Top 10 games of 2021 NFL schedule: Marquee matchups feature top QB duels

The NFL draft is less than two weeks removed from its completion. The first real action won't begin for nearly four more months. And yet, it's somehow already time to look ahead to next season.

On Wednesday, the NFL released its full-regular season schedule for 2021, the first year in which the league will have a 17-game format. And even though the matchups were already known, the firming up of the timing and sequencing of all 32 teams' slates brought renewed hope for many fan bases.

Not all 272 games will be captivating, but there are plenty of intriguing matchups on deck for next season. Here are the 10 must-see NFL games for 2021:  

1. Buccaneers at Patriots (Week 4)

Maybe the game itself won't live up to the unparalleled level of hype it is bound to face. Still, the reunion of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick – not to mention Rob Gronkowski – will produce the most anticipated NFL regular-season game in years. While neither the quarterback nor the coach seem likely to play into the hype, it's hard to write this contest off as just one of 17 for either side – especially since it could be the lone time Brady and Belichick square off against one another.

GRUDGE MATCHES: Tom Brady's showdown vs. Patriots highlights best revenge games

MORE: See NFL's full schedule of games for Week 1

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) talks with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after the game at Arrowhead Stadium. (Photo: Jay Biggerstaff, Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

2. Packers at Chiefs (Week 9)

The first duel between Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes will be appointment viewing … so long as Rodgers actually decides to play for Green Bay next season. Barring a trade or extended stalemate, however, this looks to be the most exciting matchup of the additional contests created by the league's implementation of a 17-game format. Expect plenty of points from the top two seeds in last year's playoffs.

3. Bills at Buccaneers (Week 14)

Buffalo has the misfortune of facing each of the defending conference champions on the road this season. While the other contest also made the list, this one gets priority. Brady has bedeviled the Bills throughout his career, with his 32 wins representing the most he's tallied against any franchise. But after capturing the AFC East title in his absence last year, can Sean McDermott and Co. topple their longtime foe? The other side of the matchup should prove just as entertaining, with Josh Allen trying to keep Buffalo's high-flying offense running against the Buccaneers' vaunted defense.

4. Browns at Ravens (Week 12)

The two AFC North foes were responsible for arguably the best game of the 2020 campaign, a back-and-forth doozy in which the two teams tied a 98-year-old record by scoring nine rushing touchdowns before the Ravens squeezed out a 47-42 triumph. Anyone up for an encore on "Sunday Night Football"? The Browns broke their playoff drought in 2020 but haven't finished first in their division since 1989, and Baltimore might be their primary competition for this year's crown.

5. Bills at Chiefs (Week 5)

Can anyone catch Kansas City in the AFC? The Chiefs' current closest competition might be the Bills, who saw their early lead in last season's conference championship erased when Mahomes and Co. surged past them for a 38-24 victory. Like the rest of Kansas City's foes, Buffalo will have to find a way to slow the formidable duo of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, who combined for 22 catches and 290 receiving yards in the last meeting.

6. Cowboys at Buccaneers (Week 1)

After the last few season openers proved to be duds, this one has the potential to set off fireworks — and be a ratings bonanza. It's not often that the spotlight isn't trained firmly on Brady and the Buccaneers, but much of the intrigue for this matchup will center on Dak Prescott and the Cowboys star's return from a gruesome, season-ending compound fracture. Prescott and a refreshed Dallas offensive line will need to be sharp as they prepare for Tampa Bay's aggressive pass rush.

7. Chiefs at Ravens (Week 2)

There might not be a more entertaining burgeoning quarterback rivalry than Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson. Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, has come out ahead of Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, in all three of their clashes to date. Jackson even went so far as to call the Chiefs "our Kryptonite" after a 34-20 defeat in which he completed just 15 of 28 passes for 97 yards. For Baltimore to make the leap to the two-time defending AFC champions' tier, the quarterback will need to do more — and he'll have to do it without offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., whom the Ravens traded to the Chiefs this offseason.

8. Seahawks at Packers (Week 10)

From the "Fail Mary" to their memorable playoff clashes, these two NFC teams have a way of making magic happen when they meet. This year, however, the contest might be defined by disgruntled quarterbacks, as both Rodgers and Russell Wilson have aired out grievances with their respective organizations. Green Bay has won four of the last five meetings, but the Packers have lost their last four games in Seattle.

9. Rams at 49ers (Week 10)

As exciting as some of the interconference matchups can be, sometimes the most entertaining games are a product of two teams who know each other extremely well. The Rams and 49ers surely are more than familiar with one another, and the dynamic between the two teams should take on a new complexion in 2021 as each side looks to return to contender status. New outlooks at quarterback could also shift the landscape of this showdown, with Matthew Stafford taking the reins for the Rams and No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance waiting in the wings in San Francisco. 

10. Jaguars at Bengals (Week 4)

Yes, really. Given the teams involved, this might seem like the kind of game that should be swept under the rug rather than awarded the spotlight, even if it's only on "Thursday Night Football." But any battle of No. 1 picks should spark some intrigue. When the matchup features two of the most prolific passers in recent college football history in Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow, though, it reaches a different level. Burrow also will have the chance to show Urban Meyer, his former coach at Ohio State before the quarterback transferred to LSU, what he missed when he chose Dwayne Haskins as his starter.

Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.

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