Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Best games  

Peyton Manning spent his first 14 seasons with the Colts1. Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos (Sunday, Sept. 9): It's fair to say that all eyes will be on this one as quarterback Peyton Manning is expected to make his return to the NFL. An injury cost him all of the 2011 season and forced a departure from Indianapolis as the Colts decided to rebuild. The question now is whether the Colts were a little hasty in their decision as Manning tries to show  he's healthy again after four reported neck surgeries, including a procedure to fuse two vertebrae. Meanwhile, the Steelers open the new season at the same site of last year's playoff debacle against the then Tim Tebow-led Broncos.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, Nov. 18): As a point of reference, there aren't a lot of division games mentioned in this spot for a specific reason: You could fill the entire "best" section with divisional battles, be it this one or Green Bay-Chicago or New England-New York Jets or whatever other traditional rivalry you like. However, there is something transcendent, almost medieval, about the Steelers and the Ravens going at it. It's football the way purists love, from the hard hitting of the defenses to Ben Roethlisberger's and Joe Flacco's slinging throws. As it stands today, this is the best rivalry game in football. Someday that will change. Until then, enjoy this one.


3. Denver Broncos at New England Patriots (Sunday, Oct. 7): Assuming that Manning is healthy, the NFL gets another episode of one of the great rivalries of this era. From 2001 to 2009, when Manning and New England quarterback Tom Brady combined to win six AFC titles and four Super Bowls, their teams faced off 12 times. That included three playoff games. New England has beaten Manning eight times in the Brady era. In addition, seven of the past nine games between Manning and the Patriots have been decided by a touchdown or less. Of course, New England has a couple of other good ones, such as hosting San Francisco and playing at Baltimore in a rematch of the AFC title game.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, Dec. 16): There's usually something special about a Steelers-Cowboys game, although it's not always immediately evident. For instance, the last time they played in 2008, the comeback win by Pittsburgh (17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter) marked the beginning of the end for the relationship between Terrell Owens and the Cowboys. In 2004, the Steelers rallied for 14 points in the fourth quarter in a comeback win, the first come-from-behind victory for then-rookie Ben Roethlisberger. Over the years, the teams have played to a 15-15 split, including three Super Bowl matchups.
5. Houston Texans at Detroit Lions (Thursday, Nov. 22): If you're looking for a game that features two up-and-coming teams that could vault into Super Bowl contention, look no further. The Texans believe they took a huge step last year by improving their defense. Now, they just have to keep quarterback Matt Schaub healthy. Similarly, the Lions discovered they can have a dominant offense with quarterback Matthew Stafford playing a full season for the first time last year. Now, they have to get the defense on track behind the likes of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
6. San Diego Chargers at New Orleans Saints (Sunday, Oct. 7): The last time former teammates Drew Brees and Philip Rivers faced off in 2008, they combined to complete 55 of 81 passes for 680 yards, six touchdown passes and one interception. New Orleans won 37-32. Expect this game, which will feature the subplots of Sean Payton's suspension and Norv Turner being under pressure, to be just as entertaining.


7. Green Bay Packers at New York Giants (Sunday, Nov. 25): You have to think that the Packers are still stinging from their playoff loss to the Giants at home in January. It was Green Bay's worst performance all season as it dropped eight passes and quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed two wide-open throws. The Giants dominated the game even after losing to the Packers in the regular season. This rematch will be tasty.

 

8. San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints (Sunday, Nov. 25): If you want to talk about bitter pills, the entire Saints offseason has been awful and it started in the fourth quarter at San Francisco, when former defensive coordinator Gregg "Bounty" Williams watched his unit completely implode. Perhaps Williams, who instructed his players to do harm in a pregame speech, just wasn't paying enough. Either way, Saints fans still think the game would have been different in The Big Easy. Of course, the Saints also get to face Green Bay and the Giants again in the regular season, so the 49ers game is one of the many fun ones.
9. Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins (Sunday, Dec. 9): In a salute to the presidential election, the Beltway Bowl is held every four years between the Redskins. Sadly, the election is usually a lot more entertaining than the football game. However, that could change this year with the addition of Robert Griffin III to the Redskins lineup, assuming he goes to Washington next week with the NFL draft's No. 2 pick. Watching Griffin against the great Ravens defense could be really fascinating stuff.
10. Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles (Monday, Nov. 26): Dear Cam Newton, before you take the field, go take a good look at the beaten up body of Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. That should serve as a cruel reminder of how important it is to be a pass-first quarterback. Yeah, Vick is still a phenomenal athlete, but he's not what he once was. Newton, who got off to a great start as a passer last season as a rookie, is the next big thing of the NFL right now. If he gets away from that and becomes too much of a runner … oh well.

article by:Jason Cole