Top 5 Must-Watch NFL Teams This Season

Dallas drama leads the way as opening weekend kicks off.

Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys flicks the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter in the game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., on Sept. 4, 2025. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

The star on the helmet of the Dallas Cowboys these days could be interpreted as a rating for a bad TV show rather than a symbol.

They made for quality television in Thursday’s 24–20 opening-night loss to the reigning Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles.

However, owner Jerry Jones has what he wants in terms of followership and popularity as he has figured out multiple ways to pump up viewership—with huge assists from media—and build up interest with his daily press scrums.

In fact, many National Football League fans can’t help but at least care about Dallas because of being spoon-fed Cowboys news at every turn of the sports channel.

The top five must-see teams for this season bring a combination of entertainment and drama, real or manufactured, that NFL enthusiasts can’t afford to miss.

Dallas Cowboys

The preseason Micah Parsons soap opera-style contract dispute took over daytime TV as a primetime problem for the team. It was only solved when Jones and the rest of the front office shipped the two-time All-Pro off to the Green Bay Packers.

Even without that part of the plot, the Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott are an act worth the price of admission. Jones rambles at seemingly every opportunity, and some of the rooting public might even enjoy seeing a wealthy man like him repeatedly suffer the agony of defeat.

Los Angeles Rams

Right behind “Parsons Watch 2025” was Rams star quarterback Matthew Stafford, his ailing back, and his much-criticized backup Jimmy Garoppolo. L.A. coach Sean McVay had cryptic updates throughout the offseason, while third-stringer Stetson Bennett IV took the majority of preseason snaps.

But the magnetic draw for this team this season is supposed to be the L.A. offense, to which McVay has added free-agent wide receiver Davante Adams and rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson.

News about the pair was tucked tightly behind Stafford’s back, but the expectation is a updated version of “The Greatest Show on Turf” style of offense that landed the St. Louis Rams the title in Super Bowl XXXIV.

And last season’s top rookie defensive player Jared Verse is the “Mouth of the California’s south.” The second-year linebacker, who sniped at Eagles fans before the teams met in the playoffs last season, is a nonstop trash-talker with plenty of game to back it up.

The Rams defensive line is also considered to be one of the NFL’s best, so Verse and his crew of ball-seeking bruisers are on the front lines.

Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams before the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2025. Harry How/Getty Images

Jacksonville Jaguars

There’s one massive reason to seek out this team on game days, and that’s to witness the talents of two-way rookie Travis Hunter on display.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is expected to play wideout and defensive back, collecting snaps at both positions and trying to make an impact on a struggling club.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars also bring under-fire quarterback Trevor Lawrence to the field. Lawrence was the top pick in the 2021 draft but has experienced more stumbles than successful strides.

Some experts have called this a make-or-break season for the signal-caller, whose seemingly prototypical build of 6-feet-6, 220 pounds left many salivating over his physical presence and ignoring his interceptions before he was picked in the draft. Lawrence brings a mixed career into the season with 69 touchdown passes and 46 picks in 60 games.

He has five TDs but just as many picks in two choppy playoff appearances. Lawrence might be playing for his future in Florida.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his default setting of indifference have also had to sit uncomfortably in the backseat—behind Parsons and Stafford—left only to ask in Bart Simpson fashion, “Are we there yet?”

Well, the season is here and the soon-to-be 42-year-old has a lot to prove. Two seasons after rupturing his Achilles, the former Packers standout, now with his third club, opens things up against his most recent team, the New York Jets, and signal caller Justin Fields, whom the Steelers allowed to walk after he was stuck as the backup a season ago.

The drama kicks off right at the start, as the Jets and Steelers match up on opening weekend.

Kansas City Chiefs

A lot of respect goes to the Eagles, the New York Giants, better known as QB-controversy central, and the Chicago Bears—with the entire city focused on second-year QB Caleb Williams—but Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have swept fans worldwide off their feet.

The team slots into the final spot on the list, but the problem for Patrick Mahomes and K.C. is that Kelce is coming off a down season and turns 36 on Oct. 5.

Friday night’s 27–21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo was evidence that there is plenty of entertainment in store with the Chiefs, and the journey is sure to have more than its share of can’t-miss moments.

The Chiefs, losers in the Super Bowl in February, have the game’s top quarterback in Mahomes and big-time motivation. And in a division like the AFC West, every game is a popcorn-worthy matchup.