Top three games of NFL Week 1: Seahawks-Packers highlights slate
The NFL is back, and here's our quick look at the top three games for Week 1 (not including Thursday night's opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots.
1. Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox): Both fixtures among NFC contenders in recent year, Seattle and Green Bay could be on a collision course yet again. Pete Carroll's crew has claimed such classics as the Fail Mary and the wild 2014 conference title game, but the Packers have come out on top in the last two matchups - including a 38-10 romp in Week 14 last year. Seahawks running back Eddie Lacy will be looking to run over his former team, but the main attraction will be Aaron Rodgers' showdown with a Seattle defense re-energized by the return of safety Earl Thomas.
2. New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys (8:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, NBC): Big Blue was one of the few hurdles Dallas couldn't clear last year, as the Giants were responsible for two of the Cowboys' three regular-season losses. Ezekiel Elliott has been granted a reprieve from his six-game suspension, but he was kept mostly under wraps by a formidable New York front last season. Meanwhile, Odell Beckham Jr.'s recovery from an ankle sprain has Giants fans on edge about how Eli Manning's top weapon will fare in the NFC East clash.
3. Oakland Raiders vs. Tennessee Titans (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS): Both promising young teams had their 2016 campaigns derailed by Week 16 injuries to their starting quarterbacks. Oakland held off Tennessee for a 17-10 win in Week 3 last year, but the Raiders defense could be hard-pressed to duplicate the three takeaways it generated in that game. Marcus Mariota and Derek Carr could provide plenty of fireworks, and Marshawn Lynch returns to the NFL to make his Raiders debut after a year spent in retirement.