Ranking the top 10 revenge games on 2025 NFL schedule: Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl rematch among best battles

The 2025 NFL schedule is here, with all 272 regular-season matchups revealed Wednesday night. And boy is the calendar loaded with marquee games. There’s the rivalry opener between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, the overseas clash between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, a Thanksgiving night showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, and yet another Christmas Day tripleheader, this one featuring a trio of divisional meetings.

Some of the juiciest games on the 2025 slate aren’t just enticing for their promise of on-field fireworks, however. Plenty of contests throughout the fall and winter are also set to be driven by, well, drama. The NFL doubles as a reality show, remember, and the storylines are half the fun. Which is why we combed through the entire schedule to identify some of the most soap-opera-worthy duels on tap for 2025.

Which clubs are set to square off in a battle of both physical strength and personal fortitude? Here are our picks for the top 10 “revenge games” of the 2025 NFL season:

Week: 6 | Date: Sunday, Oct. 12 | Time: 1 p.m. ET | TV: CBS, Stream: Paramount+

It’s anyone’s guess which of Cleveland’s 14 quarterbacks will actually be under center by mid-October, but on the off chance it’s Kenny Pickett, the first guy the Browns acquired this offseason, it’ll be a treat to see the gritty signal-caller return to the stadium he called home in college and then during a short-lived Steelers career. Can you imagine if he came back to spoil Pittsburgh’s day?

Week: 6 | Date: Monday, Oct. 13 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET | TV: ABC, Stream: fubo

Caleb Williams might not hold last season’s walk-off Hail Mary against Jayden Daniels; the latter was sheer magic in 2024, as evidenced by Washington’s miraculous finish to stun Chicago in the two sides’ last meeting. That doesn’t mean Williams won’t be supremely motivated to prove — under the bright lights, no less — that he’s the No. 1 quarterback of his class. And now he might actually have the help to do so.

Week: 13 | Date: Sunday, Nov. 30 | Time: 4:05 p.m. ET | TV: Fox, Stream: fubo

Just like Kirk Cousins before him, Sam Darnold left Minnesota not on overtly antagonistic terms, but rather without the wholehearted trust of team leaders. The Vikings’ stance may have been justified by the quarterback’s late-year deflation, but Darnold’s sure to be revved up in front of his new home crowd. He’ll surely have Seattle roaring if he slings it victoriously against his successor in purple, J.J. McCarthy.

7. Seahawks at Steelers

Week: 2 | Date: Sunday, Sept. 14 | Time: 1 p.m. ET | TV: Fox, Stream: fubo

While Sam Darnold may have a chance to sling the rock at his old squad while playing for the Seahawks, Seattle also purged an apparent malcontent this offseason in star wide receiver DK Metcalf, who reportedly sought a trade long before he was actually dealt to Pittsburgh. The big-bodied pass catcher won’t have to wait long to match up with his old team, and he’ll have the Steelers’ crowd behind him, too.

Week: 7 | Date: Sunday, Oct. 19 | Time: 1 p.m. ET | TV: CBS, Stream: Paramount+

Not all coaching changes are personal, but Mike Vrabel’s ouster from Tennessee following the 2023 season was jarring for the way then-Titans brass framed the move, arguing the former Coach of the Year was ill-fit to restore the franchise to relevance. Now running the same team that long employed him as an NFL player, Vrabel should be locked and loaded, bringing a physical Patriots defense back to Nashville.

Week: 7 | Date: Sunday, Oct. 19 | Time: 4:05 p.m. ET | TV: CBS, Stream: Paramount+

Russell Wilson may be a shell of his former self, and it’s possible he won’t even be in the lineup by mid-October if the Giants are really struggling. If he is, however, this game could break records for pettiness potential. Wilson and coach Sean Payton infamously failed to gel during the quarterback’s acrimonious two-year stint with the Broncos, and now Payton’s got himself a fresher gunslinger in Bo Nix.

4. Steelers at Jets

Week: 1 | Date: Sunday, Sept. 7 | Time: 1 p.m. ET | TV: CBS, Stream: Paramount+

Justin Fields was solid, if unspectacular, as the Steelers’ starting quarterback to open 2024, only to be relegated to bench duties for the ultimately sluggish Russell Wilson down the stretch. He’ll have an immediate shot at payback in New Jersey, now repping the Jets. But the real story here is Aaron Rodgers. If he finally lands with Pittsburgh, he too will get an instant crack at the franchise he left in shambles.

3. Eagles at Commanders

Week: 16 | Date: Saturday, Dec. 20 | Time: TBD | TV: Fox, Stream: fubo

These two teams were always going to meet as NFC East rivals, but it’s hard to oversell this one’s potential friction after the rivals duked it out three different times in 2024; two of those games were high-scoring shootouts, and the third saw the Eagles run away with the NFC Championship game. Jayden Daniels and Co. may well be the biggest threat to the Birds’ shot at defending their Super Bowl title.

2. Chiefs at Bills

Week: 9 | Date: Sunday, Nov. 2 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET | TV: CBS, Stream: Paramount+

This isn’t just a rematch of the AFC Championship game, where the Chiefs once again outlasted the would-be heroics of Josh Allen’s Bills to reach the big stage. It’s also the latest chapter in what’s become an annual Allen versus Patrick Mahomes slugfest. Allen, remember, has a solid record against Kansas City in the regular season, but the reigning NFL MVP is still searching for his first playoff win against the red terrors.

1. Eagles at Chiefs

Week: 2 | Date: Sunday, Sept. 14 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET | TV: Fox, Stream: fubo

It’s the rematch of all rematches. The Eagles thoroughly embarrassed the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX; the 40-22 final score doesn’t even do it justice. Yet how can anyone count out a potentially lethal resurgence from Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Co.? This one’s at Arrowhead, which should give the Chiefs a nice bump, but the Eagles are also a machine, as evidenced by their march back from a Super Bowl LVII defeat at the hands of the Kansas City dynasty. No matter how you slice it, this one is set to be must-see TV.