One game each NFL team can’t afford to lose in 2020
New England Patriots
Week 3 – Las Vegas Raiders @ New England Patriots
The New England Patriots play the Miami Dolphins in Week One (they should win) and the Seattle Seahawks in Week Two (they should lose). So, the first meaningful matchup of the post-Tom Brady era comes in Week Three at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders should be much improved in 2020, but if the Patriots are for-real contenders in the AFC, they cannot afford to lose this game, at home, this early in the season. Winning this game does not mean that the Patriots are Super Bowl bound or anything, but losing this game could mean that Bill Belichick, and New England, are in for a long season.
New Orleans Saints
Week 10 – San Francisco 49ers @ New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have been the best team in the NFC for at least two years. But, they’ve failed to make it back to the Super Bowl and subsequently, have some demons to exercise. Last year’s NFC Champion 49ers visit the dome in Week 10, and it could have major playoff implications, including the conference’s number one seed.
But this game is so much bigger for New Orleans. The Saints need to prove to themselves that they’re still the elite team, the team to beat, come playoff time. After their nosedive in the 2019 divisional round, the team needs to put the rest of the NFC on notice that they’re legit. This is a big of a regular season game as a team as good as the Saints can have.
New York Giants
Week 15 – Cleveland Browns @ New York Giants
The New York Giants have to be getting better – and that needs to happen soon. They’ve got their running back, their quarterback and now their offensive line in place. If they cannot move the ball at this point, they’re in trouble and need to reconfigure how they’re looking at building the team. No one expects the defense to be world-beaters, but they should also be much improved by this point in the rebuild.
What makes the Week 15 game against the Cleveland Browns so important? Well, it’s that the Browns are likely in the middle of the AFC standings at this point, and that is where the Giants are hoping to end the season. So, when Cleveland travels to New York towards the end of the season, we need to see the Giants primed to be contenders in 2021, by beating a mediocre team at home.