no stranger to making highlight worthy plays at MetLife stadium, but does he have another one in him? You’re going to have to tune in to find out.

 

Viva Las Vegas

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The Las Vegas Raiders will play their first home game in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, on Monday Night Football. The game will be the first regular season game played at the Raiders' new home at Allegiant Stadium, where they have relocated after a 25-season run in Oakland, Calif. "I have never seen a place like this," head coach Jon Gruden said about the stadium in a January video on the team’s YouTube page. Derek Carr and the Raiders went 7-9 in 2019, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Carr has faced the Saints just once during his career, throwing for 319 yards and one touchdown in a 35-34 win back in Week 1 of the 2016 season.