The top 30 NFL games of the 2020 season

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 29: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers and Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks have a conversation after the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 26-21 during their game at CenturyLink Field on December 29, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 24: Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs the ball during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium on November 24, 2019, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

15. Week 10 – Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

This game makes the list for one reason only: Joe Burrow visits Pittsburgh for the very first time in hopes of bringing competitiveness back to the Bengals-Steelers rivalry. As it stands, the Steelers have toppled the Bengals 10 consecutive times. Cincinnati has not vanquished Pittsburgh since late 2015.

Overall, Pittsburgh has a pitiless stranglehold on the all-time series with a 66-35 win-loss record versus Cincinnati. There was a stint between 1984-90 in which the Bengals had the upper hand, but that ended with the emergence of head coach Bill Cowher in the early 1990s.

It’s Burrow time.

16. Week 10 – San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints

If you watched the NFL in 2019, you know why this matchup is a top 30 must. Last December, the 49ers and Saints met in New Orleans for an outright track meet. A total of 94 points were scored, and that’s among two teams with otherwise stellar defenses. San Francisco wound up as the prizewinner of a 48-46 shootout.

From a broader perspective, that game was one of the first spots that Jimmy Garoppolo showed he bore the mettle to be a true franchise quarterback. Additionally, this game would later turn out to be the contest that locked up home-field advantage during the 49ers’ 2019 Super Bowl run.