Touch Grass: Worst primetime matchups on the 2024 NFL schedule

One thing that has become clear with the release of the 2024 NFL Schedule is that the NFL has a lot of broadcast windows to try and fill with compelling games. Whether it is Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, the international series, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or NFL Network exclusives, there are a lot of TV windows that need to be filled with games.

There are limits to how often certain teams can appear in primetime, however, with the maximum amount of games involving a given team limited to six at the start of the season. While it would make sense for ratings purposes to get high profile squads like the Dallas Cowboys or Kansas City Chiefs in primetime as often as possible, the NFL has a delicate dance to pull off to satisfy all of their primetime partners as well as CBS and FOX, who pay big money for the Sunday afternoon packages.

The end result is that there are certain games that end up in primetime that are less than desirable and only get big time slots because the league simply has to fill them with someone. After a thorough look at the 2024 slate, let's look at the worst primetime matchups that can easily be skipped if you want to touch grass and get a head start on holiday festivities.

For the purposes of this exercise, we are only counting games that are part of an established primetime package (SNF, MNF or TNF). NFL Network exclusives like the International Series are not included.

Week 3 - New England Patriots At New York Jets (Thursday Night Football)

The NFL clearly wants to get more out of the Aaron Rodgers experience in New York, maxing out the Jets' primetime appearances at 6. This is the least interesting of New York's primetime spots as the Jets are home against New England, which is projected to be one of the league's worst teams and has a talent-deficient roster across the board.

The fact that this game is at MetLife Stadium also hurts the chances of an upset since asking this New England team to win a road division game is a tall order. Unless you're a big Jets fan this is an easy skip.

Week 6 - Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants (Sunday Night Football)

This matchup was a very strange choice to feature in the Sunday night package, which is regarded as the most prestigious of the NFL's primetime offerings. The Giants are home, which helps any potential upset chances, but they are not expected to be very good and are taking on a Bengals' team loaded with offensive firepower.

These teams also don't have any major history with each other, so there isn't an intriguing storyline like a classic rematch or a notable former player who has switched teams. The NFL clearly wanted to try and go for a ratings grab with the New York market but this game has massive blowout potential.

Week 7 - Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals (Monday Night Football)

This one does have a bit of an asterisk next to it since it is one game in a Monday night doubleheader with the opposite game being a compelling Ravens-Buccaneers matchup. ESPN's contract with the NFL requires one game to air exclusively on ESPN+ and the league gave it to a Chargers-Cardinals matchup that will kick off at 9:00 p.m. ET.

While the quarterback matchup of Justin Herbert and Kyler Murray has potential, these teams are both in the middle of rebuilding campaigns that had them picking fourth and fifth in the draft in April. Unless you are a fan of either team or have a fantasy matchup on the line it is hard to recommend even making the effort to pay money to get ESPN+ to watch this game.

Week 12 - Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers (Monday Night Football)

This Monday night matchup is in primetime for one reason and one reason only - the Harbowl. John and Jim Harbaugh's first NFL matchup as head coaches in over a decade is a nice storyline but neither one will be putting on pads for a game that has serious blowout potential.

The Chargers are the clearly inferior team and don't have a true home field advantage at SoFi Stadium, which has been swarmed by visiting fans every year since they moved in. Baltimore outclasses Los Angeles at pretty much every position so this game could get ugly quickly.

Week 13 - Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos (Monday Night Football)

There have been plenty of revenge matchups in primetime over the years but Jerry Jeudy's return to Denver as a member of the Browns isn't one that will get casual interest. This game is a classic example of the NFL being stretched very thin with the number of mouths it has to feed, leaving a game that could be very boring if Cleveland isn't getting compelling quarterback play from Deshaun Watson.

The Broncos had to shed a lot of talent during the offseason to get compliant with the salary cap, leaving their roster very thin to the point that either rookie Bo Nix (the sixth quarterback taken in this year's draft) or 2021 draft bust Zach Wilson will be under center for Denver. When you add in a Browns team that has a great defense and can run the football effectively this could be a very boring game to watch, making it the perfect one to skip and go work on your holiday shopping.

Week 14 - Los Angeles Chargers At Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday Night Football)

This is NBC's third Sunday night game with Kansas City, which is one of the league's biggest ratings draws, but sending the Chargers to Arrowhead Stadium in December is a bad idea if you want a competitive game. Herbert has the talent to compete with Patrick Mahomes but his skill position group has been severely depleted after salary cap concerns caused Los Angeles to cut Mike Williams, let Austin Ekeler walk in free agency and trade Keenan Allen to Chicago.

If things go south in Los Angeles this game could be a prime candidate to be flexed out of primetime. If it stays put, feel free to go look at some holiday light displays instead.