5 best revenge games on 2021 NFL schedule

3. DeAndre Hopkins, J.J. Watt vs. the Houston Texans

Somewhere in the remote southeastern outpost of Tuscaloosa will new Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien not be watching this game. He sure did his part in destroying the Houston Texans as their former de facto general manager. Now, we get the delight of watching DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt’s Arizona Cardinals dismantle his former team. This games needs a paywall.

2. Jared Goff’s Detroit Lions vs. Matthew Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams

So the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams struck a deal to trade their former No. 1 overall picks, you know, to shake things up. 2009 top selection Matthew Stafford now plays for the Super Bowl-contending Rams, while 2016 top pick Jared Goff now plays for the biter of kneecaps Dan Campbell on the Lions. Los Angeles will win this game, but it will be very entertaining nonetheless.

1. Tom Brady vs. the New England Patriots

There has never been and there will never be a more highly anticipated revenge game than the one between Tom Brady’s defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots. It would so be incredibly awkward if we were not dealing with the greatest quarterback/head coaching combo now going at it from opposite NFL sidelines.

Ultimately, not all of these revenge games are going to live up to the hype because they are going to be so overhyped to begin with. However, at least two of them will have our undivided attention from opening kickoff, through the final whistle and everything in between. While Brady vs. Belichick will not let us down, here is to the four other games holding up their end of the bargain.

One thing is for sure: We will not be at a shortage of high-profile NFL revenge games in 2021.