All eyes will be on Aaron Rodgers and his return to face his former team, the New York Jets, in Week 1 of the NFL season. That’s not the only game, though, that has a lot of excitement to it. Just like the first weekend of college football brought non-stop action from start to finish, the NFL is the same.
The Dallas Cowboys will love to kick off the season against their bitter rivals in the Philadelphia Eagles, and that’s just a couple of the matchups. There’s a handful of revenge-filled games to start the new NFL season. Here’s a look at all the matchups that will have fans glued to their seats.
Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields get revenge on center stage
This is exactly what we wanted. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets; Aaron Rodgers with a shot to make the Jets regret forcing him out and Justin Fields a chance to prove the Steelers gave up on him way too soon. It couldn’t be a better matchup for fans to indulge in. As far as Rodgers, he needs to prove he can still carry an NFL team.
The Steelers are banking on Rodgers to return to his Green Bay form and put together one final season that will take this team on a playoff run. This game isn’t just about proving his former team, but proving to his current team too. That said, it would make his Steelers tenure a lot better if he whooped his former team to start the year.
As for Fields, he has the ultimate pressure to play well. He doesn’t have as much as Rodgers to excel Week 1, but the Jets need him to play well to make sure they didn’t whiff on turning to him after letting Rodgers go. This is less about proving to the Steelers, rather proving to Jets fans they should believe in him.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens get revenge on Buffalo Bills after another early playoff exit
This game could be just as exciting as it was watching the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens start the season last year. Lamar Jackson has a ridiculous amount of pressure to win an AFC championship at this point in his career. A Super Bowl ring is the only thing his legacy needs. He already has the MVPs and has proven he’s an elite quarterback. But he can’t win in the postseason. What better way to prove this is the year than to beat the team that took the Ravens out of the playoffs.
As the starting quarterback, Jackson has been to the playoffs five of the last six years with just one appearance in the AFC championship game and three appearances in the divisional round. The Buffalo Bill, though in the same position, have thwarted the Ravens. This is a chance for Jackson to make a statement and doing it Week 1 might just be the life Ravens fans to believe this year will be different.
Green Bay Packers were swept last year by Detroit so a Week 1 showdown is the perfect way to start 2025
The Green Bay Packers ran circles around the Detroit Lions for years. Yet, they’ve lost three of the last four meetings against Detroit and were swept in 2024. Their eyes are on making up for that in Week 1. Maybe that’s why they went and traded for Micah Parsons. They had a glaring weakness in their pass rush and now they have a team not just built to beat Detroit again, but to make noise in the NFL playoffs.
Jordan Love and these Packers are under immense pressure to win and contend for an NFC championship. They can do that if they lose to Detroit again, but getting a Week 1 win over a division rival would feel so much better. The NFC North is once again loaded and winning division games is going to be key. The Packers have all the motivation to start the season strong against a team that’s had their number the last couple of years.
The new-look Dallas Cowboys look to beat defending Super Bowl champions
The Dallas Cowboys kicking the season off is one thing, but doing it against their most hated rival in the Philadelphia Eagles just makes the opening weekend of the NFL’s return that much better. Especially when the chip on the Cowboys’s shoulders just got a lot bigger thanks to Jerry Jones and his egotistical moves. After trading Micah Parsons the spotlight on Dallas got a lot bigger and their task in starting 1-0 just got a lot harder.
Since 2022, the Cowboys and Eagles have split their regular season series twice and Dallas was swept in 2024. As always every year, the expectations for the Cowboys are sky high. They need nothing more than to start the year defeating a hated rival.
They’ll get that chance and the result could very well determine their year. If they kick off 2025 with a win over the Eagles, maybe this will be their year, but a loss would only further add to the ongoing frustration fans have with their beloved Cowboys.