Yardbarker
x
The best remaining games this NFL season
Rookie quarterback sensation Dak Prescott has the Dallas Cowboys all over our list of must-watch games the rest of the 2016 NFL season. Wesley Hitt/Getty Image

The best remaining games this NFL season

As we reach the midpoint of the season it's time to take stock and look at where we are so far halfway through the season. Games that looked exciting in August might not have the same urgency now that it's November while other games suddenly look promising enough to possibly be flexed into prime time as the playoff hunt heats up.

Good day and welcome back to the Yardbarker roundtable. This week we've been taking stock of NFL 2016; the winners, the losers and the best individual performances – no matter how silly they may be. Today however is about looking ahead, so we asked our esteemed panel:

Looking at the schedule, which game are you looking forward to the most?

Daniel Tran: The New England Patriots lost one game with Tom Brady out of the lineup. Now that he’s back, the Pats are ready to seek vengeance on every Deflategate-supporting fan that ever meme’d the demise of the quarterback. Which will make their match up against the Denver Broncos in Week 15 tastier.

Even with Trevor Siemian showing that he is in fact a first-year starter, the defense has been excellent with Von Miller leading the leagues best pass defense. The Broncos always have one of the rowdier home crowds and playoff seeding will probably be on the line for this game.

Mike Tunison: Cowboys at Vikings, Thursday Night Football, Week 13. Given that Dak Prescott will have already gone against the Eagles, it won't be his first time going against an aggressive, attacking defense, though it'll be an intriguing matchup between two teams shaping up to be among the top of the NFC.

Sam Greszes: Week 10, Falcons vs. Eagles. Now, this assumes that the Falcons don't do what the Falcons always do and collapse completely in November, so take this with a grain of salt. That said, if the Falcons' offense can continue to execute at this high-flying, exciting level, watching them match up with the Eagles should be a joy. The matchup will feature two teams who arguably field the league's best receiving corps, so the game should be high-scoring and pass-heavy.

Demetrius Bell: There is still a metric ton of football to be played between now and Week 17, but there's a chance that the NFL may have struck gold with one of those divisional clashes that they love to put at the end of the schedule. The Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos are both 6-2 right now, and if they keep up the good work and the Chiefs fade away, then we could have an AFC West championship game in Week 17. It's been really hard to find stuff to get excited about in this strange season, but everybody loves a winner-take-all scenario, right? I know I do, and that's why I'm rooting for this scenario to manifest itself over the course of the next few weeks. I want that divisional title game. You need that divisional title game. We need that divisional title game.

Shiloh CarderThe Cowboys-Vikings game on Thursday Night Football on December 1. These are the two best teams in the NFC thus far and, while this is one of those dreaded Thursday Night games where teams are typically banged up and rushed into an opponent, both the Vikings and Cowboys will actually have had a full week to prepare as both will have played the previous Thursday – Thanksgiving.

We'll get to see Elliott and Prescott go against that Vikings defense (how about that Dallas offensive line versus the Minnesota defensive front) and in that beautiful new stadium in Minneapolis. Should be a great one.

Jamie Neal: I can’t believe my brain conjured up this thought. I can't believe my fingers are typing this next sentence. I can’t wait to watch Green Bay vs. Detroit in week 17. That game could be for a playoff spot, especially if Jim Bob Cooter can keep putting Detroit in a position to win. If Stafford can stay healthy and the Lions can stay on the winning path, this game could be a nail-biter for both fan bases.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers need to pull it together and play at the level this team was once able to play at, but to think they couldn’t win a wild card spot is silly – especially given how absurdly awful the rest of the NFC seems to be.

David Matthews: Week 10: Cowboys-Steelers. Roethlisberger might be back at that point. Romo should be cleared to play by then and might actually unseat Dak because Jerry Jones is a sociopath. It's the 4 o'clock game so it'll be on until, like, 8 o'clock. Joe Buck is going to be so annoying, I cannot wait for it. Then when it's over, Seahawks-Patriots over on NBC. Week 10 is going to be awesome.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.