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| Thursday, August 31 By Joe Lago ESPN.com | |||||
Some are must-see TV for obvious reasons. For the most part, though, the following 10 regular-season games have the potential to possess the most intriguing storylines of 2000. At the very least, make sure your VCR is set for these days.
Week 2: Monday, Sept. 11 (New England at New York Jets)
This relatively dormant NFC East rivalry got a dose of guaranteed hype and hoopla when ex-Cowboy Deion Sanders joined Daniel Snyder's rag-tag group of mercenaries to bring him the Lombardi Trophy. Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 24 (New York Jets at Tampa Bay) Keyshawn Johnson not only has been looking forward to this game since the Jets' controversial pre-draft trade, but he's been rehearsing his best trash-talk lines. The talk in Tampa is whether the Bucs can rule with a boy King. Week 7: Monday, Oct. 16 (Jacksonville at Tennessee) Is football all mental? For the Jaguars, apparently so -- especially when it comes to playing the Titans. Tennessee has beaten Jacksonville four straight times, including a three-game sweep last season. Chalk up another defeat for the Jags if anyone other than Fred Taylor starts at running back. Week 9: Monday, Oct. 30 (Tennessee at Washington) You could easily see this same matchup on Jan. 28 for Super Bowl XXXV. The Titans are talented enough to get there without the help of miraculous, last-second kickoff returns. The Redskins are talented because, well, owner Daniel Snyder can afford it. Week 11: Monday, Nov. 13 (Oakland at Denver) It'll probably be too cold for Sebastian Janikowski to take a shot at the longest field-goal record. On this night in the thin air of Mile High, though, the AFC West race could be decided. That's no longshot, either. Week 12: Monday, Nov. 20 (Washington at St. Louis) Some believe the NFC title preview will take place on Monday night in Week 16 in Tampa (The Rams could have home-field advantage locked up by then, making it less interesting). Still, you shouldn't miss this game, which will feature the speedy Redskins secondary against the Rams' turbo-charged receivers on the Trans World Dome turf. Week 13: Monday, Nov. 27 (Green Bay at Carolina) Did Reggie White really want to retire? Or did the Packers quietly push the NFL's career sack leader out the door? One thing's for sure: The Minister of Defense will be eager to show Brett Favre and his ex-mates that he can still play. Week 14: Monday, Dec. 4 (Kansas City at New England) This game may not mean a thing in the playoff picture because of the teams' troublesome offenses. But a boring night of football will make for Monday Night Football history when a second-half Dennis Miller rant slips past dozing ABC censors. Week 15: Monday, Dec. 11 (Buffalo at Indianapolis) The Bills might be the only AFC East team capable of running with the Colts. If the division race hasn't been settled, it'll definitely be decided after this Monday night showdown in the RCA Dome. Joe Lago is the NFL editor for ESPN.com. | ALSO SEE
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