The first half of the NFL season has had some classic games already. And the parity across the top half of the standings means there should be plenty of great games to come. 

With nine of 18 weeks of the NFL season behind us, let’s rank the top five games we’ve seen, and call out the five best matchups for the rest of the season: 

5 best games so far this NFL season

5. Jaguars 31, Chiefs 28, Week 5

You don’t see many quarterbacks pull a Patrick Mahomes on Mahomes. Mahomes was very good in this game — though Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd did get him for a 99-yard pick-6 — and he led a go-ahead touchdown with 1:45 left. But Lawrence had a Mahomes-esque final drive, with a fantastic 33-yard pass to Brian Thomas Jr. and then a game-winning touchdown when he fell down right after the snap but got up and scrambled into the end zone for a touchdown. It was a Monday night thriller. 

4. Buccaneers 38, Seahawks 35, Week 5

The Buccaneers and Seahawks are each 6-2, and this game featured how good both teams are. It was a fantastic back-and-forth game, with 53 points scored in the second half. The Buccaneers trailed with two minutes left but scored a touchdown to tie it, then linebacker Lavonte David made a great catch for an interception off Sam Darnold, and then Tampa Bay won it as time expired on a field goal. It was two good teams battling in a very well-played game.

3. Cowboys 40, Giants 37, Week 2

This happened all the way back when Russell Wilson was starting for the Giants. And he was incredible, with 450 yards. And that still wasn’t enough. The Cowboys led 27-23 with three minutes left in what was already a fun game, and then this happened:

• Wan’Dale Robinson catches a 32-yard touchdown from Wilson to give the Giants the lead

• The Cowboys have an 11-play, 71-yard drive, with a fourth-down conversion, and Dak Prescott hits George Pickens for a touchdown with 52 seconds left to give Dallas the lead

• Wilson immediately rallies, throwing a 48-yard pass to Malik Nabers with 25 seconds left for a Giants lead

• Brandon Aubrey gets a shot at a 64-yard field goal attempt on the final play of regulation and hits it to send the game to overtime. At the time that tied for the third-longest field goal in NFL history

• Aubrey wins it with no time left on the clock in overtime on a 46-yard field goal after a Wilson interception. He’s the first player in NFL history to hit a game-tying field goal with no time left in regulation and a game-winning field goal with no time left in overtime.

Forget the teams’ records now. This game was as entertaining as it gets.

2. Broncos 33, Giants 32, Week 7

The truth is, for three quarters this game wasn’t good. The Giants led 19-0. But the fourth quarter was so unbelievable, it has to be this high on the list. The Broncos scored 33 points in the fourth quarter. After the Giants took a 32-30 lead with 37 seconds left, Denver rallied to get a game-winning field goal. Two fun, young quarterbacks in Jaxson Dart and Bo Nix both came up with great, clutch plays. Nix just came up with the final clutch plays to win.

1. Bills 41, Ravens 40, Week 1

This game was billed as a showdown between AFC contenders and MVP candidates. We’ll see if the Ravens become an AFC contender, but Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson put on a show. And it included a wild fourth-quarter comeback with Allen throwing for an outlandish 251 yards in the fourth quarter alone to overcome a 15-point deficit. It was simply one of the best regular-season games in recent history.

Honorable mention best NFL games so far

Eagles rebound to beat Rams
Rams take advantage of Colts mistakes to win
49ers overcome injuries to beat Rams in overtime
Titans storm back to beat Cardinals
Patriots upset Bills on road
Bengals win thriller over Steelers
Jets stage wild comeback over Bengals for first win
Bears pull out a last-minute win over Bengals

5 best NFL matchups to come

5. Colts at Chiefs, Week 12

There won’t be any more “Are the Colts really a contender?” questions if they go win at Arrowhead Stadium. The Colts have already looked good against some quality teams, but nothing raises a team’s profile like winning at Kansas City. Also, the Chiefs are 5-4 at the midway point; they can’t afford many more losses to anyone. 

4. Bills at Patriots, Week 15

Of all the results from the first half, it’s possible the Patriots upsetting the Bills in Buffalo shifted the scope of the 2025 season the most. The Bills went from a Super Bowl favorite to having a real challenge in the AFC East. They might need to win at New England just to win the division. Can we flex this one to Sunday night already? 

3. Packers at Lions, Week 13 (Thanksgiving)

The Packers absolutely blew out the Lions in Week 1. Since then, the Lions have looked better and the Packers have been good, though inconsistency plagues them. It’s hard to say this game will be the NFC North title game, considering the Bears and Vikings are still in the mix, but there are high stakes for the first Thanksgiving game, including Detroit trying to get some revenge for an embarrassing season-opening loss.

2. Rams at Seahawks, Week 16 (Thursday) 

The Rams and Seahawks also meet in Week 11, but we’ll pick this one because it’s on Thursday night. The NFC West race is fantastic. The Rams and Seahawks are elite teams (and don’t forget about the 49ers either). Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford are having tremendous seasons. Settle in for this one. 

1. Broncos at Chiefs, Week 17 (Christmas)

The Broncos also host the Chiefs in Week 11. This one, late in the season, could be a de facto AFC West championship game. The Broncos lead the Chiefs in the division by two games. Will the Chiefs’ run of nine straight AFC West titles officially end in this game? Or does a win here vault the Chiefs to another postseason run? It’s also not completely out of the question that the Chiefs will need to win this game just to make the playoffs. If the season ended today, the Chiefs wouldn’t be in the postseason field. The NFL did well to put this one on Christmas for a huge audience. This could be one of the biggest regular season games of the Chiefs’ dynasty.